As children transition from the early to later grades of elementary school, they become increasingly skilled at employing a variety of techniques -- such as rehearsal and organizational strategies -- for remembering information. Developmental changes in strategy use have been well documented, but little is known about the extent to which these…

Mnemonics represent a diverse group of research-based instructional methods with wide application for middle school teachers and students. Teachers can model how to use mnemonics and infuse them in their instruction. Students can use mnemonics as a study skills memory prompt in any class. Due to their potential as a highly effective instructional…

Investigates the impact and relationship of notetaking techniques, notetaking functions, and measures of working memory on learning in an introductory college economics course. Compares conventional (taking notes in the customary fashion) with the outline method (recording notes in spaces on an instructor-provided outline). Includes suggestions…

Data from three general psychology classes were used in a study of the chunking method of teaching and studying. Two classes participated in a study on chunking study outline (CSO) length, and one in a study on retention rates. Results of students with high and low cognitive processing capacities (CPC) were also compared. It was found that a CSO…

Describes a study technique that encourages college students to develop their own strategies for improving their study skills. (MKM)

The author proposes two theoretical constructs from cognitive psychology planning and limited central processing to aid understanding of the complexity and inefficiences in study performance of learning disabled (LD) children due to memory problems. Applies the constructs to memory development and instruction and provides recommendations for…

The study examined the potential of training in a specific learning strategy (text structure recognition and use) to improve the recall of expository prose of 27 learning disabled high school students. Trained subjects demonstrated better immediate and delayed recall performance than control subjects trained in problem solving strategies.…

The study examined the use of advance organizers by seven regular secondary teachers with seven learning disabled students. Advance organizers did positively affect students' retention of information, but only after students were taught to attend to and use the advance organizers. (Author/DB)

Discusses instruction in mnemonics to help students with disabilities and learning difficulties improve memory for school content. Discusses what mnemonic strategies are; offers general techniques for improving memory; and explains (with examples) the mnemonic techniques of using keywords, using pegwords, and using letter strategies. Also provides…

Generally, teachers are good students. Most know how to successfully address a variety of academic tasks demands. Many know how to compensate for any personal weaknesses they have with specific skills. Sometimes teachers are such good students that they forgot what it was like to struggle to learn something. Unfortunately, students with emotional…

A review of research on the subject of how students learn identifies various techniques that have been used successfully in facilitating learning; e.g., memorization, repetition, review. In discussing the differences between active and passive learning, it is pointed out that tactics used by good students include organizational strategies,…

Because teachers are asking for specific suggestions to help students apply comprehension skills and read content material, a mechanism that assists students in acquiring and applying specific comprehension skills as they read content texts is being investigated. The mechanism is called marginal gloss because learning activities are placed in the…

The effects of text-provided aids on readers' understanding of scientific passages are discussed. Two techniques are pretraining on definitions and signaling. In the experiments, subjects read a scientific passage with either definitions pretraining, signaling, both, or neither. Results indicated these techniques helped readers build mental models…

States that the two skills essential for success in college are the ability to retain materials and study effectively. (RB)