New Releases by Jennifer A. Bell

Just right for the holidays, this charming story about finding a perfect present introduces an endearing hedgehog and bear--and includes a gingerbread-cookie recipe. Hedgehog has been busy making gifts for all of her friends. But what could possibly be grand enough for her dear friend Bear? Bear had shown Hedgehog the wonders of butterflies and taught her to ice-skate, after all. When Hedgehog finally finds her inspiration and delivers the gift, it doesn''t quite turn out as she expected...

This module, one in a series of performance-based teacher education learning packages, focuses on a specific skill that vocational educators need in order to integrate the teaching and reinforcement of basic skills into their regular vocational instruction. The purpose of the module is to give educators skill in helping students improve their oral communication skills. It provides practical techniques teachers can use (1) to assess their own skills and those of their students, (2) to motivate students to improve their skills, and (3) to create an environment conducive to skill improvement. Introductory material provides terminal and enabling objectives, a list of resources, and general information. The main portion of the module includes three learning experiences based on the enabling objectives. Each learning experience presents learning activities with information sheets, checklists, samples, and case studies. Optional activities are provided. Completion of these three learning experiences should lead to achievement of the terminal objective presented in the fourth and final learning experience. The latter provides for a teacher performance assessment by a resource person. An assessment form is included. (YLB)

This learning module, one in a series of 127 performance-based teacher education learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers, deals with modifying the learning environment for exceptional students. Addressed in the individual learning experiences are the following topics: understanding why modification of the learning environment is necessary for special needs students, learning what to modify in the learning environment, ensuring that modifications are carried out, assessing the performance of teachers with regard to their modification of learning environments for special needs students in given case studies, and outlining the modifications that could be made to a selected learning environment to meet the needs of a given special needs student. Each learning experience contains some or all of the following: an objective, instructional text, one or more learning activities, and a feedback activity. (MN)

This module, one in a series of performance-based teacher educational learning packages, focuses on skills that vocational educators and other occupational trainers need to create learning environments that are accessible, accommodating, and equitable in meeting instructional needs of exceptional students. The purpose of the module is to give educators skill in identifying those students who have special instructional needs and in diagnosing what those needs are. Introductory material provides terminal and enabling objectives, prerequisites, necessary resources, terminology, and general information. The main portion of the guide includes four learning experiences based on the enabling objectives. Each of the first three learning experiences includes educational activities with information sheets, case studies, and self evaluation forms. Optional activities are also provided. Completion of the first three study sections should lead to achievement of the terminal objective administered in the fourth and final learning experience that includes a teacher-performance assessment form. (YLB)