One of the most popular innovations in learning community programs involves paired or clustered courses. The demonstrated ability of paired courses to enhance student retention and performance levels has contributed to their growth on campuses across the country. However the development of paired courses presents instructors with unique obstacles…

Discusses the importance of recognizing patterns in nature to help understand the interactions of living and non-living things. Cautions the student not to lose sight of the details when studying the big picture. Encourages development of the ability to identify local species. Suggest two activities to strengthen observation skills and to help in…

Describes a preservice program to prepare teachers for a curriculum based on the realistic approach. The program appeared successful in changing student teachers' views of mathematics education towards this more inquiry-oriented approach and in promoting effective teacher behavior in classrooms. Only a small number of teachers recognized the…

Analyzes the time children of different ages, sex, and proficiency levels spent on various compositional processes while creating a melody. Suggests that the amount of time used for exploration, development, repetition, and silence has an effect on the subject's ability to replicate the melody. Finds developmental differences in strategies for…

Describes 10 years of curriculum innovation in a primary school, with special emphasis on the process of the innovation. Draws general conclusions which could also apply to secondary and tertiary education. (RJC)

Describes a model that teaches a problem-solving process and provides students with the opportunity to practice, develop, and enhance their thinking skills. States that applying learning to real problems is needed to increase a student's thinking ability. Provides diagrams of the problem-solving cycle and levels of thinking. (RT)

Considers research concentrating on the correlation between knowledge structure and learning. Suggests implications of this research to classroom teaching. Cites characteristics of unsuccessful and successful problem solvers. (RT)

Reviews studies concerned with perceptual learning styles and provides a research basis for an experimental procedure which allows students to be introduced to new information through their strongest modality, to have that information reinforced through multisensory assignments, and to internalize the information through application in a creative…

Examined the use by children of the Novel Name-Nameless Category principle, under the framework that lexical principles are acquired in a developmental sequence. Results indicated that the particular principle was not available at the start of lexical acquisition but that exhaustive categorization ability and a vocabulary spurt occur…

Addresses the principles underlying the merging of interlanguages in multiple-language acquisition. The article claims that there is an "interlanguage logic" in multiple- language acquisition and that one can see the structure of the basic learning strategy in interlanguage creation: "interlingual identification." (seven…

Discusses the use of electronic mail in higher education and describes discussion groups conducted via electronic mail in a graduate seminar at the University of Colorado at Denver. Topics addressed include front end technology logistics and support; group dynamics; student attitudes; and suggestions for future research. (Contains eight…

Reports on a study of effects of teaching styles, student cognitive styles, matched and mismatched conditions, and student age and gender in relation to the course grades of 207 community college students. Indicates that concrete sequential teachers assigned the lowest grades and that students over 24 attained higher grades than younger students…

Results of a British program of eight learning strategy workshops for university freshmen are discussed. The workshops focused on essay writing and test-taking skills. Regular attendees had significantly more sophisticated conceptions of learning than irregular attendees and had higher essay and examination scores. However, differences in overall…

This study examined the relationship between cognitive characteristics (field-independence, spatial visualization, logical reasoning, and direction following) and the initial acquisition of computer programing competence in 29 computer programing students. Students completed tests and surveys; results suggested that individual differences be…

Explores the learning experiences of college students in an Introduction to Philosophy course and the learning experiences of research collaborators themselves. Finds that learning involves juxtaposing conflicting ways of knowing and that learning occurs when authority for knowledge is redistributed. (PRA)