Evidence from video tapes of experts thinking aloud and using analogies in scientific problem solving is presented. Four processes appear to be important in using an analogy: (1) generating the analogy; (2) establishing confidence in the validity of the analogy relation; (3) understanding the analogous case; and (4) applying findings to the…

Understanding the literacy process and using the child as the informant will ensure a better learning experience. Two fundamental assumptions of language learning provide a base for understanding the literacy process. Firstly, the decisions a child makes while searching for meaning in a literacy event are the same ones made by an adult, involving…

This chapter presents a review of the latest research on advance organizers, and provides instructions for constructing and using them. The theoretical background of the advance organizers research is presented, beginning with the work of Ausubel, and this work is related to the writings of Piaget. An outline of advance organizer research is then…

This paper introduces the use of self-assessed questions (SAQ) in interactive learning material. SAQs have two related but separate functions in learning materials: SAQs sustain the student's concentration and breaks up the text, and SAQs help the student assess progress of learning at a particular point in the material. Examples are given of…

After presenting a series of assumptions about the teaching of playwriting (for example, that students can be taught the craft, if not the art, of playwriting; students must be kept to a strict deadline if they are to develop into disciplined writers; and playwriting should never be discussed outside the context of production possibilities), this…

The work of English cybernetician Gordon Pask on learning styles and strategies is presented. An attempt is made to describe the basic ideas of Conversation Theory, Pask's general theory of cognition. The learning strategies "holism" and "serialism," and the more general learning styles "comprehension learning" and…

The influence of two sources of individual differences in acquiring knowledge from maps was studied: abilities and learning procedures. Twenty-five undergraduate students provided verbal protocols while attempting to learn two maps, and six effective learning procedures were identified: partitioning, imagery, memory-directed sampling, pattern…

This materials packet, developed for the Higher Education Component of an American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) symposium on cooperative learning, is divided into four sections. In the first section, quotes are provided from national reports which stressed the need for active learning at the collegiate level. In the second…

This manual was developed to train primary health care facilitators and health educators in the construction and use of low-cost supplementary learning materials that are both socially relevant and participatory in nature. The curriculum is organized to provide the facilitator with a course outline and syllabus, suggested list of supplies,…

This handbook, designed for teachers of kindergarten through third grade, has two objectives: (1) to make the concept of critical thinking and the principles that underlie it clear; and (2) to show how critical thinking can be taught in language arts, social studies, and science. The introduction explains and justifies lesson plan remodelling. The…

This handbook, designed for teachers of fourth through sixth grades, has two objectives: (1) to make the concept of critical thinking and the principles that underlie it clear; and (2) to show how critical thinking can be taught in language arts, social studies, and science. The introduction explains and justifies lesson plan remodelling. The…

Instructional supervisors identified two problems in their field: (1) finding time to gather the many resources available these days; and (2) providing appropriate and useful supervision to teachers who span a spectrum of needs, experiences, and circumstances. To address these concerns, the 1985-86 Curriculum and Instruction Committee set out to…

Instructors who accept responsibility for improving the spelling of their students, must, to be successful, turn that responsibility over to the students. Abjuring their position as rule givers, effective spelling teachers encourage students to pursue their study inductively by exploring the relationship of the spoken language to the written form,…

This science/technology/society (STS) training manual is designed to help state-level coordinators, university teacher educators, district coordinators, or lead teachers to implement the guidelines provided in "Science/Technology/Society: A Framework for Curriculum Reform in Secondary School Science and Social Studies." The manual…

This paper presents the ARCS model, which is a research-based systematic design model that interfaces with typical instructional design and development models to improve the motivational appeal of instructional materials, of instructor behavior, and of the way in which lessons (or modules) and courses are designed. The description of the model,…