The educational-cultural edge: A participative learning environment for co-emergence of personal and institutional growth

The paper addresses the failure of the Professional Development Schools movement in bridging the cultural gap, existing between schools and academic institutions. A model, based on the ‘ecological edge’, is suggested. It is believed that this metaphor has a higher potential for constructing collaborative communities because of the unique nature of ecological edges as environments of growth and change. The paper describes an edge community that was constructed between a school and a teacher education program, the new grounded understandings and knowledge that emerged within this community and the diffusion of these to the core institutions. The concept of boundary objects is suggested as the medium through which new understandings are promoted.     

Emotional and behavioral characteristics over a six-year period in youths with persistent and nonpersistent dyscalculia

The authors examined behavior problems in a matched sample of 58 youths with persistent dyscalculia (PD) and nonpersistent dyscalculia (NPD). Participants were classified as having dyscalculia at age 10-11 years. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist for their children at ages 10-11, 13-14, and 16-17 years, while the youths did so at the last two age periods. Only at age 16-17 years were there significantly more problems, particularly attention problems and externalizing problems, reported by parents for PD youths compared to NPD youths. A higher percentage in the PD group than in the NPD group received scores in the clinical range for externalizing problems. However, the mean levels of behavior problems at this age and the earlier ages were within the normal range for both groups. For youth-reported problems, the only significant difference was for attention problems at 16-17 years. Therapeutic interventions should focus on the academic domain and improving and altering behavioral patterns.     

Designing computer software for problem-solving instruction

The purpose of this article is to identify factors that might influence the effectiveness of computer software designed to teach problem solving. Problem solving is defined and the research literature related to the acquisition of problem-solving abilities and the capabilities of computers for delivering problem-solving instruction are reviewed. The factors critical to the acquisition of problem-solving abilities and the attributes of computers that make them potential tools in problem-solving instruction are identified. These items are synthesized into a list of factors that are expected to influence the effectiveness of computer software designed to teach problem solving.     

Comparing the curriculum development process in special (MLD) schools: a systematic qualitative approach

ABSTRACT

The present paper describes a comparative study of ten special schools for pupils with moderate learning difficulties in England and Wales. Qualitative analysis of interview data and curriculum documentation collected from the schools provide a model of the curriculum process which is firmly grounded in the data. Comparisons across the categories of the model indicate strong differences between the schools in certain categories, e.g. use of objectives, specification of curriculum intention, monitoring of pupil progress and curriculum evaluation.     

PCC: A Leader of Change

Abstract

From its beginnings, the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) has been an international leader of change in bibliographic and authority control and maintenance, and metadata creation and distribution. This article highlights some PCC achievements in these areas.