Programs, Materials and Techniques

Abstract

The theme this month concerns pleasurable games and activities. This may seem to contradict the findings of the distinguished team of writers and investigators in the excellent report entitledNot All Little Wagons Are Red. Their main conclusion for successfully educating preschool exceptional children is to teach them exactly the academic subject you wish them to learn. However, there is no reason why straight academic content cannot sometimes be served more palatably in the form of games. Sentence Builders is an excellent game for older children which teaches parts of speech and syntax very effectively. Deal Me In suggests many ways of using playing cards in the classroom, whileTwo Hundred Plus Art Ideas for Teachers will prove valuable to teachers who consider the development of spatial skills to be as important as the verbal. Our own interest in the relationship of body image with communication was stimulated by the motor programLearning To Move and Moving To Learn. The idea of using the movements of aquatic animals is ingenious. Books and programs on mathematics are always welcome, especially ones which provide an entertaining format and a wealth of supplementary materials.Arithmetic Instructional Activities are designed to supplement basic math programs with additional practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, divisional fractions. My own contribution this month proposes a new spatial hypothesis for the reversals of words (not the mirror imaging of graphemes). I hope it intrigues some research worker to test it out. — A.B.