A four-phase study identified factors in teaching excellence, compared the teaching strategies of university faculty across disciplines, and compared these with the learning processes of students in their first and third years. Results suggest excellent professors prefer a deep approach to teaching, incongruent with students' more common surface…

Stresses the importance of designing and evaluating curriculum in terms of student learning characteristics; overviews principles for analyzing the level of "curricular" mediation of instructional materials (contextualization, concretization, controlled redundancy, student engagement); and reviews general learning characteristics of…

Defines a generalization as "a descriptive statement of broad application indicating a relationship between two or more concepts." Argues that successful teaching about generalizations can only occur when students understand the relationship between concepts and facts. Discusses four issues and four approaches related to teaching…

Describes an undergraduate psychology class that required the students to either write an essay (counterattitudinal advocacy) or read an essay supporting a scientifically acceptable position contrary to one of their beliefs. Maintains that counterattitudinal advocacy is more effective for overcoming beginning students' erroneous beliefs about…

Briefly reviews the research literature concerning the overjustification effect. The effect describes the situation where positive reinforcement reduces one's intrinsic motivation for a behavior, thereby decreasing the probability that the behavior will be repeated. Notes the limitations of this explanation and recommends a broader representation…

Discusses the role of instructional media specialists in elementary and secondary schools. Topics include educational background, including technical skills, curriculum planning, and instructional design; classroom teachers; library media specialists and the change from teaching library skills to facilitating information literacy; the role of…

An Australian distance-learning college course for women uses problem-based learning to refresh their study skills, since many are rural adults that have been away from school for some time. Metacognitive and reflective cycles activate student thinking patterns, and assigned activities complement and reinforce awareness of those skills. (TD)

Described is the use of peer teaching, to help students to learn the difference between surface and meaningful learning and to provide feedback to the teacher. The advantages of peer teaching to teachers and students are listed. (KR)

Describes study of undergraduates that compared the effects of different small group sizes on learner achievement using computer controlled interactive videodisc. The results of pretests and posttests are reported, learning achievement and instructional time are used to calculate an instructional efficiency index, and further research is…

Discussion of instructional visuals and practice techniques as effective learning strategies focuses on a study of undergraduates that examined the effects of animated instruction and practice on adult learning in a computer-based science lesson. Analyses of the results indicate that practice affects performance measures more than visual…

Developmental differences in the acquisition of information about strategy efficiency gleaned from observation of a peer model were assessed among 60 second and 60 seventh graders and 60 undergraduate students. At each age level, 20 subjects were randomly assigned to each of 3 experimental conditions. Developmental differences were considerable.…

Discussed are ways in which students can generalize both quadratic or cubic situations. Generalizations are produced using the factor method, repeated linear generalizations, means of the mean, and through the use of differences. (KR)

Compared is the use of Euclidean and synthetic geometry in American and European schools. Included is the history of the major developments in the teaching of geometry. Discussed is the demise of formal geometry since World War II. (KR)

Discussion of the display of instructional text and text format elements focuses on a study of fourth graders that was conducted to test the effects of plain and enhanced screen designs on learning and time during computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Implications for screen design and future research are suggested. (31 references) (LRW)

Describes the design of the Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE), a database that allows the storage and retrieval of information in several media, e.g., text and drawings. Research on cognitive abilities and learning strategies is reviewed, learner control is discussed, and the implementation of CSILE in grades five and six…