Asserts the function of narrative as a method of thinking is important in the lives of children as well as adults. Maintains that, by examining a story or narrative in children's art, it is possible to account for its importance in their lives. Describes three aspects of narrative: (1) invention; (2) description; and (3) negotiation. (CFR)

This article presents 14 major teaching strategies for implementing the Jan van Dijk curricular approach with children who are deaf-blind. The theory underlying the approach is reported, and guidelines for implementing instructional strategies in the areas of communication, socialization, conceptualization, and movement are discussed. (Author/DB)

Reviews attachment theory's conceptual foundations and key empirical findings while tracing important conceptual and methodological advances. Results of contemporary theory-guided studies of adult affect regulation, social competence, and intergenerational continuity are selectively reviewed. Considers implications of these findings for advancing…

In an attempt to bridge the perceived distinction between internalized conceptions of mathematics and their external representations, this discussion treats mathematics both as an individual, constructive activity and as a communal, social practice. It is argued that this approach might transcend the tripartite scheme of teacher, student, and…

Presents an activity that uses M & M's candy to initiate discussion about the mathematical concepts of empty set, zero, more than, less than, most least, and equivalent sets. Suggests extensions that could follow this activity. (MDH)

The Interactive Teaching Project was designed to test an instructional model to help students with learning disabilities comprehend content area concepts. This paper describes the theoretical model and the effective interactive teaching and learning strategies used, including semantic feature analysis, semantic mapping, and semantic/syntactic…

Presents the hierarchical structure of quadrilaterals as an illustration of learning a geometric concept by moving from the levels of visualization and analysis to the level of formal deduction. The development discusses the classification of quadrilaterals, the inheritance of properties within the hierarchy, connections between algebra and…

The development of conceptual knowledge about the earth among 60 elementary school students in grades 1, 3, and 5 was studied through questions about its shape. In the process of knowledge acquisition, children appear to modify their initial models to make them more consistent with the culturally accepted model. (SLD)

Twenty-four children (ages 6-9) with mild mental retardation received individualized instruction with either emphasis on Piagetian concepts or emphasis on verbal and number concepts. Although both groups made significant gains over a year, the children receiving the Piagetian emphasis usually gained more and progressed at almost the rate of…

Using case studies that are functionalist in orientation and computational in technique, the role of control knowledge in developing constructive thinking is illustrated. Further, the integration of related knowledge structures, emanating from diverse sensory modes and pertaining to both place value in addition and angle relationships in geometry,…

Describes the use of concept mapping (CM) in design, instruction, and assessment related to microbiology lessons prepared for high school students in Israel. Indicates that students utilizing CM displayed an overall, higher achievement gain than students in traditional classes. Recognizes that some teachers did not thoroughly exploit the potential…

Fifty-three elementary school children were tested on Incidental Science Knowledge, i.e., knowledge acquired by chance outside school, and the results obtained were correlated with intellectual development and cognitive style as measured by interviews and group testing, respectively. Indicates that cognitive style and misconception play a…

This study focuses on secondary students' (n=79) understanding of ecological concepts and the influence of field instruction strategies on their understanding and retention. Results indicate all groups exhibited statistically significant posttest gains and showed evidence of retaining the targeted concepts. (Author/MCO)

The effects of teaching with analogies on students' conceptual understanding and explanations of educational computing were examined with three groups of preservice teachers in a computer literacy course. Students who were taught using complete analogies were found to have a better grasp of computing concepts than those taught using undeveloped…

Three students (ages 17, 19, and 21) with moderate disabilities were taught to read and match-to-sample sight words comprising 4 4-member stimulus sets. Student performance indicated that symmetric relations emerged before one-node transitive relations and that one-node transitive relations emerged before two-node transitive relations. Results…