Describes a study in which students were required to write for five minutes after class on topics that interested them during the lecture. Reports a significant effect on achievement in a vertebrate biology class. Notes that no difference in attitude was found. (MVL)

Suggests the use of cooperative learning in social studies as a way of giving meaning to current international events. Lists six benefits researchers attribute to cooperative learning. Outlines a cooperative learning activity designed to introduce students to the media and its impact on their perception of the world. (KO)

Argues that despite positive student interaction associated with cooperative learning, group work in heterogeneously mixed classrooms can create a condition of unequal contribution based on status. Suggests that cooperative learning is more effective if unequal status interaction is treated. Gives examples of assignments which will lead to this…

Describes a four week simulation of the U.S. Constitutional Convention in which ninth grade students use problem-solving and decision-making skills to debate the issues of the convention. Students are assigned identities and interest areas to stimulate the writing of a class constitution which is then compared with the U.S. Constitution. (LS)

Using student interviews, teacher ratings, and achievement test outcomes, a strategy model of student self-regulated learning was validated as a theoretical construct. Results with 44 male and 36 female 10th graders indicate both convergent and discriminative validity for a self-regulated learning construct. (TJH)

Teachers' actions are thought to produce certain types of student thinking. To devise effective inservice programs, educators must understand four learning principles and five thinking dimensions enabling students to develop positive learning attitudes and acquire, integrate, and extend their knowledge. A new "curriculum" of preservice…

Discusses a study about the effect of learning styles of patent examiners on adoption of computers. Subjects' amount of computer use was a function of learning style, age, comfort after training, and gender. Findings indicate that women showed a greater propensity to adopt than men. Discusses implications for further research. (JS)

Reports on a study of the learning styles of two adult classroom learners of German as a second language. The extent to which, and in what ways, learners' learning style varies, whether one learning style results in more effective learning, and the effect of instructional style on the subjects' learning outcomes are explored. (29 references)…

Discussed is a method to teach undergraduate students how to complete a conceptual design. Presents three tools to use: (1) how to use order-of-magnitude arguments to simplify problems, (2) how to derive design heuristics, and (3) how to decompose large problems into a set of small, simple problems. (Author/MVL)

Reports on the assessment of student thinking in the area of commitment to the laws of conservation of matter and energy during a study of conceptual change among introductory chemistry students. States four conditions upon which strategies for conceptual change are based. (RT)

Presents edited transcript of a conference that examined how computer technology can be effective in helping at-risk students. Highlights include defining at-risk students; examples of how technologies are being used as intervention tools; adult education programs; software; how the industry can help educators; and policy recommendations. (LRW)

Examines the interaction between mode of computer assisted instruction and cognitive style on the understanding of concept relationships and mastery of factual information. Finds learners are more effective when matched to the appropriate mode of computer assisted instruction. (MVL)

The informal curriculum centering on holidays in elementary education often ignores cultural and individual differences among students. School holiday celebrations may have serious consequences for the following dimensions of schooling: (1) aesthetic; (2) curricular; and (3) socio-emotional. Teachers can provide options for all students by making…

The effectiveness of methods teaching how to identify the main idea of expository paragraphs was tested using 47 remedial reading 6th through 11th graders. Tested were: strategy training; classification training; combined training; and practice only. Strategy training improved performance, while classification training only improved performance…

Discussion of research that evaluates the effectiveness of interactive video used for training in the United States and in the United Kingdom highlights a program developed for the Ford Motor Company. Topics discussed include content-treatment interaction; learning strategies; intermode differences; research criteria; pretest and posttest results;…