In this collection of the best writing on teaching and teachers from the "Harvard Educational Review", authors discuss the multiple demands, distractions, desires, and dilemmas that teachers face in their daily work. Geologists study volcanoes for years yet cannot predict exactly which will be the next to erupt. Meteorologists use highly…

Cognitive styles characterize individuals' personalities as well as their social and cognitive functioning. An assessment of cognitive style can present another dimension of individual differences in children as the basis for planning and evaluating early childhood programs. (Author/LC)

Teaching about reading and writing should be flip sides of the same coin. Writing reinforces and develops skills traditionally thought of as reading skills. (PP)

Five assumptions about the nature of verbal communication are discussed in relation to the communicative needs of second-language learners: that communication is meaning-based, conventional, appropriate, interactional, and structured. Implications for foreign-language teaching are examined. (Author/MSE)

Describes the learning theories of G. Stanley Hall and Edward L. Thorndike and their impact on physics instruction in the twentieth century. (SK)

The ways in which students can be assisted to learn how to learn and hence to be prepared to undertake an active involvement in their own continuing education are discussed. The curriculum at the medical school at the University of Newcastle, Australia is described. (Author/MLW)

Three criteria for an interpretable validity study linking ratings to learning are discussed: section means, ability controls, and criterion adequacy. Validity coefficients predict 5-8 percent of criterion variance and may be moderated by situational factors and student characteristics. (Author/MLW)

Case study recordings of a science lesson are assessed to examine the role of talk in the learning process. Implications are raised for similar informal assessments by practicing teachers. (Author)

While a coach's practical goals necessitate having a winning team, this need is not inconsistent with other goals motivating players intrinsically, helping athletes deal with competition-related stress, and building an appreciation of individual worth and of team cooperation. (JD)

A reading program for second- and third-grade nonreaders based on neurological development rather than reading or perceptual skills is described. Results of a study of 24 children in the program showed average gains of eight months in reading ability in four months of instruction. (PHR)

Traces influences on a university lecturer's choice of teaching method, drawing evidence from his private journal and the work journals of his students. Concludes that the theory-based use of experiential learning is hypocritical and may be promoting false theory. Proposes an alternative discovery approach in which students and lecturers are…

Discussion of the cultural complexities of distance learning (DL)programs focuses on collaboration between the Hellenic Open University and the University of Manchester on three distance learning programs. Highlights include courseware; writer mentoring; comparisons of methodological cultures; a conceptualization for the development of appropriate…

Examines the idea that the development of moral ability shares similarities with Lev Vygotsky's theory of concept formation. Argues that understanding moral ability as a present-centered aptitude for creating meaning is significant for educators. Concludes it is useful for understanding the learning process to think and act in the present. (CAJ)

Examines assumptions underlying claims regarding educational technology, and as an alternative presents a framework which integrates a bottom-up view of information technology usage and a top-down view of education. Delivery of educational materials, media, computational activities including simulations and computer games, interactivity,…

Provides an overview of the theoretical arguments and problems encountered in the implementation of information technology in Chinese language teaching. States there is a belief that teaching and learning can be enhanced with the introduction of information technology, explaining that it may increase students' motivation to learn. (CMK)