Many teachers use grades as a weapon or a defense--not as the powerful learning tool they can be. A grading system in which students write papers over and over until they are fully acceptable, and in which they earn checkmarks for each piece of work accepted, serves as a powerful motivator. The checkmark system adheres to six primary learning…

Teachers of writing can be compared to tourists in that they often deal only with the superficial aspects of student writing. Some teachers approach written themes carrying correction symbols as gadgets; others dissect student writing through the use of computer terminals and t-units. Still others view the writer romantically as someone with…

The cognitive operations that predispose a learner to perceive and approach a situation in a given way define his mental set. A survey of the research on problem solving indicates that an instructor should encourage students to vary strategies in searching for solutions to problems. (NHM)

A preschool child's participation in group singing systematically increased after individual training sessions were conducted outdoors during regular recess. The experimental design was a controlled individual analysis, multiple baseline design across different songs. (Author/ED)

Part of the monthly Saturday Review supplement, "Education in America," sponsored by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

Study Supported by Grant M-3519 fromn the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Public Health Services.

The comprehension approach to second language education emphasizes acquisition of listening comprehension prior to and as a vehicle for acquisition of other language skills. The following articles on this approach are collected here: (1) "Nonlinear Learning and Language Teaching" (Winitz); (2) "Aital cal aprene las lengas…

Noting that while individuals need opportunities to develop cognitive and symbolic understanding of communication principles and skills, this paper argues that they also need to develop an experiential understanding in order to use those principles and skills in building and enhancing relationships. To accomplish this, the paper offers a…

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERATURE AND A RESEARCH METHODS INVENTORY, RELATING TO THE LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS AT ALL ACADEMIC LEVELS, WERE CONDUCTED TO DEVELOP A HANDBOOK OR GUIDE FOR USE BY INVESTIGATORS IN THE FIELD OF MATHEMATICS TEACHING. THIS EFFORT TOOK PLACE DURING A 3-MONTH PERIOD WHICH INCLUDED SYSTEMATIC SURVEYS OF LITERATURE…

INDIVIDUAL STYLES OF LEARNING VARY CONSIDERABLY, AND NOT ENOUGH ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO THIS FACT BY TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS. IF A BRIGHT CHILD MAKES VERY POOR PROGRESS IN SCHOOL, THE IMMEDIATE ASSUMPTION TODAY IS LIKELY TO BE THAT HE HAS AN EMOTIONAL PROBLEM. ACTUALLY, HE MAY SIMPLY TAKE A LONG TIME TO "WARM UP," AND HAS BECOME SO…

TWO HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS CLASSES WERE CHOSEN TO BE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS IN A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA USED IN A COMPLEMENTARY (RATHER THAN SUPPLEMENTARY) ROLE IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS. FOUR CLASSES TAUGHT BY TWO TEACHERS COMPRISED THE CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS COMPLICATED IN THAT THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED…

Positive approaches to the administration and management of programs for culturally diverse gifted and talented children are suggested. An administrator offers five suggestions for building an atmosphere for culturally diverse gifted students. Teaching dimensions for this population are identified, and curriculum planning and teaching strategies…

The problems inherent in developing programed materials for the gifted are examined, and a list of 15 characteristics that programs for these children should include is discussed at some length. Appended is a list of over 25 references. (LS)