Asserts that conference teaching techniques foster critical thinking skills. Describes conference-style learning and discusses its use in the college psychology classroom. Concludes that the approach helps avoid the sense of struggle and alienation that can arise between teachers and students in the traditional classroom. (CFR)

A study of Head Start preschoolers and families suggests emergent literacy is supported by the Home Based Reading Project, but only when teachers teach parents strategies in simple language, offer a library of quality books, and provide materials highlighting reading practices and effective literacy interactions. Parents play a crucial role in…

Presents a study to investigate the prevalence of mathematics anxiety in Navajo middle school students (n=358) and to explore possible relationships between learning styles and mathematics anxiety and achievement. Multiple regression procedures indicated that spatial ability and mathematics achievement were negatively correlated to mathematics…

Describes a teaching experiment that evaluated published supplemental materials used to aid preparation of lessons at the fourth grade level involving nonroutine word problems. Lists 12 insights gained that can be useful to teachers using commercially produced problem-solving materials. (MDH)

Describes the method of having children observe videotapes of other children's mathematics activities to gain insights into the observing children's thought processes and the observed children's activities. Discusses the applications of this method as a research tool and as a probe for classroom teachers in evaluating students. (MDH)

Discusses the rationale and attributes of the whole-language approach and applies it to secondary social studies instruction. Describes assessment strategies used with the whole-language approach and maintains that evaluation of student writing helps prepare them for appraisal in the workplace. (CFR)

Reports on an ethnographic study of primary level science classes in Kenya where English is the government-mandated language of instruction. Finds that important ideas were conveyed more easily when teachers did not adhere to the policy of English-only instruction. Concludes that the importance of sociolinguistics in instructional processes should…

Describes the structure and philosophy of the National History Curriculum in England, which went into effect in September 1991. Argues that its mechanistic approach and assessment program has little to do with realities of the classroom or students' historical understanding. Presents an alternative method for assessing students' historical…

Discusses the use of practical reasoning and practical argument techniques to improve classroom instruction. Contends that teachers may not apply the results of practical reasoning to instruction because of self-deception or intuitive beliefs. Concludes that the relationship between practical reasoning and practical arguments requires more study…

Discusses the effectiveness of a peer mediation program in a Midwestern suburban elementary school. Responses to questionnaires given to students and teachers suggested that the students successfully learned the procedures and applied them in conflict situations throughout the year. Includes a thorough description of the program's procedures. (MJP)

In this article, the author critiques six articles. Five of the six articles are about motivation in language learning, an area which has seen considerable theoretical and empirical development over the last decade. The articles she reviews include: (1) Udo Jung's report on the top twelve "most prestigious FLT (foreign language teaching) journals"…

The test developed by Stroop some 70 years ago is used, among other purposes, as an indicator of attention disorder and general mood fluctuations. The present research attempted to determine whether a correlation existed between the Stroop Test, student ability as defined by a standardised IQ test, and general classroom behaviour. This study…

NonStop University is an online university community application service designed, developed, and deployed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) to serve the computer product training needs of 2,500 staff members in more than 50 countries. By identifying a set of learner characteristics that supported a set of key elements while using technology and focusing on…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 11th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2014), October 25-27, 2014, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

This article outlines the design of a new service-learning component central to a graduate course on teaching elementary and middle school writing. The service-learning involves course participants acting as mentors to middle school students as they write personal histories of local African American, Cape Verdean, and Puerto Rican senior citizens.…