Recent years have witnessed the spread of purpose-built active learning classrooms throughout the higher education sector. While these innovative learning spaces are well-suited for a variety of active learning strategies, their lack of a single focal point means they are inconvenient spaces for lecturing. While educational developers often…

Family grouping (a classroom organization plan in which elementary school children of differing chronological and developmental stages are grouped in a single class) is a means for providing continuity between home and school with a minimum of psychological and emotional shock. (MJB)

This article discusses individualized instruction in physical education programs and suggests how to implement a "levels approach" to meet student needs. The Secondary Physical Education Curriculum and Resource Guide was prepared to integrate curriculum planning components with a focus on individualization. (DF)

This study compared the perceptions of 227 ninth- and tenth-grade students with learning disabilities in regular and special secondary classrooms. Students' perceptions of their classroom environment and their social competence were assessed. Results showed that students with learning disabilities perceived regular classes as being better…

A total of 20 first- and second-grade classrooms were observed to determine the nature of their behavior settings, and to ascertain teacher goals and values implicit in the classroom organization. Observation revealed strong differences among subject areas in both time allotment and variety of resources and activities. Language arts occupied the…

Discusses thematic centers in which teachers select a theme and design of several classroom stations on the topic. Describes application of the technique in one Canadian class of six-, seven-, and eight-year olds, many of whom were English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. Identifies characteristics of the technique. (SG)

A teacher education seminar, designed to be an egalitarian "community of learners," is critiqued. In an effort to make classroom learning relations more equal, instructors referred to themselves as seminar leaders and sought student participation in the curriculum decision-making process. The most significant consequence of the…

Two models for using information and communication technologies to teach physics to students in remote areas of Canada and Russia are described. In Canada, an intranet electronically links schools in a Newfoundland school district to the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Advanced placement physics is delivered via the Internet. Newfoundland has…

A survey of 131 Canadian elementary school teachers teaching in open areas sought to discover the extent to which open education concepts were being implemented and to solicit their opinions about a variety of problems and issues related to implementation. The survey asked teachers to rate their current situation and personal preferences on 11…

The Alberta senior high school biology program consists of a core and elective components, both of which are mandatory for instruction. The core represents those skills, attitudes, and concepts required by all students throughout the province; the elective component allows for variety and flexibility in the choice of topics, with emphasis on…

This report summarizes the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the 1980-81 British Columbia Kindergarten Needs Assessment. This assessment was designed to elicit a broad base of information, both fact and opinion, from the professional literature, from review panels held across the province, and from a survey of groups most closely…

This paper proposes that a more flexible approach to the development of teaching groups, accompanied by the necessary changes in staff and facility utilization, would help solve problems arising from declining enrollments in elementary schools. Such problems presently occur in many elementary schools in Western Canada. The problems of educational…

A case study describes implementation of holistic changes at Jubilee Junior High School in Edson, Alberta (Canada). Changes included "large-group" instruction by a team of teachers; outcome-based assessment, including portfolios; integrated curriculum; and replacement of the school's hierarchical administration with a leadership team of…

The procedures, results, and recommendations of the 1980-81 British Columbia Kindergarten Needs Assessment, the first province-wide kindergarten survey to investigate all aspects of the kindergarten program, are presented in this general report. Kindergarten teachers, district administrators and supervisors of licensed preschools, and a sample of…