Perceptions in Curriculum Review

There has been considerable interest in the use of school‐based curriculum review as a means to encourage development and improvement in schools. This paper explores some of the issues involved in such reviews and presents a case study of a review undertaken in a 13–18 upper school. The process is explored partly through the considerable body of documentation which was produced during the review and also through the perceptions of those taking part. For those considering undertaking such a review there are a series of questions which might act as a check‐list as the review proceeds.     

GRAPPLING WITH CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: THE ORIENTATIONS OF PRESERVICE TEACHERS AND IMPACT OF STUDENT TEACHING

This article describes research conducted to examine 71 preservice teachers' theoretical orientations of classroom management and the impact of student teaching on these orientations as well as their overall views regarding classroom management. Results indicated preservice teachers demonstrated inconsistent beliefs with regard to philosophies of classroom management developed as part of university coursework. Upon completion of student teaching in environments characterized by teacher-centered practices, analyses revealed a shift toward more teacher-centered beliefs and behavior. Conclusions indicate the effects of vicarious and mastery experiences as influential in determining preferred orientations and management techniques cited as relevant within the classroom.     

Using Art Media During Prewriting: Helping Students with Dysgraphia Manage Idea Generation Before Encoding Text

Many students struggle with writing skills. This study focuses on three students (second and fourth grades) who were classified with a learning disability by their school. These children had writing goals and objectives (i.e., characteristics of having dysgraphia) included in their Individual Education Plan. In a single case design format, each student was taught the Ask, Reflect, Text (ART) mnemonic strategy to help improve story content and quality. The components of ART include students Ask themselves a series of seven questions; the students then Reflect on their answers and illustrate their story-content responses with art media (e.g., paints, colored markers, play dough); and from this prewrite illustration, students generate their Text. All participants improved greatly in story content. They also improved in story quality but to a lesser extent.     

What Is Right About Special Education

Abstract

Promoting self-determination has become an important aspect of the educational programs of students with disabilities. There is now a sufficient literature base to support some syntheses that enable researchers to judge their progress in this area to date and to provide direction for future research and practice. For this study, we conducted a literature review of studies that measured or examined global self-determination.