This article considers innovative research in neuroscience and psychology showing that we need to transform environmental storytelling, moving away from stories focused on awareness raising, to ones which develop people's capacity for action. We investigate how this knowledge might be applied in an environmental education context, developing a…

Bulletin boards can be "vertical activity centers" when students create them as learning activities. Suggestions are offered for developing stimulating and creative boards that are also educational. (DF)

A study of 97 spelling competition finalists in grades 4-8 and their parents found that the students used dictionaries, science-related texts, and word lists to prepare. The students were intrinsically motivated and had a repertoire of spelling strategies which they used singly or in concert to maximize likely spellings of words. (JDD)

This document defines learning as a process of knowledge and skills acquisition, application, reinforcement, and refinement that cannot be rushed. Each student brings to assigned tasks a personal perspective compiled of native abilities, acquired skills, personal interests, prior experiences, the home environment, exposure to diverse learning…

This study was designed to: (1) determine whether there was higher achievement by students assigned homework or by those not assigned homework; (2) determine whether there was higher achievment by students assigned preparation homework or those assigned practice homework; and (3) determine whether there was higher achievement by females or by…

Teachers can increase the written production of learning disabled students by using mnemonic strategies when planning and teaching written expression skills. The STARS (Structure Talking Assistance Reinforcement Self-Management) procedure is designed to provide the motivational remediation that encourages students with limited writing skills to…

The article reviews theories of learning (e.g., stimulus-response, trial and error, operant conditioning, cognitive), considers the role of motivation, and summarizes nine research-supported rules of effective learning. Suggestions are applied to teaching learning strategies to learning-disabled students. (DB)

Some teachers believe that children will not learn unless they are entertained. However, in "Talented Teenagers: The Roots of Success and Failure," Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reports that teens are most interested in school when the classes are demanding and they can stretch their brain power. Only entertaining students will prepare them…

Many would agree that learning on the Web--a highly autonomous learning environment--may be difficult for individuals who lack motivation and self-regulated learning skills. Using a social cognitive view of academic motivation and self-regulation, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relations between students' motivational…

Television science programs cover a wide range of science topics, offer a variety of teaching methods, and motivate students. These programs tend to match educational trends, with new programs blending technological advances with speculation to interest students. (DF)

Three developments lend support to the idea that schools must help teach study skills: (1) advances in cognitive psychology that suggest children are active learners; (2) society's concern for at-risk students; and (3) growing demands for improved student performance. There is evidence that systematic study skills instruction does improve academic…

Explores strategies used by fifth-grade teachers who exemplified three different classroom orientations (learning-oriented, work-oriented, or work-avoidance) toward student motivation and learning. Raises questions for future research and highlights strategies that support motivation to learn. (NH)

An elementary school teacher developed renewed interest in both teaching and learning after enrolling in an American Heart Association workshop. This article discusses how a science unit on the heart was taught in a creative and interesting way to fourth-grade students. (DF)

Strategies to optimize spelling instruction for students with learning disabilities are presented. Teacher-directed techniques involve a test-teach-test sequence, reduced word lists, reinforcement, imitation plus modeling, analogy strategy, and constant time delay. Eight study techniques to help students improve their spelling skills are also…

Keeping a journal of classroom experiences can help students express their understandings of the concepts they learn in school and how the lessons relate to their own lives. An eight-item reference list is provided. (Author)