In New York State, the 24 brightest fifth and sixth graders from Avon, Caledonia, and York participated in a project funded by Title IV minigrants, distributed through BOCES. The children were bussed to a central point and permitted to study whatever they wished; Spanish was the first subject selected. (EJS)

Provides step-by-step description of a group intermix strategy ("tearing up the book") intended to ensure that a group of learners shares a body of knowledge prior to discussion. Offers suggestions for using strategy in rural classrooms. Includes 19-item annotated bibliography of appropriate grade 5-12 books for using this technique.

An effective teaching technique for a university extension course for rural special education teachers is the respond/read/replicate/report system. The four-step system was developed to stimulate tired, beleaguered teachers with differing experiences, knowledgeability, and teaching/learning styles who drove up to 60 miles on country roads to…

This handbook presents materials designed to assist teachers in meeting the needs of primary school children in multi-graded classrooms. The handbook is divided into two parts. The first part consists of the following sections: (1) the multi-graded school; (2) strategies for multi-graded classrooms; (3) oracy--listening and speaking; (4) language…

Describes introductory social studies unit which involves fifth grade Adams (Nebraska) students in concrete experiences (scavenger hunt) with their local environment to enable them to relate difficult social science concepts with familiar points of reference, reverse student negativism toward social studies, and motivate students to view social…

This booklet presents an overview of various techniques for remote education presently being used in Australian schools. It is intended as a teacher's resource, introducing the topic and promoting the development of contacts and establishment of communication links. Following a brief history of remote learning in Australia, the distance education…

Project CIRCUIT (Curriculum Improvement Resulting from Creative Utilization of Instructional Two-Way Television), a two-way interactive video and audio system serving the schools of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, was evaluated in its second year through interviews with teachers, students, administrators, and the project director, and examination…

Investigated are the alternative conceptions of the concept "animal" held by African youngsters. Three forms of thinking among the pupils are identified. An attempt is made to explain the possible origin of anthropocentric thinking among pupils. Urban and rural groups are compared. (CW)

Research studies have shown that students in rural high schools have fewer science role models, participate less frequently in extracurricular science activities, and have less science career information than do their peers in more cosmopolitan settings. Furthermore, girls in rural schools may be particularly disadvantaged. For example, analyses…

This article proposes the use of special education knowledge within a general education framework. Research on federal policies to achieve educational equity has shown that special education policies have created elements of an unequal educational system. Rural educators need to move beyond "special education" in rural settings, to address the…

Analysis of studies indicates textbooks and teaching methods in rural social studies programs, like those in nonrural programs, stress information rather than critical thinking and inquiry skills, are not relevant to students' own lives, and do not exhibit individual teacher resourcefulness nor use local resources. (MM)

In this collection, eight master teachers with extensive experience in small, rural Alaska schools describe some of the ways they have adapted instruction to rural Alaskan circumstances. These papers discuss: (1) the characteristics of effective rural teachers; (2) adapting the "Coping!" curriculum for affective education to the cultural…

This study was conducted as part of a project to increase the number of certified teachers who serve students with behavior disorders in the rural regions of West Virginia, improve the quality of training to participants at both the elementary and secondary levels, and retain certified teachers who teach students with behavior disorders. Improving…

Contains suggestions from six contributors, including the use of parents as an audience for beginning readers; outdoor activities to motivate readers; word order recognition exercise; a books-by-mail library service for rural students; using remedial students to read to younger children; and a language arts/social studies project. (FL)