Explores the significance of concept mapping for education and curriculum development. Discusses two main streams in curriculum paradigms and important processes, and the functions which concept mapping can have in education and curriculum development. Examines why students in educational institutions don't yet make systematic use of concept maps,…

Details a project in which students explore and study the poisons in their environment by asking and finding answers to their own research questions. Includes some suggestions for involving students successfully in inquiry-based learning. (DDR)

Provides construction and operation details for a tornado machine. Includes suggestions for investigations and information about tornado warnings. (DDR)

Outlines an activity centered around the soap-making process in which soap is made via demonstration. Students are asked to develop an acid-base classification table and discuss various acid-base indicators. (DDR)

Explains an integrated insect unit in which students learn about the characteristics, life cycle, and environment of an organism; learn about specific body structures; and make inferences about the body structure and behaviors of the insects. (DDR)

Student profiles generated from knowledge, interest, and strategy measures were studied and changes in profiles across a semester were studied for 329 college students. There were three distinct groups of students at pretest and four at posttest. The Learning-Oriented cluster remained fairly constant from pretest to posttest. (SLD)

Explores how some contemporary language usage presents challenges for technical editing and how awareness of language theory can help students expand their context for (and critically assess) current editing textbook advice on language choice. Discusses what editors and teachers of editing can do to help produce technical documents that address…

Examines the relationship between children's use of metaphors and their mental models concerning the ozone layer and ozone layer depletion. Results indicate that the way children represent the role and depletion of ozone is strongly correlated with the types of metaphors they use while constructing and/or articulating their models. Also discusses…

Student-affairs graduate students (N=70) adopted a "voice," other than their own, for a semester. Journal entries reveal steps the students took in learning to see through the eyes of individuals different from themselves. Factors contributing to powerful transformational outcomes for diversity encounters are indicated. (EMK)

Discusses the articulation between teaching and learning, how to differentiate them, and how to establish relations between them as it pertains to aspects of knowledge. Aims to develop teaching situations more relevant to learning. Teaching is associated with knowledge to be taught, knowledge sequencing, and teaching situations. Learning is…

Argues that more attention should be given to teaching students how to learn the rudiments of specific metabolic pathways. This approach describes a unique way of learning the glycolytic pathway in stepwise fashion. The pedagogy involves clear rote components that are connected to a set of generalizations that develop and enhance important…

When tested, 23 male postsecondary students displayed unsophisticated conceptions of learning and poor learning outcomes on a problem task. No differences were found between students with work experience and those coming from secondary education. Their limited knowledge base compared to experts suggests that training initiatives may not work. (SK)

Attributional beliefs of African-American 11- and 17-year-old students with mental retardation were assessed. Results indicated that strategy ratings were intercorrelated, as were capacity ratings, yet the two constructs were differentiated by both age groups. Belief in the importance of internal strategies was positively related to recall and…

Discussion of self-direction in adult education, andragogy, and open learning focuses on a study that examined ways in which new students adjusted to part-time study in Hong Kong. Highlights include results of interviews with students; personal autonomy; time management; developing study skills; and assistance towards self-direction. (Author/LRW)

Discusses technology-based learner interfaces for K-12 school implementation based on an online discussion on the International Forum of Educational Technology and Society listserv. Topics include the role of teachers, learners, and technology; development costs; instructional strategies; teacher training; and the quality of teaching. (LRW)