Reviews recent studies that examined blood-lead levels and childhood learning problems. Study findings involving Edinburgh school children suggest that body burdens of lead can diminish the cognitive ability and learning skills of children and that asymptomatic levels of lead can be neurotoxic. (ML)

Introduces some activities to help children develop their processing and inquiry skills with a substitute teacher as well as regular teachers. Illustrates 25 kinds of skills. (YP)

Reviews research and empirical evidence to refute three first language acquisition myths: (1) comprehension precedes production; (2) children acquire language in a systematic, rule-governed way; and (3) the impetus behind first language acquisition is communicative need. (Author/CB)

The effectiveness of using nonmedical personnel to evaluate medical students' performance on medical history-taking and physical examination was studied at Mercer University School of Medicine. Advantages in using nonphysician observers were that they were more available, economical, and attentive. (MLW)

The importance of student teaching and the impact the cooperating teacher has on the student teacher's experience leads to the formulation of guidelines for the cooperating teacher: (1) outline expectations; (2) provide for early and continued successes; and (3) communicate with the student teacher. (JL)

Visual literacy encompasses the ability to generate and make use of visual images to develop or clarify ideas, as a tool both for conveying information and for creative expression. The usefulness of visual thinking in study skills, problem solving, and living in an increasingly visual society is stressed. (Author/JDD)

A review of research on teaching social skills to severely handicapped persons discusses training procedures, domain, generalization, maintenance, cost efficiency, reliability, social interaction partners, social validation, research design, and simulation. Evaluation of nine studies affirms that severely handicapped persons can learn to interact…

The authors review the elements of traditional student teacher internship programs that undermine the students' development of teaching skills. Communication among the supervising and cooperating teachers and the student teacher must be effective. Suggestions for establishing a successful relationship are given. (JL)

Investigated the effect of two variables on remedial students' performance in freshman composition: attending a remedial grammar course, and receiving tutoring at a skills development center. Found that tutoring had a significant positive impact on students, but that the grammar course had a negative effect. (ARH)

Describes how to use RE-WORD, a method for practicing reading skills with a word processor, and outlines kinds of assignments and examples of tasks. Advantages and disadvantages of the method and student attitudes toward it are discussed. (Author/LMO)

For this study, computer technology was used to teach attentional skills to six young children. Prior reinforcement histories of individual stimuli were manipulated to examine whether they are the variable that controls the features of compound cues to which young children attend. (RWB)

During the first 12 weeks of an applied calculus course, two classes of college students studied calculus concepts using graphical and symbol-manipulation computer programs to perform routine manipulations. Three weeks were spent on skill development. Students showed better understanding of concepts and performed almost as well on routine skills.…

Describes a participatory process of English-as-a-second-language learning exemplified in instructional materials with which teachers and students work together through a three-step process (description, analysis, and action) during which opportunities occur for developing the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.…

Describes the "ALERT" procedure, whereby teachers may combine the language experience approach with the use of radio, television, newspaper, and magazine advertisements in a strategy that is useful for developing critical thinking skills, even in very young students. (ARH)

Proposes use of computer simulations to help students build reading comprehension skills, and describes an existing simulation which requires readers to interact with text to accomplish some purpose. Differences between teaching reading skills with simulations and the way they are traditionally taught, and future potential of reading simulations…