Examined is teacher thinking which develops during curriculum and methodology courses for intending teachers of secondary school science. A science teacher thinking framework which includes subject matter, teaching strategy, objectives, and student response was developed. The importance of reflective thinking is discussed. (KR)

To study the knowledge that teachers use to understand and interpret teaching and learning, 28 respondents from 4 levels of teaching experience were asked to explain their understanding of videotaped classroom scenes. The increasing complexity of understanding with teacher experience is supported by the findings. (SLD)

Thirteen 8- to 10-year-old students participated in a Lego-LOGO learning environment, coupling Lego building-block activities with Logo computer programming, to evaluate whether this learning environment was conducive to metacognitive awareness and cooperation. Results suggested positive cognitive and affective outcomes, especially for the younger…

Reviews literature related to learning styles and gender differences. Determines that abstract and reflection are associated traditionally with mind or masculine, whereas concrete experience and active experimentation are associated with the body or female. Calls for additional experiential activities to provide a more gender-balanced approach to…

Uses case studies of students to outline the theories related to cognitive development and different ways of understanding what knowledge is. Organizes four sets of concepts: (1) the construct of intelligence; (2) different ways of knowing; (3) the nature of constructivism; and (4) the active, strategic process of learning. Contains 19 references.…

Argues that science students often perceive physical events, the nature of scientific knowledge, and the nature of learning processes in different ways from science teachers and scientists, and that science teachers need to account for these differences in planning their science teaching. Contains 40 references. (WRM)

Explores whether reflective analysis promotes integration of theoretical knowledge presented in a course on motivation, with the practice of classroom management during a practice teaching round. Analyzes narrative accounts of practice where subjects recorded observations and reflections of experiences. Results indicate the presence of principal…

Examines an expert teacher's thinking and teaching processes in order to link them to instructional-design procedures. Findings suggest that there were fundamental differences between the teacher's thinking and teaching processes and microinstructional design models. (Author/AEF)

Small group teaching is an excellent method for developing communication skills, critical thinking, and other higher level cognitive and attitudinal processes. Recognizes the wide variety of teaching techniques available to achieve these goals. Contains 18 references. (DDR)

Recent attention to the teaching of reading in adult English- as-a-Second-Language courses has prompted us to trace the major shifts in reading pedagogy that have occurred in the Adult Migrant English Program. Reference is made to some key resources and research that have reflected and shaped practice in the teaching of reading. (21 references)…

Investigates the effects of individual versus cooperative learning on different aspects of 373 fifth-grade students' functioning: (1) cognitive; (2) affective; (3) metacognitive; and (4) social. Reports strong positive effects of cooperative learning on achievement and positive effects of cooperative learning in the cognitive level. (CMK)

One of the most controversial issues in foreign language (FL) teaching is the age at which language learning should start. Nowadays it is recognized that in second language contexts maturational constraints make an early start advisable, but there is still disagreement regarding the problem of when to start or the best way to learn in foreign…

The present work investigated the development of an explicit understanding of pretend play actions. Study 1 revealed a long decalage between earlier implicit understanding of pretence as an intentional activity and a later more explicit understanding. Study 2 was a training study. It tested for two factors--systematic pretence experience and…

This essay describes how interclass collaboration in the context of an in-depth interdisciplinary discussion and analysis of global problems can yield significant benefits in the development of ESL students' sense of efficacy, their literacy, and their critical thinking skills. Collaborative lessons expose the students to new and varied…

Csikszentmihaly's (1997) concept of flow describes a mental state resulting from peak experiences in which the level of challenge is high, but manageable given a person's skills. Because flow occurs at peak moments, these moments can motivate teachers, possibly shaping their classroom practices and giving them insight into their teaching beliefs.…