Describes two experiential, academic activities for middle and high school students. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props/preparation, and instructions. The activities enable students to identify the symbolic value of community places and architecture or raise student awareness about the…

Addresses some criticisms of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) project. Offers a different description of the CASE teaching method and presents evidence from the program. Contains 20 references. (Author/WRM)

Examined ability of Quebec French-speaking first graders to categorize words on the basis of vowel categories. Found that ability to categorize vowels does not develop uniformly but is affected by degree of spectral/articulatory proximity between vowels, by syllable structure, and potentially by characteristics of the input phonology. (JPB)

Examined the impact of an 8-week intervention program designed to reduce racial/ethnic stereotyping among preschoolers varying in classification skill. Found that children in the experimental group had increased in classification skills at posttest and were less likely to sort photo cards by race/ethnicity and more likely to sort them by gender…

Examined effects of storytelling and pretend play on short- and long-term narrative recall in preschoolers. Found that: (1) storytelling and pretend play affected cognitive variables; (2) differences between storytelling and pretend play in facilitating narrative recall were significant; (3) encoding ability exceeded ability to make inferences;…

Examined how elementary school students remember what they learn and how they learn in science and social studies. Found that students used long-term working memory for sorting, interpreting, and integrating representations of classroom experiences as they acquired knowledge and skills. Recollection 12 months later replaced details with inferences…

Describes the MAOF physics education program which is designed to relate large parts of mechanics and electromagnetism to each other via the key concepts of field and potential, while at the same time treat students' conceptual difficulties. Finds that students who studied with the MAOF program significantly improved their physics knowledge…

Proposes a developmental model for early intervention focused on cognitive development. The model addresses short- and long-term effects of early intervention, the mechanisms through which early intervention operates, the relationship between those mechanisms and the organization of existing service systems, current limits of programs, and…

Findings from a prospective longitudinal study of 46 boys with fragile X syndrome (ages 24-72 months) found that, although children varied widely, overall development was significantly delayed to approximately half of the rate of typical children. At every age tested, motor and adaptive development was higher than communication and cognitive…

Examined whether superior recall of items in event-based categorical relations, or "slot fillers," remained when association and typicality were controlled. Found that only children receiving the typical + high association slot-filler list showed significantly better recall than with the taxonomic-coordinate list, with no differences…

Among junior high school students at risk of dropout, 45 with cognitive skill deficits were taught using the Cognitive-Based Instructional System (CBIS) and compared with 27 controls. Teachers using CBIS felt empowered to engineer instruction for at-risk students; CBIS's reflection in action helped change their beliefs about teaching and learning.…

Describes use of the Learning Spiral and its stages--engage, investigate, share, and assess--to create a developmentally appropriate, child-centered learning environment for science instruction. Focuses on second-grade students' investigation of owls' behavior. Considers the learning partnership between teacher and students and the individual…

Interview with artist Ilka List describes her research: collecting 1872 drawings from rural and urban second- and third-grade children to determine the impact of environmental experiences on children's art, sense of self, and cognitive and emotional abilities. Children with a broad range of outdoor, nature-oriented experiences had greater spatial…

Examined cognitive and academic test scores in follow-up of 104 of 111 original participants in Abecedarian Project. Found that project children attained higher scores on both cognitive and academic tests, with moderate to large treatment effect sizes observed through age 21. Preschool cognitive gains accounted for a substantial portion of…

Argues that an evolutionary account provides insight into developmental function and individual differences. Outlines some assumptions of evolutionary psychology related to development. Introduces the developmental systems approach, differential influence of natural selection at different points in ontogeny, and development of evolved…