The viability of self-instructional strategy training was investigated in a study involving 22 learning disabled and 11 normal fifth and sixth graders. Training produced meaningful and lasting effects on composition skills and heightened the sense of self-efficacy of subjects. (TJH)

Reports on a study of effects of critical reading and writing skills among 16 college psychology students. Finds that students receiving critical thinking instruction were better able to use argumentative language in term papers. Includes two tables of statistical data. (CFR)

Offers LOGO as an environment that facilitates the development of cognitive strategies useful in problem solving. Presents LOGO activities requiring students to combine preprogramed procedures to produce worksheet patterns. Using this approach promotes using LOGO as a vehicle for problem solving and results in a more positive attitude toward LOGO.…

Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)

Presents an experiment to examine the relative effects of cooperative groups versus independent practice in helping students encode problem-solving strategies into their long-term memory. Four classes of 126 prealgebra students were randomly assigned to employ the 2 methodologies. Students who practiced in cooperative groups demonstrated greater…

Recommends that secondary social studies teachers help students recognize their own thought processes to develop critical thinking skills. Provides examples of applying the Social Studies Strategies Survey's cognitive strategies to case studies dealing with first amendment issues. Contends that teachers must understand their own cognitive…

Presents computer approach formulated within a framework of versatile thinking designed to overcome obstacles to understanding algebra. Results from related studies comparing the computer and traditional approaches taught to 11, 12, and 13 year olds showed that the computer approach significantly improved the understanding of higher order concepts…

The problem of innumeracy in general and at the primary school level in particular is attributed to a structuralist design of instruction emphasizing an algorithmic approach to arithmetic. Offered is an alternative learning approach developing arithmetic as an informal context-bound activity tied to mental arithmetic and estimation. (MDH)

This article uses a cognitive problem-solving model to explore the application of hypermedia authoring software to mathematics in general and to mathematical problem solving in particular. Hypermedia is presented as a method of exploring alternative solution processes to remediate or prevent learning problems. (JDD)

Assessed first and third graders' and undergraduates' knowledge of strategies appropriate to comprehension and memory. Also assessed their knowledge of task variables affecting comprehension and memorization tasks. Only undergraduates showed understanding of comprehension-memory distinction. Third graders showed some understanding of differential…

Understanding the link between classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and cognitive learning theory not only allows college teachers to choose and design CATs that fit particular classroom needs, but helps them explicate to students the potential applications of CATs to study strategies in general. Once students make this leap, the effects of a…

Defines and documents the interplay between indigenous folk knowledge and modern (western) curriculum practice in African schools. Raises questions of cultural identity. Explores the definition of indigenous knowledge, examines dilemmas that undermine efforts to integrate indigenous education in formal school curriculum, and outlines the rationale…

British researchers investigated learning strategies employed by secondary students who were good language learners. Students completed language learning tasks and semistructured interviews to determine cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and teachers completed interviews about their ideas on language learning strategies. Results indicated…

High demands on learners in Web-based learning environments and constraints of the human cognitive system cause disorientation and cognitive overload. These problems could be inhibited if appropriate cognitive tools are provided to support learners' cognitive processes. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing the use of…

Introduction: The distinction between mastery and performance goals has been the dominant theoretical approach to goal orientation study for the past three decades. Recent investigations have begun to provide evidence that further distinctions are necessary. It has also been implied that students' beliefs about the nature of intelligence play a…