Presents a model used to help students of instructional technology conceptualize the range of instructional designs they might utilize and which could be used to classify existing materials for easy reference. (CHC)

A curriculum model in logic is proposed for learning disabled students based on reasoning and content needs. A diagnostic test with probes yields a profile of the child's reasoning ability and pinpoints areas of strengths and weaknesses. Three levels of instruction are provided: thematic concrete, specific concrete, and abstract. (CL)

Presents a model for teaching reasoning using technology in the contexts of algebra and geometry. (MKR)

Describes a model for generative teaching of comprehension that focuses on students' knowledge base and preconceptions; motivation; attention; and generation of new models and explanations. Generative teaching procedures for facilitating comprehension in elementary school are reported. (Author/LB)

We comment on the paper "The co-emergence of machine techniques, paper-and-pencil techniques, and theoretical reflection: A study of CAS use in secondary school algebra" by Carolyn Kieran and Paul Drijvers. We look at aspects of Kieran and Drijvers' analysis with regard to "task-technique-theory" in the light of a model of abstraction in context…

Science and social studies teachers can use these sample learning activities to teach reasoning skills in grades 5-9. The publication was developed by a group which provides information and assistance to Vermont educators of science and social studies in the fifth through the ninth grades with a focus on the teaching and learning of reasoning…

The conversion model of formal reasoning was examined for its ability to predict the decisions made by college students when solving concrete and abstract syllogisms. Results supported the model's contentions that reasoner's decisions reflect natural language processes in the encoding of syllogistic premises, and follow rationally from…

Multilevel visual models can make teaching and learning theories more easily understood. The idea of graphic visualizationas developed in this model utilizes three stages of abstract concept formation dealing with concrete visualization, abstract visualization, and abstract generalization, which would provide the learner with an intuitive grasp of…

To investigate the role expectation based rules governing formal reasoning performance, a battery of group and individual aptitude measures and formal reasoning tests were administered to 17-year-olds. Individual differences in usage of these rules were clarified by establishing an overlap between an aptitude model and formal reasoning.…

Four experiments compared three alternative models of linear syllogistic reasoning: (1) linguistic; (2) spatial; and (3) mixed linguistic-spatial. The mixed model, indicating the importance of both verbal and spatial ability, was supported by all four experiments, and for about three-fourths of the undergraduate students studied. (Author/GDC)

Derives two models for conceptualizing figure similarities from Piaget's developmental theory of spatial reference systems. An experiment on a two alternative forced-choice similarity matching task revealed age differences in observer dependence among children and young adults. Concludes that some Euclidian space concepts are achieved as formal…

A new paradigm is presented for investigating how intervening concepts are learned. Results of four experiments involving 85 college students provide converging evidence for the acquisition of intervening concepts. A simple associative learning mechanism is proposed to account for the results. The new paradigm uses a stimulus-response-feedback…

Literature on relational reasoning mainly focuses on the performance question. It is typically argued that problem difficulty relies on the number of ''mental models'' compatible with the problem. However, no study has ever investigated the wording of conclusions that participants formulate. In the present work, we analyze the relational terms…

The first chapter of this publication, which focuses on a new definition and integration of thinking skills in the curriculum, presents a model that unifies current research and theory with a new understanding of the traditional notion of content and with a different approach to instruction. The model proposed in this chapter synthesizes recent…