Just as the spoken word, virtual discourse in the listserv-assisted composition class unites the writer and the audience into a group. On-line writing takes the form of dialogue, and the reading of the on-line text does not shatter the audience but gathers them into collectivity. Since writing on the listserv is less rule-governed, students are…

The 16 papers in this proceedings describe strategies and practices used in undergraduate psychology courses at two- and four-year colleges. The following presentations are included: (1) "Using the IDEAL Problem Solving Method in Groups," by R. Scott Smith; (2) "The Soul of Active Learning: Connecting Psychology and Faith," by…

The Quality Schools movement combines the principles of control theory with Edward Deming's principles of total quality management. The outcome is a school environment in which the focus is on quality work, discipline is maintained without coercion, and students continuously evaluate their own work. This book describes the application of Quality…

Based on the most comprehensive and current research in the areas of cooperative learning and cognitive instruction, this guide presents practical ideas and model lessons for encouraging cooperative learning in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Beginning with the basics for forming cooperative learning groups, the guide outlines the…

In 1992, an evaluative study was conducted to describe systematically the characteristics of Northern Maine Technical College's (NMTC's) faculty and students with respect to specified teaching and learning variables. The study sought to determine and outline appropriate instructional improvement strategies for possible implementation at NMTC,…

This study investigated the amount of structure preferred by college students in a learning environment and evaluated responses using a notion of conceptual level. The theory of conceptual level suggests that students at higher conceptual levels prefer more independence and less structure in learning while students at lower conceptual levels…

This book is designed to provide a foundation in adult learning theory, a knowledge base that will increase understanding of what works and what does not work with the adult learner. It is written for practitioners who work with adults in nearly any setting. The book is both theoretical and practical. It provides a foundation in adult learning…

Based on interviews with teachers, department chairs, principals, and staff developers, observations of hundreds of lessons, and a perusal of the social studies research literature and the broader school change literature, dominant barriers to the promotion of thinking were identified. Six barriers emerged: instruction as knowledge transmission, a…

This study examined parental influence on children's cognitive skills by investigating characteristics of parent-child interaction in two tasks that required strategic activity and within which instruction in metacognition could occur. Subjects were 60 third and fourth grade girls and their mothers, who were divided into 2 experimental groups and…

The documents in this series provide educators in Saskatchewan with practical and relevant guides to teaching and learning as a means of expanding or refining teaching repertoires. This booklet explores focused imaging as a way to enhance student learning, describes the application of imagery to specific school curricula, and acts as a strategy…

An exploratory investigation attempted to determine how learning at work actually takes place and in what ways learning on the job differs from classroom learning. The study was based on extensive observations and interviews over a 5-year period at two manufacturing plants that implemented a computer-based system known as Manufacturing Resource…

This book offers ideas and strategies for teaching thinking in schools. Sixteen chapters and a concluding discussion, each preceded by an introductory article, are written by experts recognized in their fields. The chapters include: (1) "Reading and Thinking with History and Science Text" (Isabel L. Beck and Janice A. Dole; (2) "Developing…

This pamphlet examines the Writing-to-Learn project of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), a writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) program. The WAC theory is first discussed in terms of three primary approaches to linguistic behavior as reflected in three predominant attitudes toward composition theory in use today: the traditional, the…

If the main cause of many students' disinclination to learn is attitude, it follows that the most important educational reform is the restoration of attitudes favorable to learning. This book and its companion workbook are intended to assist teachers in that goal. It helps teachers understand and appraise the negative attitudes that are all too…

Practitioners and researchers argue about how reading should be taught, about what students should read, and about how best to organize reading instruction in the classroom. Diverse methods are used to teach reading. These range from isolated skills-based (intensive phonics/basal reading programs) to integrated, whole language approaches that…