The nine chapters of this theme issue show how, in diverse cultural settings, cooperative learning methods enhance learning and reduce frictions among learners. A second goal of these papers is to indicate how cooperative learning fits or doesn't fit in several societies. (SLD)

This bulletin provides an overview of the ways in which school districts and schools are making learning a priority in schools despite scarce resources. it describes how districts and schools make use of resources, instructional strategies, and policies to overcome the barriers caused by tight budgets. Examples from Oregon schools are provided.…

Current thinking of researchers from different disciplines about interaction among students in educational settings and the potential of peer interaction for learning and cognitive development is discussed. Topics of the eight papers presented include: potential outcomes of peer interaction, its nature, peer learning settings, and factors shaping…

Eight papers are presented that illustrate the important impact of social factors in learning and the development of thinking. Some contributions focus on the modalities of teaching and learning and others are concerned with possible new ways of showing how learning is regarded by different social groups. (SLD)

This research article and literature review is intended to arouse teachers' interest in the possibility of using drama as a supplementary instructional tool for enhancing their teaching as well as their students' learning. It maintains that educational drama can make students more engaged in their learning, render learning more purposeful for…

In 1995, the Council for Basic Education initiated the Standards for Excellence in Education (SEE) project, a multiyear effort to provide parents, educators, and the general public with better means to use standards to improve public education. This issue of "Perspective" tries to provide a coherent way to think about issues and…

The concept of metacognition is discussed, with a review of attempts at definition. A. Brown's (1987) four historical roots of metacognition--verbal reports as data, executive control, self-regulation, and other-regulation--are summarized. Influence from the developmental theory of L. S. Vygotsky (1978) may result in a clearer conceptualization of…

The five articles of this sourcebook, organized around the five-component framework for evaluation described by W. Shadish, T. Cook, and L. Leviton (1991), present a new theory of realist evaluation that captures the sensemaking contributions of postpositivism and the sensitivity to values from the constructivist traditions. (SLD)

Honoring the contributions of Dr. Rand's educational research, this issue presents an editorial and 11 articles on learning and motivation. Articles deal with theories of learning and motivation as well as instructional practices in motivation, student characteristics and involvement, and educational technology. (SLD)

These four 1988 issues of the journal of the Society for Accelerated Learning and Teaching (SALT) include the following articles: "Educating the Children of Changing Cultures"; "All Stars to Center Stage: Accelerative Learning in the School of Business"; "SALT in the First Grade Classroom"; "Unlearning…

Anticipating a 50 percent turnover of principals in the next few years, school districts and university training programs are exploring mentoring as one way to help aspiring and beginning principals learn complex administrative tasks and ease into their roles. This monograph highlights some formal administrator mentorship programs in Oregon.…

The eight chapters of this theme issue evaluate a large-scale intervention, the New York City Public Schools Integrated Learning Systems Project. The overall evaluation contains ethnographic studies of project schools, statistical investigations of outcomes in terms of student achievement and attitude, comparisons of system costs to other systems,…

A videotape of one student, "Eric," age three years, engaged in dialogue with his teacher about a picture he has drawn, clearly demonstrates the rich language learning opportunities that language encounters on the topic of a student's art work provide for both the child and the teacher. In this encounter, Eric is able to convey affective…

The seven chapters of this theme issue on second-language instruction illustrate the pedagogical shift from measuring language achievement to emphasizing language proficiency. The issue explores empirical and theoretical investigations into second-language acquisition research in both affective and cognitive domains. (SLD)

Seven chapters consider what learning is and what counts as learning in the context of formal schooling. How qualitative research assists in this examination is explored. Qualitative research is an indispensable tool in the repertoire of research approaches that will illuminate learning discourse. (SLD)