Following a brief discussion of the lack of definition and cohesion in the social studies and the curriculum, the paper argues that the reflective inquiry rationale has had the most significant influence of all the alternative rationales for the field and its curriculum. The paper presents its case in four basic sections. The first section,…

Defines metacognition and describes the effects of incorporating metacognitive aspects into instructional design. Three types of knowledge--declarative, procedural, and conditional--are discussed as necessary components of metacognitive awareness, and positive effects on the learner in terms of motivation and performance are described. (Author/LRW)

Fourth-grade students learned a list of relatively complex English vocabulary words in two experiments. In both experiments, a keyword contextual method proved effective for enhancing children's acquisition of new vocabulary words. (Author/BW)

Analyzes what "reading to learn," a process central to higher education, means in terms of conceptual and strategic knowledge, and explores what interventions could help college students learn more from text. Views "reading to learn" as necessitating a deep approach, and suggests that students should be able and required to…

Discusses the current information processing conceptualization of memory, the process of learning by analogy, and the overall desired outcomes of their use to acquire and retain new information. Instructional implications of how to use analogies are discussed, and a set of prescriptive guidelines for using them is presented. (69 references)…

Presents three types of simple events knowledge models: (1) a simple list of events; (2) a list of cause-effect sequences; and (3) a list of events that describe a problem and its solution. (SR)

Defines and describes the processes by which students acquire new knowledge: accretion, tuning, and restructuring. Relates these processes to knowledge models presented in earlier columns. Discusses extension activities. (RS)

Presents an explanation of the K-W-L Plus strategy as it might be used with students in the classroom. Shows how the strategy is used before reading, after reading, with mapping, and with summary writing. Suggests modifications to be used in the classroom. (MG)

Presents a seven-step approach for sustained in-class study time that suggests a model for teaching study skills to college students. (MG)

Considers event phenomena and how such phenomena might be understood in terms of process knowledge models. Presents the step and stage process knowledge model, the classification process knowledge model, and the conditional process knowledge model. (SR)

Describes and compares various assumptions of instructional design and of constructivism, some of which have been raised in other articles in this issue. Topics discussed include instructional design theory; instructional systems theory; mental models; categories of knowledge; knowledge representation; instructional strategies; collaborative…

Reports on an experiment that trained children in memorization by offering explicit feedback emphasizing relationships between strategy use and recall. Finds that the understanding of feedback predicts strategy maintenance if subjects can re-elaborate this information, and prior metacognitive knowledge helps determine the ability to integrate new…

Illustrates how knowledge of the ways children develop understandings of science subjects can be used to improve instruction. Probes students' problems in understanding excretion. Suggests that understanding can be promoted through strategies that build on students' existing knowledge, elicit conceptual development, and establishes meaningful…

This paper discusses the notion of metacognition, which is usually defined as 'cognitions about cognitions', or 'thinking about one's own thinking'. In so doing, it reviews the literature on metacognition over the past three decades, listing different definitions of the term and identifying diverse origins of processes metacognitive. Aspects of…

Research in mathematics education offers a considerable body of evidence that both high and low-achievers can benefit from learning mathematics in meaningful contexts. This case study offers an in-depth analysis of the learning process of a low-achieving student in the context of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). The focus is on the use of…