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This digest debunks myths about developmentally appropriate programs (DAPs) and discusses essential characteristics of developmentally appropriate practices.

This digest considers both teacher-initiated and child-initiated strategies for enhancing young children's self-expression and creativity.

This Digest addresses the question of what young children should be learning that will best serve their development and learning in the long term. Two major dimensions of development -- normative and dynamic -- are explored, and four categories of learning goals are discussed: (1) knowledge; (2) skills; (3) dispositions; and (4) feelings.

This digest reviews some significant research on technology use in the classroom that examines how investment in technology will pay off in terms of student learning, and it indicates the conditions under which technology is most likely to have a positive impact on student learning.

What is known about how people learn and the role technology may play in their learning? How might that knowledge provide guidelines for appropriate uses of technology that can help students and teachers?

... microcomputers in schools are no longer a novelty, but contribute significantly in the learning process, and software selection is taken as seriously as the selection of text books. This digest will outline a seven step process for responsible software selection.

Class size is a policy issue that has perennially divided teachers and policymakers. How large should classes be? Are the benefits of smaller classes worth the cost?

This digest examines the value of outdoor experience for young children, reasons for its decline, ways to enhance school play spaces, and aspects of developmentally appropriate outdoorenvironments.

Children of active parents tend to be more active. This Digest describes the various socialization factors that influence a child's interest and involvement in physical activity. While role modeling exerts some effect, recent research suggests that the nature of parental influence may be much more complex.

... research indicates that television viewing may be linked to violent or aggressive behavior, obesity, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, and the use of drugs or alcohol. Thus, it is important that parents help their children use television as a positive, creative force, and help them avoid television's negative influences.

This digest discusses the origins of Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, his definition of intelligence, the incorporation of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences into the classroom, and its role in alternative assessment practices.

An abundance of information is available from many sources, and the Big Six can help parents effectively deal with that information to guide their youngsters through school assignments.

How can I get Michael to do his homework? Every night it's a struggle to get him to turn off the television and do his homework. Why isn't Maria getting more homework? (Why is Jonathan getting so much homework?) When is Tanya supposed to do homework? She takes piano lessons, sings in her church choir, plays basketball, and helps with family chores. There's hardly any time left to study. How can I help Robert with his math homework when I don't understand it? Do homework assignments really help my child learn?

This document helps answer these questions - and many others - that parents and others who care for children in elementary and junior high school often ask about homework. Included are practical ideas for helping children complete homework assignments successfully. Some of the ideas in this document may also be helpful for high school students.

This book is about what we can do in our own homes, right now, that will help our children go to school wanting to learn. It includes: (1) Basic information on what we know about success in school; (2) Activities for children ages 5-11 to help them acquire the skills to succeed; (3) Questions and answers about when to talk to the teacher and how to handle parent-teacher conferences. Success in school takes hard work, planning, a few basic skills, and the will to want to succeed.

This provides information about introducing children to the abundance of books, plus many other valuable resources and services, that libraries have to offer.

One of the most threatening events that causes anxiety in students today is testing. When students develop an extreme fear of performing poorly on an examination, they experience test anxiety. Test anxiety is a major factor contributing to a variety of negative outcomes including psychological distress, academic underachievement, academic failure, and insecurity.

This digest offers a plan to help you study for tests. It explains how to prepare for and take tests. Techniques for taking essay, multiple choice and other types of exams are reviewed.

Although listening provides a foundation for all aspects of language and cognitive development and plays a lifelong role in the processes of learning and communication essential to productive participation in life, there is a tendency for teachers not to emphasize listening objectives. Even though no widely accepted model for listening has been developed, several researchers have linked listening skills to reading skills, and processing models for reading contribute to the understanding of listening.