The dimensions of the broad social-cognitive and metacognitive matrix within which pure cognitions reside are examined. Tangible cognitive actions are the cross products of beliefs held about a task, the social environment within which the task takes place, and the problem solvers' perceptions of self and their relation to the task and…

A dominant theme in cognitive psychology is that prior knowledge in long-term memory has a strong influence on an individual's cognitive processing. Citing numerous memory studies with children, knowledge base effects are presented as part of a broader picture of memory development. Using the sort/recall procedure (asking subjects to group sets of…

The author describes the manner in which student learning outcomes can be successfully measured, in a student-centred classroom environment, using both formative and summative approaches. He argues that by carefully planning units of work and/or individual activities in negotiation with students, it is possible to ascertain what they already know…

This paper describes the College of Professional Studies at the University of San Francisco, which emphasizes the integration of classroom and experiential learning. The Human Relations and Organizational Behavior program, a behavioral science approach to human resource management which uses an applied psychology curriculum, is described in detail…

A model of reading development was tested by examining preschool children's knowledge of print, their interactions with a teacher, and their parents' perceptions of children's attitudes toward printed materials. The central tenet of the tested model was its hierarchical notion of children's progress in learning to read, leading to the assumption…

One task of Project ACCESS was to try out a process that had been developed to assess the life experiences of women for entry into employment and for entry or advanced placement in vocational education programs. The process involved using an inventory of women's experiences and skills, the Experience Description Summary (EDS), and competency…

A study sought to find out how many skills which women learn through life experience can be transferred to selected postsecondary vocational education programs. Methodology included mailing sixteen sets of nine questionnaires to women in women's centers, displaced homemaker centers, and counseling centers in seven states. Questionnaires covered…

The second of eight related documents, this handbook is designed to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. The large print, illustrated booklet can be shared aloud with children to explain some of the activities, games, and exercises. The booklet also includes suggestions for parents to prepare a child for kindergarten--including…

This paper focuses on the activities of colleges and universities providing options for the assessment of prior learning for adult students. The paper emphasizes programs with associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions in the United States and Canada. It is aimed at faculty members, practitioners, administrators, and policy-makers,…

The methods for cooperative education developed at the University of Lethbridge reflect the commitment to the criterion of academic quality, high faculty input and participation, on-site supervision, and an optimal range of vocational experiences recognized through the awarding of significant amounts of degree credit. (Editor/LBH)

Discusses a collaborative writing assignment on the Annunciation and the difficulties posed by summoning personal experiences to help in writing about an unfamiliar situation. The resulting poem is included. (HTH)

Provides a strategy for teachers to use to help students relate their concrete nonschool experiences to the abstract content of social studies textbooks and nonschool learning to school learning. Suggests use of a Nonschool Activity Student Profile to provide teachers with information about their students so that this may be achieved. (AEM)

Presents a framework for conceptualizing development of individual differences in reading ability that emphasizes the effects of reading on cognitive development and on "bootstrapping" relationships involving reading. Uses the framework to explicate some persisting problems in the literature on reading disability and to conceptualize…

Investigates the effects of four types of prereading activities on comprehension of Australian fifth grade students: (1) irrelevant tasks (control); (2) pictorial introductions to the subject; (3) content-directed questions; and (4) free-association to the passage's titles. Determines that, although the pictorial introduction group performed best,…

Argues that children need to be taught how to extract, synthesize, organize, and integrate important information from texts into their own knowledge structures and describes some techniques that can be used to activate prior knowledge. (HOD)