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This case study describes how a systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop guided the enculturation of 18 special education teachers into three-dimensional virtual worlds. The main purpose was to enable these teachers to make informed decisions about the usability of virtual worlds for students with social skills challenges, such as students with autism. A 10-point rating scale was used to measure the perceived usability of virtual worlds for social skills practice. Although the mean usability was higher after the intervention, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the mean ratings (p = 0.14). A majority of the participants (76%) tended to be supportive of the idea of using virtual worlds in special education. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative instruments, namely, "Virtual World Pedagogy," "Virtual World Benefits," and "Virtual World Challenges," encompassing 18 codes overall. This article focuses on the benefits and challenges of virtual worlds for social skills practice as perceived by special education teachers. Social skills practice and repeated practice opportunities in a stress-reduced environment emerged as the key benefits, although these affordances were affected by various challenges. The study concludes with suggestions for future research for special education purposes.

Eighteen special education teachers explored one prominent example of three-dimensional virtual worlds, namely Second Life. This study aimed to (a) determine their perception of the effectiveness of a systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training workshop in terms of enabling them to make informed decisions about the usability of virtual worlds for students with social skills challenges and (b) determine whether there was a teacher change of attitude resulting from engagement in this systematic workshop. The seven steps are described in detail. The teachers' change of attitude was statistically significant with a large effect size. The teachers' feedback on the effectiveness of the training program resulted in 14 practical guidelines, which informed the revised 4-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training model that can be used both in general and special education with minor adjustments depending on the teacher and student population.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to help pre-service teachers experience and evaluate the potential of Second Life, a three-dimensional immersive virtual environment, for potential integration into their future teaching. By completing collaborative assignments in Second Life, nineteen pre-service general education teachers explored an educational, marine biology island in Second Life and evaluated its potential for incorporation in general and special education curricula. A pre- and post-survey inquired about the participants' perception of the usability of virtual worlds for education. Participants collaboratively explored the marine ecosystem of the Abyss Observatory (Nishimura, Lim, & Koyamada, 2012), reflected on its unique affordances, and designed activities for an inclusive classroom, framed by a pedagogical rationale. The difference between the participants' two attitude scores generated by the pre- and post-survey was calculated and was found to be statistically significant with a moderate effect size. Results suggest that the workshop had a positive impact on the participants' attitude towards integration of Second Life into teaching. Five themes emerged from the journals with regards to the unique affordances of the deep-sea area. Finally, the "Teacher-prep Virtual World Six Step Model" for effective pre-service teacher preparation for teaching in Second Life was developed.

The overarching question that guides this review is to identify the key components of effective teacher training in virtual schooling, with a focus on three-dimensional (3D) immersive virtual worlds (IVWs). The process of identifying the essential components of effective teacher training in the use of 3D IVWs will be described step-by-step. First, the need of virtual teacher training will be established (why), followed by the identification of the required teaching skills. Next, existing empirical guidelines for teaching in 3D IVWs will be presented from which the skills required for effective teaching in 3D IVWs will be extrapolated (what). The final step (how) will consist of presenting teachers with compelling evidence of the unique affordances of 3D IVWs for education, with the goal to promote teachers' commitment to the use of 3D IVWs. Implications will be relevant for teacher educators, pre- and in-service teachers, administrators, principals, and instructional designers.

We conducted a literature review to determine the presence of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners in research on specific learning disabilities (SLD) from 1994-2012. We believed that disaggregation of results by category might identify nuances that will guide future policies, research, and practice. We deemed it logical to begin with SLD because it is the largest population of students in the high-incidence categories. Our search yielded 52 articles for review. Results indicated primary foci on assessment, instructional and behavioral interventions, academic achievement, and disproportionality. In addition, we found that very little research has addressed contextual factors, beyond student characteristics, that affect or predict achievement. Implications for future research are provided within the context of the Brown decision.

Assistive technology enables young children with disabilities to more effectively access their environment, facilitating the development of social-emotional, communicative, and cognitive skills. Research indicates that when service providers make decisions about assistive technology, they are more likely to choose low-tech options over high-tech devices. Incorporating low-tech assistive technology into the morning circle routine can provide the support young children with disabilities need to participate successfully. The authors present a new low-tech tool called the Circle Time Book to promote participation of young children with disabilities in the morning circle routine. Options are discussed for creating and implementing the Circle Time Book, along with adaptations for different students and different settings. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)

This article reviews research on the incorporation of multicultural education in preservice general and special education teacher preparation programs from 1997 to 2006. A total of 46 studies, 39 from general education and 7 from special education teacher education programs, met the criteria for inclusion in this literature review. Findings revealed that very few changes have occurred in this body of research in terms of the quantity, topics addressed, methods used, and gaps since the last time this literature was reviewed, in 1998 and in 2004. Despite these limitations, strengths are emerging in this body of research that can be used to pave the way for a more substantive and comprehensive research agenda in the future. (Contains 1 table.)

Context: Recent studies have shown that the sensitivity of wild house mice to zinc phosphide (ZnP) in Australia is significantly lower than previously assumed, which may account for the reported variability in efficacy of ZnP baits used for broadacre control of house mice in grain-growing regions. Under laboratory conditions ZnP-coated grains with a new higher dose (50 g ZnP/kg grain) were readily consumed but the efficacy of using grains with this higher dose under natural field conditions has not been tested. Aims: To test whether the newly derived ZnP50 (50 g ZnP/kg grain) was more effective under field conditions than the currently registered ZnP25 (25 g ZnP/kg grain) in reducing populations of house mice during a mouse population irruption. Methods: We used a before–after-control–impact (BACI) design to assess changes in mouse population size under different baiting treatments in a replicated field trial. We assessed changes in mouse abundance in recently sown paddocks with either ZnP50 (n = 3) or ZnP25 (n = 3) compared with unbaited control sites (n = 3). Key results: Baiting with ZnP50 led to a median reduction in mouse numbers of >85%. Our modelling showed that under similar circumstances, using the ZnP50 formulation should deliver >80% reduction in population size most (>90%) of the time. In contrast, the current registered bait (ZnP25) achieved approximately 70% reduction in population size, but with more variable results. We would be confident of getting an 80% reduction in population size only 20% of the time by using the currently registered ZnP25 bait under similar field conditions. Conclusions: Consistent with laboratory studies, this study demonstrated the higher probability of achieving a consistently high kill rate under field conditions with the new ZnP50 bait compared with the currently registered formulation (ZnP25). Implications: By using the new ZnP50 bait, farmers are far more likely to get good kill rates, thereby reducing the need for repeated baiting (which is costly and generally ineffective at protecting newly sown crops). Using the new bait should result in lower control costs for farmers and fewer toxic grains being spread to control mice. Recent studies have shown that the tolerance of wild house mice to zinc phosphide (ZnP) in Australia is significantly higher than previously assumed, which may account for the reported variability in efficacy of ZnP baits used for house mice control in grain-growing regions. We used a BACI design to show that a newly derived ZnP50 bait is more effective under field conditions than the is currently registered ZnP bait in reducing populations of house mice during a mouse outbreak. Photograph by Nikki Van de Weyer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]