Argues for a reconceptualization of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research in order to enlarge the ontological and empirical parameters of the field. Claims that methodologies, theories, and foci within SLA reflect an imbalance between cognitive and mentalistic orientations, and social and contextual orientations to language, the former…

Discusses the needs of language-minority students and explains the difference between progress in basic interpersonal communication skills (surface fluency) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (conceptual-linguistic knowledge). Strategies are provided for special educators in planning instruction, increasing comprehension during…

This study compared two teachers' levels of implementation of the DISCOVER approach to gifted education and the resulting effects on number of students identified as gifted and on problem-solving behaviors. Significant relationships were found between level of implementation and positive changes in mathematics problem solving and numbers of…

Discusses the latest developments of an empirical project about the mental processes of students with both mono-cultural and bi-cultural socialization in foreign language literature courses. (Author/VWL)

Describes one instructor's approach to incorporating simulations and classroom discussions into a differential equations course. Discusses subsequent effects on student learning attitudes and outcomes in conceptualizing and applying ideas regarding solutions to differential equations in this learning environment. Explores issues on…

Recent research in mathematics instruction underscores the importance of problem solving and higher-level thinking. This article presents four themes in instruction for students with learning disabilities: (1) provide a broad, balanced mathematics curriculum; (2) engage students in meaningful problem tasks; (3) accommodate diverse learning styles;…

Mental arithmetic strategies were studied with 91 Dutch third graders who computed by splitting off 10s and units in both numbers or counting by 10s up or down from the first unsplit number. Results reveal flexibility in changing between and within strategy use. Implications for instruction are discussed. (SLD)

Examined code-mixing, a little-known technique used in teaching vocabulary. Found that using code-mixing to introduce new vocabulary can be an efficient and effective method. Discusses procedures and cognitive processes involved in vocabulary learning and explains the use of code mixing to introduce vocabulary. (Author/VWL)

The literature regarding cognitive prerequisites to communication development for nondisabled and disabled children is reviewed. Issues related to providing communication teaching programs for severely disabled children are discussed, and specific intervention strategies related to introduction of augmentative and alternative communication systems…

Describes an informal assessment procedure that uses think alouds (readers' verbal self-reports about their thinking processes) to obtain information about how they attempt to construct meaning from text. (MG)

Explains the significance of stories in productive thinking by collecting and analyzing the reactions of 40 children of 3 and 4 years to 10 stories. Results indicate that stories can be used to understand preschool children's thinking and increase their productive thoughts. (BB)

Results of an experimental study of 46 field-independent and 39 field-dependent undergraduates indicate that immediate testing after a lecture resulted in no performance differences on a delayed test. However, without immediate testing, field-independent students performed better. All students reviewed notes before delayed testing. (IAH)

Three methods by which hearing adults process speechread information are discussed: selective adaptation, immediate memory, and repetition priming. Also discussed are mental representations of speech by hearing-impaired and hearing children, infants' responses to speechread stimuli compared to other stimuli, infants' speechreading of a foreign…

Provides a list of 33 problem-solving steps extracted from physics textbooks and arranged within the following 3 categories: setup, solution, and checks. (MDH)

Uses stimulated recall to elicit a retrospective account from a student following his production of an artistic text representing his view of the relationship of two central characters in a short story. Analyzes the student's process of composition. Suggests that nonlinguistic texts can help students construct meanings. (HB)