A pilot study explored the possible affective, linguistic, and strategic benefits of closed-captioned television programming for limited-English-proficient elementary school students studying English as a Second Language (ESL). Four ESL teachers were trained, and lessons and accompanying pre- and post-tests were developed based on captioned…

Three basic beliefs support teaching: (1) learning is social and individual; (2) learning must be personally meaningful; (3) learning rests upon a knowledge base that is constructed, not transmitted. The first step to creating an environment which supports learning in meaningful ways is for the teacher and students to become better inquirers into…

The ninth yearbook of innovative learning strategies presents the following articles, grouped in three major sections. The first section, Program Models, contains: (1) "Cooperative Learning in a Study Skills Course" (Corrine Plotkin); (2) "Peer Tutor Preparation: A Guide to Training" (Kathy Carpenter); (3) "A Community…

The purpose of (Colorado's) Clear Creek School District's strategic planning process has been to develop basic district-wide parameters to promote instructional improvement through a process of shared leadership. The approach is termed "sight-based" to indicate the school district's commitment to connecting curriculum and…

A study examined the effects of using heuristics, a problem-solving approach, to respond to drafts written by six university students of advanced composition in English as a second language (ESL). The students had varied language backgrounds. The teacher responded to first drafts of each of three writing assignments by writing heuristic questions…

Designed to work with and be integrated into the existing curriculum, this learning packet contains activities that encourage discussion and critical thinking by students about the U.S. Constitution. The first activity teaches fundamental principles of government while the second asks students to explain how the Constitution was written through…

An earlier study found virtually no relationship between college students' reported studying practices and various tests of reading comprehension, so a second study investigated whether different results would be obtained with an instrument based on study strategies college students actually reported using. Scores on this instrument were to be…

Intended for teachers and parents, this book focuses on demolishing widely held myths about poor spellers and about the process of spelling. "Dear Professor Henderson" (chapter 1) is a dedication to a favorite college professor who remonstrated with the author about his "lazy" spelling. "Kneeling on Rice" (chapter 2)…

There is a risk of second language teachers becoming emotionally overcharged about innovative methods and techniques. Innovators promoting particular methods often claim comprehensive answers to instructional problems, and in spite of an apparent concern for scientific respectability, new approaches take on some characteristics of religious…

Designed to investigate the significance of the relationship between science education and social issues, this study presents a rationale and suggestions for incorporating elements of social responsibility into the elementary science curriculum. A review of the literature consists of annotations which focus on: (1) the importance of social issues…

This study aimed at finding the optimal condition of written instruction and online practice for learning a new computer application. Subjects were 44 undergraduate and graduate students and university staff members. Those in the experimental group learned commands for an electronic spreadsheet by reading user-manual descriptions and working…

A study of the acquisition of Swedish vocabulary by adult immigrants examined both the kinds and contexts of words learned. It found that simple and common words form the bulk of the vocabulary learned, and that frequency of input, complexity of input, and communicative need guide the learning process. Frequency refers to the frequency of both…

Both the broad field of educational technology and research activities in the more limited area of instructional technology in Latin America are examined. Research studies, the current situation, and/or research needs are reviewed briefly for each of the following areas: distance education; microcomputers; educational radio; learning strategies…

Designed to support the premise that many important clues to the solution of the problem of teaching thinking skills in science are contained in the science process skill literature, this paper synthesizes research related to the teaching of science process skills. Studies which evaluate the effect of the new science curricula are described.…

As an extension of an earlier investigation that examined the effects of mnemonic strategy application on children's memory for abstract prose passages, a study compared the benefits accrued by students taught two different variations of the mnemonic keyword method for learning abstract prose information, via tasks of associative recognition and…