The Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) program uses microcomputers to help high risk students master basic thinking processes, grasp course content, and apply learned information in various problem-solving situations. Specifically, HOTS aids students with metacognition, inference from context, and generalization skills. It also improves…

This literature-based review examines the relationship between the acquisition of segmental awareness and the acquisition of alphabetic literacy. Cited studies show that the segmental analysis ability of most dyslexics is very poor and suggest one factor may be related to the conscious representation of speech on which the analytic capacity…

Examines questions related to whether children with severe learning disabilities go through the same developmental stages as children without such problems, or whether they develop along different lines. Explores the "delay" versus "deviance" issue in relation to linguistic development in children with Down's syndrome. Looks…

Examines evidence on error rate in classroom tasks. Claims the usual interpretation of a negative relationship between error rate (especially in oral reading errors) and reading achievement as meaning that low error rates lead to reading growth may be mistaken. Suggests oral errors cause tension, which increases attention and instigates deeper…

Describes an activity using a large balloon to help children understand that, even though the horizon appears to be flat, the Earth is, indeed, round. Uses a toy ship to reinforce evidence from the first part of the activity. Stresses the importance of confronting naive theories at an early age. (CW)

Conducted a field study using the Osipow and Spokane (1983) scales to test the relationship of coping resources as moderators to stress-strain relationships. Found role overload to be the most significant source of strain but that coping resources contributed to moderating this and other stress-strain relationships. (Author/KS)

In this interview, author Art Costa asserts that the teaching of either content or thinking skills in isolation is unproductive. To combine these approaches, he recommends selecting content for its relationship to thought processes. He also observes that administrators who model intelligent behavior thereby create a climate for thinking. (TE)

Recent research has shown that effective second-language reading involves an interaction of the reader with the text. This interactive view has relevance for other areas of second-language processing, including listening comprehension, writing, and English for special purposes. Future research is needed in metacognition, relationships among…

Observation of native Hebrew speakers who read Hebrew and English texts suggested that there is a powerful affective factor which completely blocks the reading in English of some students and severely limits the comprehension of a considerable number of others when they meet difficulties in the foreign language texts. (Author/CB)

Discusses analogical change in word structure where meaning seems to have had a role in determining the direction of the change. Many examples are given of pairs of British place names and other English words of various origins. A few examples are included from other languages. (Author/LMO)

Describes four classroom activities that deal with a variety of scientific concepts. Discusses lessons on the cycles of matter in ecosystems, the calculation of the height of tall objects, bleaching techniques for bones, and the effects of force on sound when closing doors. (TW)

Early education of language-minority students has considered linguistic, cognitive, and social attributes of children and schooling contexts. Although far from comprehensive, language-minority education has a broader theoretical and empirical foundation for which present educational practice can be judged and future research can be designed.…

Indicates that textbook explication alone of causes of events is insufficient for acquisition and use of hierarchically organized knowledge; students must be taught how to construct text-based information into hierarchically structured form and use it for making predictions. (FL)

The relationship between the source language (Spanish) and the target language (French) in the construction of lexis during target language acquisition was examined in two case studies, leading to the hypothesis that there are both systematic and nonsystematic approaches to the construction of lexis used by Hispanophones learning French.…

Effective intervention strategies for learning disabled students should recognize such cognitive deficiencies as weaknesses in attention, memory deficits, and problems in generalizing and abstracting information. Approaches which emphasize enhanced learning processes include: self-monitoring; repetition and deliberate instruction in control…