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Differentiated instruction emphasizes tailoring teaching methods to diverse learning styles, ensuring each student's unique needs are met and fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment. This Spotlight will empower readers with tech advice for implementing effective accelerated learning; strategies for supporting students with learning differences; five essential components for effective tutoring; five ways to differentiate instruction online; and more. Articles in this Spotlight include: (1) Accelerating Learning: Tech Advice to Make It Happen (Alyson Klein); (2) Educators Share Advice on Supporting Students with Learning Differences (Hayley Hardison and Evie Blad); (3) 5 Essential Ingredients for Effective Tutoring (Lauraine Langreo); (4) What Does Successful Differentiated Instruction Look Like in the Classroom? (Larry Ferlazzo); (5) Seven Ways to Support ELLs in Online Content Classes (Larry Ferlazzo); and (6) Five Ways to Differentiate Instruction in an Online Environment (Larry Ferlazzo). [This Spotlight was sponsored by Lincoln Learning Solutions.]

The Education Week Spotlight on Improving Math Fluency is a collection of articles hand-picked by editors for their insights on the importance of math fact fluency, the challenges students face with word problems, how teachers can optimize how they introduce math facts and better support students, how early math supports help vulnerable students, targeted supported for algebra 1 students, and more. Articles in this Spotlight include: (1) "What Is Math 'Fact Fluency,' and How Does It Develop?" (Stephen Sawchuk); (2) "Why Word Problems Are Such a Struggle for Students--and What Teachers Can Do" (Sarah Schwartz); (3) "Kids Need to Know Their Math Facts. What Schools Can Do to Help" (Stephen Sawchuk); (4) "These Early Math Supports Translated to Gains Later on for Vulnerable Students" (Sarah D. Sparks); (5) "Algebra 1 Is a Turning Point. Here's How to Help Incoming Students" (Sarah Schwartz); and (6) "Math Trauma Is Real. Here's How You Can Prevent It" (Viveka Vaughn). [This Spotlight is sponsored by Ellevation Education.]

Ms. K. has attended ABE (Adult Basic Education) classes for almost one year and has had significant difficulty in making progress in reading. She has passed some of the GED tests, but has struggled with others due to having insufficient time to complete them. She currently works as a teacher's aide in a daycare center. Her goal is to pass the GED and attend college. Ms. K. first began to have learning difficulties in first grade. She received speech and language services and remedial reading and math instruction during elementary school, but was not diagnosed with a learning disability until she was 16 years old. She dropped out of school soon after. She reports that her brother has also been diagnosed with learning disabilities. Ms. K. was referred to LDA Minnesota (Learning Disabilities Association of Minnesota) for assessment, to identify learning disabilities, determine productive learning strategies, and establish whether she meets criteria to request accommodations on GED tests. Does this student profile remind you of any of your students who are having difficulty progressing in one or more subject areas even after intensive instruction? Does he or she have a history of learning difficulties? If you answered yes to these questions, you may want to consider referring the student for assessment for a learning disability, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or other learning concern. This issue of "NetNews" discusses the following topics: (1) Assessing Adults with Learning Difficulties; (2) Types of Assessment Available from LDA; (3) LD/ADHD Checklist of Symptoms; (4) Assessment Components; (5) What Is ADHD & What is an LD?; (6) Common Learning Disabilities; and (7) LDA Assessment Process.

Working memory has been called the "door to learning" (think the library) and is strongly related to performance in reading comprehension and problem-solving. Persons with strong working memory have a wide open door for acquiring all types of new information. They are able to hang on to new information, work with it, integrate it with lots of known information, and then move it into storage. In contrast, persons with weak working memory have a narrow opening for letting in new information. They may grasp only part of newly presented information, struggle to hold on to it, and then have difficulty with integration and storage because their known information is already sketchy. They may struggle with following verbal or written directions, processing visual or auditory information, organizing thoughts for speaking or writing, and learning multi-step procedures. Parents, teachers, peers, or coworkers may view them as lazy or unmotivated; they may feel inadequate and/or incompetent as they struggle to "keep up," remember, and complete assigned tasks in school, at home, or in the workplace. This issue of LDA (Learning Disabilities Association) of Minnesota's "NetNews" provides an introduction to working memory; discusses theories of working memory; considers working memory capacity and learning; outlines strategies for working memory; and includes fiscal year 2008 LDA assessments and resources. [For Volume 7, Number 3 of "NetNews," see ED498939.]

Students of foreign language are being encouraged to learn and use a broad range of language learning strategies that can be tapped throughout the learning process. This approach is based on the belief that learning will be facilitated by making students aware of the range of strategies from which they can choose during language learning and use. The most efficient way to heighten learner awareness is to provide strategy training--explicit instruction in how to apply language learning strategies--as part of the foreign language curriculum. This digest discusses the goals of strategy training, highlights approaches to such training, and lists steps for designing strategy training programs. The guidelines for implementing strategy training programs provide a variety of options for tailoring the training to meet the needs of a large number of students, as well as to the needs of the individual institution or language program. The most important considerations in the design of a strategy training program are the students' needs, the available resources (e.g, time, money, materials, availability of teacher trainers), and the feasibility of providing this kind of instruction. (VWL)

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) describes a learning environment in which problems drive the learning; that is, learning begins with a problem to be solved and the problem is posed in such a way that students need to gain new knowledge before they can solve it. This ERIC Digest discusses many aspects of PBL including PBL and problem solving, PBL and constructivism, student understanding in PBL environments, and teacher roles in the PBL environment. (MVL)

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) describes a learning environment in which problems drive the learning; that is, learning begins with a problem to be solved and the problem is posed in such a way that students need to gain new knowledge before they can solve it. This ERIC Digest discusses many aspects of PBL including a brief history, implementing PBL, modifying traditional instructional approaches to include PBL, and web resources. (MVL)

Teaching styles reflect the beliefs and values that teachers hold about the learners' role in learning; learning styles provide insight into the ways learners perceive, interact with and respond to the environment in which learning occurs. Many teachers teach in the way they were taught which usually can be characterized as field independent (content oriented, formal teaching methods, less student involvement, structured class activities); a style that can work well with students who are field dependent (prefer structure and guidance from the teacher). When students' learning preferences match their instructor's teaching styles, student motivation and achievement usually improve, but some students may do better with a learning/teaching style mismatch. Learners need to become better all-around learners by adapting their learning style to non-preferred teaching styles. Teachers can become more flexible by being willing to change their view of the role of students. The following five perspectives on teaching can help teachers to identify, articulate, and justify their teaching approaches: (1) transmission (focus on content, teacher directed); (2) developmental (values students' prior knowledge, directs students to develop more complex understandings); (3) apprenticeship (authentic tasks in real world settings); (4) nurturing (focus on interpersonal elements and students' emotional and intellectual needs); and (5) social reform (relate ideas explicitly to the lives of the students). (CG)

This digest discusses using strategy instruction to assist students with learning disabilities. It begins by describing strategy instruction as teaching students about strategies, teaching them how and when to use strategies, helping students identify personally effective strategies, and encouraging students to make strategic behaviors part of their learning schema. Terms associated with strategy instruction are then defined, including cognitive strategies, cues, independent, strategic learner, learning strategy, metacognition and self-regulating, mnemonic, and learning schema. The effectiveness of strategy instruction and student outcomes when they become strategic are discussed. The digest then identifies the most essential strategies to use for improving student performance: computation and problem solving; memory; productivity; reading accuracy and fluency; reading comprehension; and writing. The basic steps in teaching strategy use are also provided, including: (1) describe the strategy; (2) model its use; (3) provide ample assisted practice time and provide feedback; (4) promote student self-monitoring and evaluation of personal strategy use; and (5) encourage continued use and generalization of the strategy. The digest closes by discussing how little information is available to determine how many teachers teach strategic learning skills and reasons why teachers may not be using strategy instruction. (Contains 11 references.) (CR)

This digest presents an overview of children with auditory processing disorders (APDs), children who can typically hear information but have difficulty attending to, storing, locating, retrieving, and/or clarifying that information to make it useful for academic and social purposes. The digest begins by describing central auditory processing and the behaviors of children with APD. Academic characteristics of children who have APD are identified; these include poor expressive and receptive language abilities; poor reading, writing, and spelling; poor phonics and speech sound discrimination; difficulty taking notes; difficulty learning foreign languages; weak short-term memory; and behavioral, psychological, and/or social problems resulting from poor language and academic skills. Clinical diagnosis of APD and the role of audiologists in assessing the peripheral and central auditory systems are also explained. The digest closes with a list of classroom techniques that have been shown to be effective with children with APD, including: (1) modify the environment by reducing background noise and enhancing the speech signal to improve access to auditory information; (2) teach the child to use compensatory strategies, "meta" strategies, or executive functions to learn how to listen actively; and (3) promote auditory training to remediate specific auditory deficits. (CR)

Immigrant students in secondary schools face a number of obstacles as they make the transition to schooling in the United States. In addition to adjusting to a new country and school system, they must also learn academic content in a new language. Because these students come from a variety of ethnic, educational, and economic backgrounds, representing a host of cultures, languages, and educational needs, it is often difficult to provide instruction tailored to their specific needs. Developing the English language proficiency of these students so they can participate effectively in mainstream English classes has long been a major focus of those working with newcomers in secondary school. However, educators are also looking for ways to help them achieve at high academic levels, which involves reading English well, understanding academic discourse, writing coherently, and speaking English at cognitively complex and abstract levels. These students usually have only a few years to master these skills. This digest describes ways to develop students' English language and literacy skills and to make academic content challenging, interesting, and accessible. They include the following: (1) building conceptual frameworks for new knowledge; (2) teaching learning strategies; (3) focusing on reading in all classes; (4) giving students opportunities to engage in free reading; and (5) helping students move beyond the text. (Author/VWL)

This digest describes some of the issues involved in the Spanish language learning experiences of heritage Spanish speakers, the largest population of heritage language speakers in the United States. It describes ways in which educators can facilitate these students' language development through a better understanding of their language learning strategies and suggests areas in which further research is needed. (Author/VWL)

This brief paper on promoting the self-determination of students with severe disabilities begins by identifying barriers to training in self-determination skills, such as a perceived lack of student benefit and insufficient staff training. The question of whether students with severe disability benefit from instruction to promote self-determination is answered by stressing that partial benefits, such as increased independence, are still valuable and can be obtained from learning some self-determination skills. Specific strategies to promote self-determination are then explained including: (1) assessing interests and preferences and promoting choice making; (2) encouraging student participation in educational goal setting and educational planning; (3) involving students in problem solving and decision making; and (4) utilizing student-directed learning strategies. Examples are offered of combining these strategies. The potential of technology to promote independence and self-regulated learning is briefly noted. (DB)

This digest discusses two prominent definitions of learning styles, describes studies that have found differences between the learning styles of American Indian/Alaska Native students and students of other cultural groups, and presents instructional interventions stemming from learning styles research. The research literature on learning styles comes from several disciplines, contributing to the disjointed, inconsistent, and often contradictory information about what learning styles are and how they can be measured. Further, studies tend to be tied to a particular instrument. Researchers differ as to the elements of learning styles and whether they are fixed of malleable. Research based on a variety of theoretical frameworks suggests that American Indian and Alaska Native students show some tendency toward (1) a global, or holistic, style of organizing information; (2) a visual style of mentally representing information in thinking; (3) a preference for a more reflective style in processing information; and (4) a preference for a collaborative approach to task completion. Research supporting each of these points is briefly discussed, followed by studies showing the effects of related instructional strategies on academic achievement and student engagement. (Contains 20 references.) (SV)

This digest examines the role metacognition can play in the teaching and learning of a second language. Understanding and controlling cognitive processes may be one of the most essential skills that classroom teachers can help second language learners develop. Rather than focus students' attention solely on learning the language, second language teachers can help students learn to think about what happens during the language learning process, which will lead to the development of stronger learning skills. The digest highlights a model of metacognition that is made up of five primary components: preparing and planning for learning, selecting and using learning strategies, monitoring strategy use, orchestrating various strategies, and evaluating strategy use and learning. Also discussed is the interaction of metacognitive skills. (VWL)

These four newsletters focus on issues related to adult basic education and the challenges faced when teaching adult learners. The first issue introduces the LDA (Learning Disabilities Association) Learning Center, a private, nonprofit agency intended to maximize the potential of all people with learning disabilities or related learning difficulties so they and their families can lead more fulfilled and productive lives. It also examines proposed activities for the grant received during 2001-02. The second issue describes the screening and evaluation process for adult learning disabilities provided by LDA. This process is based on recommendations from "Bridges to Practice: A Research-Based Guide for Literacy Practitioners Serving Adults with Learning Disabilities," a project of the National Institute for Literacy. The third issue shares appropriate instruction for teachers or tutors of people with learning disabilities, also based on "Bridges to Practice." The fourth issue reviews the literature on the topic of diagnosing learning disabilities in the English as a Second Language population. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.) (SM)

This bulletin features articles on real world evolutionary biology, revolutionary classroom science, a review of new curricula in evolutionary biology, and the use of case studies to illustrate points in evolutionary biology. The articles are: (1) "'Real World' Evolutionary Biology: A Pragmatic Quest. Interview with BioQUEST's John Jungck" (Harvey Black); (2) "Revolutionary Science in the Classroom: Interview with Science Education Researchers Jim Stewart and John Rudolph" (Harvey Black); and (3) "New Evolutionary Biology Curriculum Enables Students To Think Like Biologists" (Susan Smetzer-Anderson). (DDR)

Malcolm Knowles claims andragogy is the art and science of teaching adults and sets out six assumptions. However, andragogy is not all about learning--the assumptions demonstrate how the theory lays out a humanist view of learners and their potential for growth, with implications for teaching, social philosophy, and human relationships. Andragogy can be considered an approach to the education and development of adults strongly rooted in the disciplinary needs of adult education in the 1960s, but providing little insight into learning other than a set of assumptions about learners. Despite Knowles' claim that the framework could be applied to any adult learning setting, critiques from such individuals as Tisdell, Grace, and Rachal make it essential to recognize that andragogy only addresses certain types of learning at certain times. Furthermore, andragogy cannot be claimed as the distinguishing feature of adult education as a field. It does not provide a clear delineation between what can be considered education of children and that of adults and adult education and human resource development. In the future, andragogy will maintain its role as a necessary component of the field's shared knowledge, but it is highly unlikely to be viewed as sufficient to explain or shape the education of adults. (Contains 15 references) (YLB)

Metacognition refers to the ability of learners to be aware of and monitor their learning processes. Cognitive skills are those needed to perform a task, whereas metacognitive skills are necessary to understand how it was performed. Metacognitive skills are generally divided into two types: self-assessment (the ability to assess one's own cognition) and self-management (the ability to manage one's further cognitive development). Successful adult learners employ a range of metacognitive skills and effective teachers of adults attend to the development of these skills. According to the research on self-assessment, learners who are skilled in metacognitive self-assessment and are therefore aware of their abilities are more strategic and perform better than those who are unaware. Most of the literature on metacognition in adult learning deals with self-management skills. Much of this material stresses the role of instructors in enhancing learner cognition. Teachers who are aware of their own metacognitive functioning tend to play a more significant role in helping learners develop skills in metacognition. One important theme in the area of developing self-management skills in metacognition is the relationship between metacognition and constructivist learning theory. (A 17-item annotated bibliography and list of 4 World Wide Web sites constitute approximately 80% of this document.) (MN)

"EFF HOT (Highlights on Teaching Topics) Topics" is a publication of the EFF (Equipped for the Future) Center for Training and Technical Assistance. Each issue concentrates on a specific topic, highlighting examples of actual practice and offering strategies and tools for using EFF in the classroom. This issue of "HOT Topics" introduces a ten-step process and a spiral to represent the teaching/learning cycle. This issue contains the following items: (1) An ESL Class Develops a Learning Activity; (2) A Family Literacy Class Develops a Learning Activity; (3) A Look at the Steps of the EFF Teaching/Learning Cycle; (4) The EFF Teaching/Learning Cycle; (5) Joan Benz: Dedicated Teacher and EFF Facilitator; and (6) Online Resources.

Self-regulation, the systematic effort to direct thoughts, feelings, and actions towards the attainment of one's goals, is receiving importance in the psychological and educational literatures. Goals are involved across the different phases of self-regulation, first as forethought, then in performance control, and finally in self-regulation. This article addresses the operation of goals in self-regulation to include the influence of goal properties and other goals-related factors. The goal properties of specificity, proximity, and difficulty are crucial to the enhancement of self-regulation. For counselors working with students and clients, it may be necessary initially to assign goals while simultaneously teaching them goal-setting strategies. Effective goal setting requires that people set a long-term goal, break it into short-term, attainable subgoals, monitor progress and assess capabilities, adjust the strategy and goal as needed, and set a new goal when the present one is attained. This multi-step plan is key to promoting healthier human functioning. (JDM)

This paper gives an overview of 10 directions language teachers might take in the future. After providing background on the history of language teaching, language teaching methodology is defined and a distinction is made between methodologies and approaches. Next, the 10 scenarios are briefly described. They include the following: teacher/learner collaborates; method synergistics; curriculum developmentalism; content-basics; multintelligencia; total functional response; strategopedia; lexical phraseology; o-zone whole language; and full-frontal communicativity. (VWL)

This digest focuses on the importance of learning assistance centers (LACs) to academic success and student retention. LACs differ from learning resource centers, which mainly provide and disseminate educational information. They also differ from development education offices, which give emphasis to teaching basic skills and preparing students for college-level coursework. According to this digest, LACs concentrate on: academic diagnosis, study skills, peer/professional tutoring, supplemental instruction, computer-assisted instruction (self-learning), developmental courses, faculty outreach, public relations (open to all potential students, traditional or nontraditional), staff development, referral services, counseling/advising, evaluation (student questionnaires/alumni surveys), and academic follow-up. LACs also help institutions retain students. Community colleges with primarily a nontraditional, transient population have a difficult time retaining students who feel they don't belong in college or feel no connection with the college. LACs can provide these students with a link to the college, helping build a sense of place or belonging. LACs can also help colleges become a more comprehensive student learning environment. (MKF)

This digest discusses adult students in community colleges, focusing on their learning expectations and needs. In 1997, nearly a third of community college students were age 30 or older. Adult students often have realistic, practical goals for their education and bring valuable life experience to the community college classroom. However, adults attending community colleges for the first time are sometimes inadequately prepared both academically and psychologically for what college-level learning will entail. According to one of the most widely known models of instruction for adult learners, Knowles' (1984) Model of Andragogy, five factors are significant in helping adults learn: (1) movement from dependent to independent, self-directed learning; (2) a growing reservoir of experience as a resource for learning; (3) a readiness to learn related to social roles; (4) immediacy of application replacing future application; and (5) internal rather than external motivation. This article also discusses Beane's (1997) conditioned learning styles--avoidance, dependent, and competitive--as barriers to traditional methods of teaching. Also in relation to instruction, Lawler's (1991) nine principles of facilitating learner-centered education are presented, including: (1) creating a physical and social climate of respect; (2) encouraging collaborative modes of learning; and (3) generating a participative learning environment. Contains 11 references. (JA)

These four newsletters focus on issues related to adult basic education and the challenges faced when teaching adult learners. The first issue looks at the characteristics of learning disabilities, providing information to help teachers determine whether a learner has a learning disability and who might be appropriately referred for testing. The second issue discusses multi-sensory instruction, which incorporates input from the three major learning modalities: visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic activity. By involving all three major modalities, the learner maximizes the strength of the information entering the brain. The third issue focuses on emotions and learning, explaining that many people in adult basic education and GED classes have experienced a lifetime of learning difficulties and have decades of anxiety, frustration, and shame surrounding themselves as learners. The fourth issue looks at interventions for adult learners with learning disabilities and depression, also offering techniques for enhancing reading comprehension. Each issue presents questions from the field and a note on the upcoming issue. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.) (SM)

Articles in this volume focus on the following: student counseling and other factors determining course choices of university students; a focus on unspecific diagnoses of students with learning disabilities; self-evaluations aimed at improving the quality of schools; relationship of academic goals and the use of different learning and study strategies; transitions during the first year of university studies (survey of the reasons to change or withdraw); age and cultural values as determinants for an intercultural curriculum; self-esteem evaluations in a sample of students in public and private elementary schools; professional development of counselors in secondary schools: an analysis of the professional requirements and an outlook; university education and the building of social networks as a professional outreach strategy; a model of casual relationships between goal orientation and cognitive and self-regulatory learning strategies. Education and the information society; and education and research in a cognitive society; assessment and counseling perspectives. Round table discussions and symposia topics include the following: quality and evaluation of higher education; current controversies in educational assessments; quality of teaching and learning in universities; gifted programs in the 21st century; research in the framework of a work-welfare program for young adults with low qualifications; the counseling situation at three Galician universities; emerging models in gender systems and relations and new social realities and implementation policies; quality of assessment at different educational levels; research on university education; and evaluation and innovation at universities; student counseling and other factors determining course choices of university students; a focus on unspecific diagnoses of students with learning disabilities; self-evaluations aimed at improving the quality of schools; relationship of academic goals and the use of different learning and study strategies; transitions during the first year of university studies (survey of the reasons to change or withdraw); age and cultural values as determinants for an intercultural curriculum; self-esteem evaluations in a sample of students in public and private elementary schools; professional development of counselors in secondary schools: an analysis of the professional requirements and an outlook; university education and the building of social networks as a professional outreach strategy; a model of casual relationships between goal orientation and cognitive and self-regulatory learning strategies. Education and the information society; and education and research in a cognitive society; assessment and counseling perspectives. Round table discussions and symposia topics include the following: quality and evaluation of higher education; current controversies in educational assessments; quality of teaching and learning in universities; gifted programs in the 21st century; research in the framework of a work-welfare program for young adults with low qualifications; the counseling situation at three Galician universities; emerging models in gender systems and relations and new social realities and implementation policies; quality of assessment at different educational levels; research on university education; and evaluation and innovation at universities. (AS)

Articles focus on the following: reading comprehension and writing; an approach to argumentative discourse writing; a didactic experiment on the construction of two academic texts; Denzil Romero's work; communication and its implication--a vision from the teaching of the mother tongue; orthography/spelling in the Real Academia Espanola (RAE) (1999); the linguistic component of a communication model; educational change, transversality, and language; adverbs, prepositions in the Spanish spoken in Valencia; argumentative discourse of Venezuelan scholars; polysystemic phonological representations; changes in the grammatical treatment of the gerund; and development of the cognitive processes through learning strategies based on linguistic text analyses. (AS)