Assesses the effectiveness of methods used by instructors in Collin County Community College's psychology department to increase student involvement in learning: a laboratory component, extensive writing to learn, classroom research, and business/industry apprenticeships. Concludes that active participation promotes synthesis and integration of…

Contrasts ways phonics is frequently taught with examples of ways phonics would be taught according to research. Responses to major criticisms of a phonics approach are presented. Research indicates the best reading instruction involves systematically teaching children the most common sound for a select group of letters and letter combinations.…

This review of the University of Maryland's research program in written language indicates that the writing difficulties of students with learning disabilities stem, in part, from problems with basic text production skills, scant knowledge about writing, and difficulties with planning and revising text. The effectiveness of various instructional…

Discusses issues and problems concerning concept development among students in elementary social studies programs. Suggests good teaching uses analogies and metaphors to facilitate learning. Recommends illustrating key concepts through myths, fables, and parables. Argues that using stories that show how things work allows students to apply the…

Reviews 5 models of learning or cognitive styles and the concept of brain hemispheric functions. Discusses the right hemisphere dominant learning style of many Native American children. Presents points to consider when modifying curricula or designing a reading program aimed at all learners. Contains 19 references. (SV)

Reported is a naturalistic study of the role of mathematical paradoxes in the preservice education of high school mathematics teachers. Findings indicate that the model of resolving paradoxes as applied in this study has relevance to such aspects of mathematics education as cognitive conflicts, motivation, misconceptions, and constructive…

Described is a two-week summer residential program designed for students who have been identified through one of several middle school talent searches. Discussed are the assumptions and goals, course content and pedagogy, evaluation, and materials of the program. (CW)

Addresses one aspect of individual differences and how socially learned cues may radically influence the verbal learning tasks performed by university students taking a foreign language. The nonuniversity studies reviewed provide the backdrop for a more in-depth study on four memorization modes and how these strategies are largely dependent on…

Argues that students' accounts of their efforts to learn English, together with language and literacy acquisition theory, suggest ways that English-as-a-Second-Language teachers and college faculty can promote language development. (18 references) (GLR)

The Subsistence Science and Video Project allows Alaska Native high school and college students to carry out field studies in basic and ocean science on St. Lawrence Island and to document their learning on videotape. The goal is a culturally relevant science program that links Western science with traditional subsistence activities. (LP)

Describes an informal discussion between a museum docent and a group of students visiting the museum. Compares the instructional strategies used in museum education and the regular school classroom. Concludes that students would gladly take responsibility for their own learning if textbooks and curriculum guides did not constrain them. (CFR)

Discusses some scaffolds or prompts for helping students to ask themselves better questions about science topics. Presents some teacher questions that test and develop some core thinking skills. (PR)

Discusses four elements of cooperative learning in science classrooms: cooperative task structures; cooperative incentive structures; individual accountability; and heterogeneous grouping. Presents and describes seven cooperative learning methods. (MDH)

Asserts that the use of computer networks provides an important and effective resource for geography instruction. Describes the use of the Internet network in physical geography instruction. Provides an example of the use of Internet resources in a climatology/meteorology course. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 129 secondary students' cognitive style as related to instructional effectiveness. Finds that graphic and pictorial information improves fact retention. Recommends that teachers and teacher trainers should be aware of students' learning styles and attempt to meet their needs. (CFR)