Presents the opinion that the learning environment of recitation classes can be vastly improved if instructors pay attention to some basic learning principles. Summarizes these learning principles and presents a specific example of their application. (GS)

Discusses how the constructivist approach to learning can aid in helping students to experience more meaningful learning. Discusses cooperative group learning and the concept of constructivism; constructivist teaching formats; and whether the constructivist approach works. (ZWH)

Summarizes research on inquiry and investigative strategies for teaching laboratory science. Concludes that meaningful laboratory instruction is distinguished by: student engagement in science inquiry processes, student manipulation of experimental materials, and the experiential teaching of specific scientific concepts. (RT)

Presents: (1) a list of ideas for teaching problem-solving; (2) a review of a problem-solving book used in medical education; and (3) a discussion of an approach called problem-based learning. (DH)

Describes the interactions and applications of three models of learning: Bloom's taxonomy, the Jungian or Myers-Brigg's Typology, and William Perry's model of attitude toward learning. (PR)

Considers research concentrating on the correlation between knowledge structure and learning. Suggests implications of this research to classroom teaching. Cites characteristics of unsuccessful and successful problem solvers. (RT)

Reports on the assessment of student thinking in the area of commitment to the laws of conservation of matter and energy during a study of conceptual change among introductory chemistry students. States four conditions upon which strategies for conceptual change are based. (RT)

Reviews a monograph which addresses children's higher-order thinking skills. Suggests the following for teaching problem solving: identify and develop content-independent and content-dependent problem-solving skills, connect developed skills through workshop-style activities to subject discipline, and help students identify and reconstruct their…

Discusses dimensions of a learning style model and proposes instructional methods that should reach students who span the spectrum of learning styles. (PR)

Describes an experiment to characterize the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. Includes Purpose, Reagents and Equipment, Procedure, Extraction, Treatment of Data, and Discussion. (MA)

Describes the use of student-made photomicrographs as a source of student motivation and as a means for review of laboratory exercises in an introductory microbiology course. Includes an evaluation of this teaching method. (Author/MA)

Describes Noel Entwhistle's book "Styles of Learning and Teaching," detailing how it can be used to help students learn and store knowledge. Also describes a course on the theory and practice of cognitive processes taught at Carnegie Mellon University. (DH)

Describes the nature and use of a "strategy", an organized approach that breaks down the overall mental task of problem-solving into stages, providing details of the McMaster Six-Step Strategy. Also provides instructions for working through a Whimby pair series of problems and the Schoenfeld management approach. (JN)

Provides tips for planning a field trip. Includes the following sections: (1) Defining the field trip; (2) Role of the instructor; (3) Preparing students for the field trip; (4) Allocating time; (5) Transportation; (6) Keeping students involved; (7) Division of labor; (8) Equipment; (9) Behavioral rules; (10) Medical emergencies; and (11) Special…

Describes how college science laboratory activities can be developed by student teams in which original questions are formulated as testable hypotheses and refined into experimental designs on the basis of personal observations. Distinguishes this "minds-on" approach from traditional college science laboratories with respect to students'…