North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) describes constructivism as an approach to teaching and learning based on the premise that cognition (learning) is the result of "mental construction." In other words, students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know. Constructivists believe that learning is…

Improvement of the student's ability to analyze and solve problems by effectively relating the use of visual aids to the cultivation of capacity for scientific abstraction is discussed. These basic theory courses are based on the dialectical materialistic theory of knowledge and Mao's instruction on the unity of theory and reality.'' (SM)

Considered the value of educational simulations in instructional areas and situations. (Author/RK)

A look at an experiment using prose in which questions are categorized as 1) active; or 2) passive. (HB)

Preschool children who did not group a set of geometric stimuli according to complete similarity on a pretest were taught classification wither in a modeling or in a reinforcement condition. Modeling was found to be an effective means of teaching classification behavior. (ST)

Considers the art of reading, interpretation of literary works, and the factors teachers should be aware of in order to effectively teach literature. (RK)

Dairymen learned to improve their milking techniques by utilizing a video tape recorder. (RK)

Teaching techniques, such as a word-o-gram supplied, can motivate students to learning in a satisfactory manner. (JB)

Several skills important to successful learning by discovery were found to be less essential to successful learning by rule. Results also supported the hypothesis that the outcome of discovery is the structural integration of previously known concepts, while the outcome of rule learning is the addition of new structure. (Authors)

Involving students directly in decision-making through environmental gaming simulations will allow them to better understand the theoretical base of their actions, test their ideas, confirm their reality, and see the practical consequences of various alternative strategies of action. This instructional technique moves beyond the case study stage…

Reports two approaches to learning, including (1) a 3-hour discussion meeting once a week and (2) provision for a variety of learning activities to be pursued individually, with the latter approach preferred by students. (Editor/SB)