Critical thinking has been identified as essential to development of the professional nursing role. A process, "cognitive reengineering," has been created to facilitate critical thinking skill development in RNs. The process is derived from adult learning principles, techniques of consciousness-raising, and transformational theory. Its basic…

The goal of the Toledo, Ohio, Support Teacher Programs has been to improve the learning of math and science concepts at the junior high school level. This goal involves some basic changes in the way teachers interact with each other and with their students. The greatest changes have been in the movement away from the…

Based upon Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning, this study focused on the use of concept maps (diagrams that portray relationships among concepts in a given area of study) to help students identify logical relationships between a new concept and concepts already known. Relationships of a learner's prior knowledge and cognitive development to…

Collaborative problem-solving skills are considered necessary skills for success in today's world of work and school. Cooperative learning refers to learning environments in which small groups of people work together to achieve a common goal, and problem solving is defined as "cognitive processing directed at achieving a common goal when no…

School-based outdoor and experiential programs face an increasing demand from outside interests for research-based accountability. This paper suggests that both research and practice are strengthened by researcher-practitioner partnerships and by practitioners conducting their own research. Three modest qualitative research designs are explored as…

This book describes a conceptual framework, the "Instructional Map"--a metaphor for envisioning the interconnectedness of teacher and student, teaching and learning, and content and process--that can help teachers plan, sort their way through course material and instructional options, interact with students, and reflect upon progress made and what…

This study used concept maps to investigate changes in beliefs regarding teacher effectiveness as students progressed through student teaching. Participants created maps at the beginning and end of their practicum, which enabled them to examine their beliefs and were helpful to their supervisor. Postmap, but not premap, characteristics moderately…

This article offers a computerized concept-mapping program that can be used to display information gathered about a student with behavior problems as part of the functional behavior assessment process required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. Application in one Florida school district is described. (Contains…

Discusses rules for Web page design: consider audiences' Internet skills and equipment; know your content; outline the material; map or sketch the site; be consistent; regulate size of graphics to control download time; place eye catching material in the first 300 pixels; moderate use of color to control file size and bandwidth; include a…

This study proposes a hierarchical hyper concept map (HHCM) course system which consists of a navigation map, concept maps, and hypermedia documents. Results of testing the HHCM as a course representation showed achievement was greater for students learning from the course represented by HHCM compared with those learning from a linearly…

Investigated was the effect of concept mapping on science achievement. It was concluded that mapping concepts prior to, during, and subsequent to instruction led to greater achievement. (CW)

Contrasts receptive learning (rote learning) with meaningful learning. Explains that people construct knowledge based on what they already know. Concept maps are used to organize and represent knowledge and help the learner construct new meanings in a subject. Gives examples of concept maps created by scientists. (18 references) (PR)

Describes the practice of concept mapping, the student-student and student-teacher interactions, and cognitive activity occurring in participants. Authors conclude that concept mapping is an excellent activity that allows students to engage in extended science discourse. The maps provide students with a means to learn the language patterns of…

A study compared university chemistry students' (n=19) performances in creativity exercises, concept mapping, and traditional examinations. Performance in all three correlated with deep study strategy, but low correlations between the three methods suggests that they test different aspects of chemistry knowledge. Use and integration of all three…

McGill University (Canada) faculty participating in discussion groups about teaching analyzed such issues as structure of subject matter, the learning task, linking teaching methods and learning expectations, and evaluation of learning. Some collaborated on classroom research. Findings indicated that varied exposure to concept mapping resulted in…