The emphasis in education policy over recent decades has been on inclusion in mainstream schools and colleges. There has also been a focus on promoting the emotional well-being of young people. The "What about us?" project enabled young people with learning difficulties in three localities to bring about changes in their schools and…

The purpose of this paper was to examine the outcomes from the William Randolph Hearst Scholars Program (HSP) conducted at Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine from September 2005 to September 2006. The HSP was an interdisciplinary (nursing, rehabilitation therapies, social work, clergy, pharmacy, physicians, respiratory therapy, physician's…

Although self-determination in general and student-led IEPs in particular have received attention nationally, the extent to which students are leading their IEP meetings remains uncertain, and the rhetoric does not seem to match the reality for the majority of students with disabilities and their IEP meetings. Self determined educators are needed…

The concurrent conditions of deafness and blindness present a set of unique needs within a community that highly values independence and autonomy. This project assesses the service-learning initiative in a post-secondary Interpreter Education Program (IEP) in which students learn via civic engagement with the Deaf-Blind community to employ…

How can teachers balance early curricular demands and expectations while addressing the social and emotional needs of young children during times of crisis and stress? The author suggests that teachers need to redirect and engage children in learning activities that give them a feeling of control, competence, and empowerment in their own lives and…

The principle of "pupil voice" has attained a high profile over the past decade and its key principles of encouraging pupil consultation and participation are evident in official policy and guidance in many countries around the world. While there has been official endorsement of the notions that pupils have a right to voice their…

This review of the literature defines the concept of student empowerment, discusses the implications of student empowerment in educational settings, and outlines strategies for facilitating increased empowerment. A definition of "empowerment" as "bringing into a state of belief one's ability to act effectively," is offered and the critical…

This critical literature examines the methodology of teaching and learning developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori always believed that children are a unique being and they always surprise us with their unseen capabilities. In order to fully develop those unseen capabilities, we must give them freedom of choice to explore their…

This paper proposes an expanded conception of scaffolding with four key elements: (1) scaffolding agency--expert, reciprocal, and self-scaffolding; (2) scaffolding domain--conceptual and heuristic scaffolding; (3) the identification of self-scaffolding with metacognition; and (4) the identification of six zones of scaffolding activity; each zone…

Uses classroom excerpts to examine issues of "playfulness" and "gaming" in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Offers theories and historical constructions of literacy and play for instructors to conceptualize the construction of boundaries between productive and nonproductive language behaviors in CMC. Argues that CMC's empowering capabilities…

An alternative high school in the US where democracy is truly enacted by the students is described. Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center, Colorado, is a unique school where the students' personal voices are valued that helps them develop power, responsibility, and authority over their education.

The Multiple Menu Model is a practical set of planning guides that teachers can use to design indepth curriculum units. This model differs from traditional approaches by balancing content and process, involving students as inquirers, and exploring knowledge's structure and interconnectedness. Components include menus for knowledge, instructional…

Marks on Paper, a type of popular theater developed in British Columbia, helps literacy learners change personal beliefs about themselves, generates a sense of belonging, helps them break out of isolation, and transforms them through empowerment and action. (SK)

Describes in detail the steps necessary to develop a Gallery Walk, a classroom project that was used to foster shared-learning, communal inquiry and individual empowerment. (NH)

This article explores some of the theoretical underpinnings of radical approaches to student voice and examines a number of practical issues we need to address if we wish to move towards a more transformative future. The framework within which the notion of voice is explored and critiqued falls primarily into two categories. The first,…