The response to seatwork assignments of 26 high and low achievers in 8 first grade classrooms was examined. Students were observed during five half-days of school over a five to six month period. Teachers were interviewed twice during the year, with particular attention being paid to how they handled selecting seatwork assignments, presented them…

The learning potential (LP) procedure represents an alternative method of measuring ability of Spanish-speaking students who tend to score low on traditional IQ tests. This study sought to determine the relative predictive power of LP and IQ measures on achievement of 188 first through sixth grade Spanish-speaking students. Subjects participated…

The intent of this "bottom-up" project was to create a community of learners to facilitate the implementation of computer technologies in the elementary school curriculum. The participants were 6 graduate students and their professor, 10 teachers (grades 1-5), their students, and the librarian in a Professional Development School. Each…

How students are affected by a mentoring relationship and to what degree were studied over 3 years in the evaluation of a mentoring program that aims to improve student motivation, achievement, and behavior. In addition to a survey of 85 mentors and 89 teachers, the study examined some objective measures of student achievement for 40 elementary…

This brief paper suggests ways of involving students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficits in their own learning, with a systematic program intended to build self-understanding and a healthy internal locus of control. The program is based on the concept of multiple intelligences and the many different ways in which students and…

Building upon the work of the Effective Early Learning (EEL) Project in raising the quality of early learning for young children in the United Kingdom, the 3-year Accounting Early for Life Long Learning Project (AcE Project) focuses on enhancing in 3- to 6-year-olds those attitudes and dispositions that are important to life-long learning. This…

As an alternative to the drill and practice worksheets that typically supplement student learning, this book provides a reference for kindergarten through fifth grade teachers containing ideas for interactive activities to invigorate daily lessons in many areas of the elementary school curriculum, as well as providing ideas for home school…

Provides justification for a cross-disciplinary approach to program delivery in physical education for students with physical and cognitive disabilities. Details the positive outcomes possible through a bidirectional relationship between physical education and physical therapy and presents guidelines for collaboration and for sport skill…

Examined relationship between the cognitive demands of instruction and student motivation in fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade mathematics classrooms. Found through observation and survey data that sixth- and seventh-grade math lessons were characterized by significantly fewer elements of higher-order thinking than fifth-grade math lessons, and…

Differences and relationships between home environment and motivational orientation were examined for 28 higher and 29 lower achieving mainland Puerto Rican children in grades 5 and 6. Post-hoc multiple regression analysis revealed that family involvement accounted for a significant amount of variance with regard to achievement. (SLD)

Investigation of relations among children's perceptions of their parents, motivation, and school performance for 456 children in grades 3 through 6 suggests that perceived maternal support and involvement are associated with perceived competence, control understanding, and perceptions of autonomy, whereas paternal support is related to perceived…

Reports on an ethnographic study of a fourth-grade bilingual classroom that examined the culture created in the classroom and how children were socialized to it. The author argues that for culturally diverse, at-risk students to succeed, the culture of the classroom must be different in its roles, values, beliefs, and expectations than what exists…

The Research for Better Schools Urban Education Project is working with teachers in Baltimore (Maryland) and Washington (District of Columbia) to reduce the alienation of many urban students by exploring how to align what students bring to school with classroom learning. This effort is centered around the concept of learner experience, an…

The Research for Better Schools Urban Education Project is working with educators in Baltimore (Maryland) and Washington (District of Columbia) to explore how to align what students bring to school with classroom learning. This effort is centered around the concept of learner experience, an outgrowth of the project's Urban Learner Framework (ULF),…

This book explores concepts and methods of self-directed learning (SDL), documenting and illustrating the SDL methodology with practical examples. SDL is a synergistic process in which a teacher helps learners use various strategies and perceptual skills to learn on their own, become more responsible for their learning, and take charge of their…