An interview with Dr. Shaywitz , pediatrician, neuroscientist, and member of the National Reading Panel, focuses on the ways the brains of young children develop and what can be done to prevent early learning difficulties. (MLF)

A study involving 80 undergraduates with deafness enrolled in first-year algebra courses found students were more likely to miscomprehend a relational statement and commit a reversal error when the required arithmetic operation was inconsistent with the statement's relational term. Reading ability influenced performance, and errors decreased as…

Adaptive help seeking is a unique strategy of self-regulated learning that involves social interaction with others. This paper discusses ways in which teachers can satisfy students' self-system needs and contribute to their competencies and motivational resources required for adaptive help seeking. It also discusses how peers, within the classroom…

This article identifies physical, psychological, and social obstacles that may block students' thinking ability. Guidelines are provided to help teachers uncover and overcome hidden obstacles. A glossary of thinking skills terms is included. (IAH)

Findings from a 5-year follow-up study of 78 kindergartners suggest that while the Revised Denver Developmental Screening Test (RDDST) accurately predicts academic achievement and standardized test performance, it consistently misclassifies as normal the performance of a significant number of children who require special help in their early…

Despite clear evidence of decrements in performance over time coupled with a substantially greater perceptual sensitivity deficit in 10 hyperactive children compared to controls, the hyperactive group demonstrated no greater performance deficit with time on task. Results failed to support the hypothesis of a sustained attention deficit in…

Discusses planning lessons for the learning disabled student. Defines four deficits: (1) visual-processing deficit; (2) auditory-processing deficit; (3) kinesthetic deficit; and (4) reasoning disorders. Describes strategies for each of the four deficits. (YP)

Advocates cooperative learning as an effective tool for reaching slow learners, by bridging the gaps between the learning styles of slow learners and the teaching requirements of the classroom, resulting in improved academic performance for both slow learners and high achievers. (SR)

Examined Visual Aural Digit Span Test (VADS) and Bender-Gestalt (BG) scores as predictors of Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R) scores among 115 elementary school students referred for low academic achievement. Divided children into three age groups. Results suggest BG and VADS Test can be effective screening devices for young children…

Discusses the influence of feelings, motivations, and personal meanings on mathematical thinking and learning. Presents case studies of four adults who suffer from learning difficulties. (RJC)

A prototype expert system for the diagnosis of elementary students experiencing educational problems is described. After input of initial data, the system provides guidance on what further information might be sought and/or what remedial activities might be beneficial. The system includes databases of tests and remedial materials and strategies.…

This article explains four teacher-developed mnemonic learning strategies--one for learning the steps of long division, one to teach decision making, one for developing homework skills, and one for preparing and giving a speech. (DB)

This study demonstrated that a columnar notetaking strategy was an effective way for secondary teachers to help 198 heterogeneous students abstract the main ideas, special terms, and facts from textbooks. The treatment involved a diagnostic-prescriptive approach to placing students with learning disabilities, remedial students, and nondisabled…

Comparison of high-risk, low-risk, and learning-disabled high school students' foreign language performance found clear evidence of significant differences in the foreign language learning potential of low- and high-risk students and striking similarities between high-risk and learning-disabled students regarding foreign language learning…

Five potential complications of being gifted include: a sophisticated ability to evaluate one's own performance; a tendency to search for ordered complexity; the possible presence of specific learning difficulties; incompatibility of intellectual and emotional developmental levels; and a relative lack of experience of failure. (DB)