This book describes a comprehensive strategy for getting to know students learning behaviors and includes everything from theoretical constructs to projects for classroom use. Glosses direct the reader to further information on subjects discussed in the book: cognitive science, brain science, learning styles, multiple intelligences, and…

A study examined teaching methods for vocabulary at the first grade level. The study compared teaching vocabulary in context and teaching vocabulary in isolation. Subjects were 32 culturally diverse first-grade students from varying socio-economic backgrounds. The sample consisted of 14 boys and 18 girls, heterogeneously grouped. Two teacher-made…

Models and modeling are frequently used as instructional tools in science education to convey important information concerning both the explanatory and structural features of topic areas in science. The efficacy of models as such rests almost entirely upon students' ability to conceptualize them as abstracted "representations" of…

This paper describes an instructional method designed to increase opportunities for students to learn and practice appropriate social skills. The strategies for development and implementation of such structured programs of nature-based and animal-based activities are based in part on a pilot program in three urban elementary and middle schools.…

This book published in 1987 provides open-ended activities to extend the imagination and creativity of students and encourage them to examine their feelings and values. Williams' model of cognitive-intellective and affective-feeling domains are addressed. Nearly 60 pages of exercises focus on the historical, the scientific, the mysterious, the…

A mental model is a knowledge structure composed of concepts and the relations between them. Mental models are distinct from declarative and procedural knowledge--they go beyond semantic relationships and skills acquisition and contain varied intellectual skills and knowledge. This study describes an initial investigation into the construct…

Current theories of metacognition suggest that effective control of learning by either metacognitive or self-regulatory processes cannot occur without accurate monitoring of learning. Given this theoretical framework, there are questions of whether knowledge monitoring and self-regulated learning abilities are domain-specific or whether…

This book is intended to give readers an observational scheme for understanding the process of organizational knowledge development at the individual and social levels. Chapter 1 examines devising a concept of organizational knowledge. In chapter 2, the place of epistemology within philosophy is discussed along with organizational, cognitivist,…

A technique called the "do now" illustrates how it is not the method, but the purpose, that creates effective teaching techniques. Beginning the first activity of a freshman composition class with moments of silent reflection, or "do now," includes brief instructions to students to respond to whatever word or phrase the…

Students who were academically dismissed at the end of the spring 1994 semester (at the University of Maryland, College Park) received an invitation to participate in a summer program designed to teach some of the skills necessary for academic success. Fourteen sessions were offered over a four-week period during the first summer school session.…

A study examined whether listening to any music or to a particular type of music would have an effect on the spelling scores of first-grade students. Subjects were 19 first graders from the Edison, New Jersey, public school district. The study hypothesis was that no significant difference would exist between scores on spelling tests of students…

A study examined the effects of active learning strategies; namely, visualization, questioning, and prediction, upon the reading comprehension performance of learning disabled students. Subjects were 6 12th grade resource room students. Prior to strategy instruction, students read and were tested on 3 reading selections from the literature-based…

With nationwide acceptance of writing across the curriculum, educators are now realizing the next wave in curriculum reform: speaking and listening across the curriculum. There is a movement to introduce speech across the curriculum of secondary schools and higher education. To learn any subject or interest area, students will utilize the skills…

The public speaking course has been around for a long time but, while there have been changes, the heart of the course remains intact. The many skills and sensitivities instructors try to cultivate in their students come together in three fundamental metaphors that may reflect deep tendencies in what is taught. In the first metaphor, student as…

Type T personality is a personality dimension which characterizes individuals along a continuum ranging from those who are stimulated by risk-taking, stimulation-seeking and thrill-seeking (Big T) to those who are risk, stimulation, and thrill-avoiding (Little t). This study was designed to assess the relationship between Type T personality and…