This learning module helps the teacher to master teaching skills that stimulate children to explore materials and to order their explorations in ways that lead to classification and that generate the child's own structuring of his discoveries and experiences. Teaching behaviors focused upon are congruent with Piagetian concepts about a child's…

The author discusses the meaning of communication and how changes in methods of communication are creating new classroom tools and educational techniques. The inquiry hypothesis is reviewed in terms of its four component elements which suggest relationships between learning and how people communicate. (1) Curiosity is the force that impels the…

This is number 11 in a series of resource manuals consisting of 11 sequenced curriculum guides developed by the Demonstration and Research Center for Early Education (DARCEE) for use in early childhood education programs. Emphasis is placed on the development of sensory, abstracting and mediating, and response skills. The projected order of the…

Suggests the need for detailed study of (1) behavior-environment interactions and (2) interdependencies within behavioral repertoires. Examines systems theory as a paradigm for both interpreting dynamic interrelationships and examining the complexities of learning and adaption. Argues for noninterventive studies of individual children's…

A rationale and procedures are presented for occupational therapy evaluation of the preschooler whose problems suggest dyspraxia. Two evaluative domains are examined: sensory processing (assessment of tactile, proprioceptive, vestibular, auditory and visual functions) and praxis (ideation, motor planning and execution). Procedures include…

Compares inferences about story characters' behavior, perceptions, and goals made by eighth graders, eleventh graders, college freshmen, and college seniors. Concludes that from early adolescence to young adulthood, readers shift from conceptions of characters in terms of immediate surface feelings and behaviors to conceptions in terms of…

Outlines the constructivist model of knowledge and describes how this model relates to Piaget's theory of intellectual development. Contrasts the constructivist model with the traditional views of knowledge. Discusses how this model can help explain some of the things that happen in chemistry classrooms. (TW)

Argues that the failure of modern courses to achieve their declared goals in relation to children's understanding of science has two causes, namely teachers views about the nature of science, and a degree of confusion in the philosophical stance implicit in many science curricula. Presents a philosophical model for curricula. (CW)

Examines the effect of familiar and unfamiliar task content upon proportional reasoning abilities of ninth grade students. Uses content from chemistry and physics textbooks. Reports that student performance was higher on proportional reasoning problems involving familiar content than with unfamiliar content and that content famililarity interacted…

The first year of college represents an enormous milestone in students' lives. Whether attending a four-year or two-year institution of higher education, living on campus or at home, or enrolled in a highly selective school or a college with an open-admissions policy, students are challenged in unique and demanding ways during their first year.…

"Learning autobiography,""learning career," and "learning trajectory" are related descriptors for the process of developing attitudes toward learning and the origins of interests, learning styles, and learning processes. The learning career is composed of events, activities, and interpretations that develop individual…

Tasks have become an essential feature of second language (L2) learning in recent years. Tasks range from getting learners to repeat linguistic elements satisfactorily to having them perform in "free" production. Along this task-based continuum, task-based scenario interaction lies at the point midway between controlled and…

This paper discusses current developments in neuroscience and cognitive psychology that have significance for education and learning, and considers the effects of violent and emotion-laden media messages. Topics include: (1) the developing brain, including the roles of genetics, experience, metaphorical imagination, and culture; (2) the links…

This collection of conference papers and abstracts includes: "Integrating Two Languages, Theories of Minds, and Executive Functions" (Agnes Melinda Kovacs and Erno Teglas); "Unconventional Thinking for Speaking: The Blends of George W. Bush" (Alan Cienki); "Blends of Alternations in the Grammar of Brazilian Vernacular…

The progression of qualified surgical nurses toward capable proficiency was examined in an ethnographic study during which 25 nurses, including 4 who transferred to other wards, were observed to determine whether social mediation affects the process of proficiency development. The nurses were observed for 18 months. Data were also gathered through…