Based on research relating William Perry's scheme of cognitive development to foreign language proficiency, a developmental hypothesis concerning language ability is proposed. This approach suggests that lower developmental stages in the cognitive domain retard the achievement of communicative language proficiency, while higher developmental…

The purpose of this book is to improve instruction by helping future teachers understand the realities of teaching, understand and organize relevant psychological theory, and become competent at tasks instructors perform. There are 29 chapters which deal with the following topics: (1) teacher decision making; (2) student physical development; (3)…

Arguments for and against banning television commercials aimed at children under age 12, as well as the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the First Amendment, and parents in regulating such commercials, are explored in this paper. Following an introduction that describes the controversy, a second section of the paper details the…

The validity of educational tests used as critical measures of educational outcomes within a dynamic system is discussed. Validity becomes a problem if an educational system adapts itself to the characteristics of the outcome measures. The concept of systematically valid tests is introduced; these tests induce curricular and instructional changes…

This monograph represents 5 years of collaborative discussions among individuals interested in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics beginning in 1985 with the planning of a conference and culminating in the production of this collection of 13 papers to be presented at the conference. Chapters include: (1) an introduction…

Three dimensions of education--development of knowledge, training of mental abilities, and development of character--and their implications for social and individual good are discussed in this paper. Education is described as the process that prepares young people for their social inheritance through the transmission of societal values. A…

This digest considers the role of personal computers in the education of gifted students. There is evidence that students are working "smarter," whether they are learning and using more information, understanding key concepts and relationships better, or developing higher level thinking skills. Research findings concerning the specific…

This paper describes an educational program developed on the basis that the use of blocks and other manipulatives can be useful both for initial teaching of exchange operations in arithmetic and for remediation of the faulty strategies which very commonly arise during acquisition of written calculation algorithms. This computer program is a…

Perspectives on a psychological approach to learning are offered in this paper. Specific emphasis is directed to the assumption that children possess "minitheories." Minitheories are defined as attempts to make sense of particular kinds of experiences and are explained and delimited by the domain of experience to which they currently apply. This…

In reviewing Herbert J. Klausmeier's academic career, this paper discusses four major areas of his contributions: (1) cognitive learning and development (CLD); (2) individual differences and related educational provisions; (3) educational research as a field of scientific inquiry; and (4) teacher education. CLD, Klausmeier' major contribution, was…

A review of the research on the cognitive development of middle school students is presented and ways of promoting intellectual growth in middle school science classrooms are offered. The annotations in this review are organized into four sections. The first part focuses on the research on the cognitive development of the middle school student.…

Focusing on spelling as an integral part of the writing process, this annotated bibliography addresses the problem of developing individualized, focused, and relevant methods for teaching spelling to elementary students. The annotations are organized around two specific questions: What strategies do children use to spell words and what…

Focusing on areas of development related to Chapter 53 screening, this manual is designed to assist New York City teachers in using the screening results to support optimal development for the children in their classes. Chapter 53 of the Laws of 1980 provides for the screening of all new entrants into the school system, usually in kindergarten or…

Part of the Child Health and Safety Series, this module for parents and adults who work with children discusses child development in three age group sections: (1) 6 through 8 years; (2) 9 through 11 years; and (3) 12 through 15 years. Information on physical, mental, social, and emotional development, as well as ways to identify and handle…

A brief discussion of three phases in research on instructional films--whether films can teach (approximately 1910-1950), how films teach (1940 through the late 1950s), and who learns from films (1960-1985)--introduces a review of the research literature on the third phase. The experimental studies reviewed focus on three concerns: (1) use of…