Learning progressions, or representations of how student ideas develop in a domain, hold promise as tools to support teachers' formative assessment practices. The ideas represented in a learning progression might help teachers to identify and make inferences about evidence collected of student thinking, necessary precursors to modifying…

Proposes that looking at classroom experiences out of the corner of one's eye (both literally and figuratively) allows one to know some of the peripheral action, feelings, and results of "moments of passion." Notes that this perspective may be a more characteristic description of such moments than images produced by a straightforward…

Based on the research report "Thinking Skills" by Robert J. Marzano and C. L. Hutchins, this paper offers the following pointers on teaching children to think: (1) when teaching new information, have students compare it with what they already know; (2) provide students with manageable ways to evaluate information and teach them to ask…

Argues for the significance of "personal theories" in teaching. Profiles first year teaching of four teachers who had completed program of self-inquiry and reflection about their own developing conceptions of education. Describes their personal theories of teaching before employment and the nature and impact of their teaching…

According to the cognitive development theory of Lev Vygotsky, learning is formed, and thinking is transformed as a result of participation in purposeful activity with others. Through joint activity, social problem solving is learned and eventually internalized into intrapsychological processes. This paper describes an experimental teacher…

Focuses on environmental influences on variations in infants' exploratory behavior, the stability of these differences, and the relation between differences in exploratory play and later cognitive development. (AS)

Examines whether a good relationship with both parents can buffer male adolescents from divorced families against detrimental effects of divorce by preventing adjustment problems, compared to adolescents from intact families. Studied three subject groups: divorced/good relationship with both parents; divorced/poor relationship with both parents;…

Mastery learning is a philosophically based approach to teaching and learning which focuses on effective individualized instruction in the group oriented classroom setting. This article discusses the development and application of mastery learning theory and its implications for teachers. (JN)

In order to compare the differences in cognitions of experienced and beginning teachers, the perceptions of six experienced teachers, six student teachers, and six probationer teachers (in their first year of teaching after college training) were studied at various times during the course of a school year, using a variety of methods (interview,…

Literature reviewed in this article suggests that the ability to take the perspective of others is a developmentally acquired ability that results in more adaptive and effective communication and enhances classroom effectiveness. Implications for teacher education are discussed. (IAH)

Research studies in science education have revealed that wait-time, the duration of teacher and student pauses in questioning dialogue, is an important variable in teaching. In this study, discussion materials were gathered, from 4 groups of 10 teachers, each week for a semester. The groups were defined as: (1) comparison group; (2) instruction in…

The contention that among black people there is a cognitive style which seems to require a more active intervention with the learning environment than what is needed by their white counterpart is advanced in this discussion of cognitive style among black Africans and black Americans. Cognitive styles of blacks in the infant, early school, and…

Action research conducted by teams of university professors and middle school teachers investigated the relationship between teachers' developmental stages, collaborative research, and individual teacher change. Section 1 describes the study's purposes and objectives and the methods used in analyzing teachers' stages of development. An overview of…

Presents the reactions of a mathematics educator and a mathematician to a seven-year-old student's response for finding square numbers. Reflects on the mathematician's focus on the mathematics of the problem and the mathematics educator's focus on the student's systematic way of working, and discusses the common focus of student creativity. (MDH)

In 1985-86, reading was identified as the supplemental instructional area of the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools (APS) for funding under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, Chapter 1. In all, 39 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, and 4 high schools in the APS qualified for Chapter 1 services; 4,317 elementary school…