Two studies involving learning disabled elementary students examined two procedures shown to facilitate concept acquisition among normal children: selection and sequence of positive and negative examples and analytic assistance during concept learning. Examples did not facilitate concept acquisition, and exposure to a simple strategy actually…

This study describes strategies fifth- and sixth-grade children used to solve the problem of determining how to control a "vehicle" they "drove" by pressing particular keys on a computer. The problem involves identifying or discovering a set of cause-effect relationships. (Author/JN)

Describes an instruction approach for teaching external clues that context clue instruction occurs over many years at all grade levels and asserts that this can used for learning vocabulary. Defines external context clues as syntactic and semantic elements within and among sentences. (SRT)

A prototype cognitive neuroscience/learning style preservice teacher education program was designed and experimentally implemented at The Ohio State University. The program is described and results of two followup studies are summarized. (MT)

The linearly ordered content domain (LOCD) concept is discussed. A logistic analysis of the occurrence of first introduction of spelling words into the curriculum is presented, the results, along with word length, number of neutralized vowels, and an index of word familiarity are used to predict word location on the spelling LOCD. (Author/DWH)

This study explored whether 142 teachers from different academic disciplines possessed different theories of knowledge and different attitudes toward education, and whether those attitudes affected classroom practice. Findings indicated that, on three of four scales used in the study, teachers differed as a function of academic discipline.…

Considers recent academic work on critical thinking, including studies of developmental stages and appropriate curricular responses. Classifies current curriculum proposals into four groups, suggesting ways of combining approaches and offering suggestions for classroom implementation. Considers the benefits of developing higher-order thinking…

Reports two studies of kindergartners', second-graders' and fifth-graders' recall of objects from self-generated scenes. Finds that increasing organization of background improves recall and that instructing subjects to create a story improves both recall and rated organization of generated scenes. Suggests that greater association between items,…

In two experiments, college student pairs who were given a systematic strategy for learning cooperatively from a text were compared with pairs who created their own strategies and with individuals who used the systematic or their own strategy. The cooperative learning strategy facilitated both initial learning and transfer. (Author/GDC)

The effects of retelling (free recall) upon comprehension and recall of text information for fourth-grade students were investigated. After training sessions, students silently read a test passage and either retold or illustrated the important parts of the passage. Significant differences were found on all measures of reading comprehension in…

An ambiguity in Gagne and Briggs' model of instructional design was investigated using treatments which contrasted verbal expository and guided discovery forms of presentation. Analysis found the guided discovery method as effective as the expository method on all measures. Implications are discussed. (Author/MT)

Teaching name mnemonics on the first day of class in psychology courses can demonstrate the power of cognition via a firsthand experience. Students create mnemonics for each other in small groups. Students then describe their name mnemonics to the class. (RM)

Textbook authors, presenting aggregate demand-aggregate supply (AD-AS), are admonished to set their houses in order. The traditional Keynesian cross model should continue to be used as a pedagogical device. A version superior to the AD-AS models found in many texts is presented. (Author/RM)

Points out difficulties experienced by developmental students in dealing with abstractions in language and mathematics. Shows how students can be taught mathematical concepts by using concrete examples and their own colloquial language to better grasp abstractions. (DMM)

Research is reviewed on language growth between 10-14 years in children with language-learning disabilities. Delays are discussed in semantic development, concept formation, syntactic development, memory, and pragmatics. A strategies-based intervention focus is described along with the need for counseling and for developing adaptive coping and…