This article serves two functions. First, it addresses why studying collaborative discourse and collaborative argumentation is important for promoting students' deep-level understanding of content. A literature review is presented examining the evidence for this claim, concluding that engaging in collaborative discourse and argumentation might…

This critical assessment attempts to define a good instructional design through the eyes and the minds of renowned scholars and the most outspoken educational psychologists such as Gagne, John Keller, Jerome Bruner, and Richard E. Mayer and so on. This examination also discusses ways in directing the mental map of students for better knowledge…

This chapter describes classroom assessment for learning, providing a concrete example and contrasting it with assessment of learning; reviews research demonstrating how enhancing educators' skills in the area of classroom assessment for learning improves student learning; describes what educators need to know and be able to do in order to…

Examines types and frequency of coaching of learning at the middle school level and its relation to students' strategic-learning. Results reveal that instances of teachers' coaching of learning occurred in only 9% of the instruction segments and that students' strategic-learning activity was significantly related to teachers' coaching of learning.…

Discusses the need to have a clear understanding of the environment into which learning materials and resources are introduced. Topics discussed include the instructional design process, front end analysis, systems inquiry and design inquiry, the learner's role and the teacher's role, and the physical environment. (29 references) (LRW)

Discusses social competence in young children and its implications for social and academic adjustment later in life. Suggests methods which teachers can use to assess social competence and to help children develop social skills. (RJC)

The review characterizes phases of compliance in the learning of a skill (acquisition of the skill, fluency, generalization) and details research which exemplifies behavior management strategies that have been endeavored at each phase. The implications of these findings are considered and cautions and considerations of discrete strategies are…

Reviews the literature concerning children's humor. Discusses major characteristics of early humor based on the child's level of developmental mastery, and proposes a conceptual model of humorous play. (RJC)

This article reviews published research on (i) classrooms as communities; (ii) classrooms as communities of learners; and (iii) classrooms as learning communities. It is based on a reading of about 100 texts. It aims to answer the question "What do we now know about the effects of operating classrooms as learning communities?". Despite…

In their attempts to help educators improve student achievement, researchers have identified hundreds of effective school practices. However, there is no accurate picture of the relative effectiveness of effective practices or the ways various practices interact to produce results. Nevertheless, the data are plentiful enough to permit informed…

Many questions of interest to teachers, educational researchers, curriculum developers, and policymakers in science education can be asked about classroom environment. Does a classroom's environment affect student learning attitudes? What is the impact of a new curriculum or teaching method on the nature of a classroom's environment? Can teachers…

Recommends strategies, based on current research into teaching and learning, that international students may use to improve their academic performance. (EV)

Explores the use of computers in design-oriented learning and the need to reconstruct curriculum to accommodate the new technology. Mathematics, psychology, and music are highlighted, a musical computer design environment called Streamer is described, and implications of a design-oriented computer environment for programming and the structure of…

Contexts in which mentally retarded children learn may be counter-productive in that they reinforce excessively dependent learning strategies. Research on nonhandicapped children suggests that contexts which allow children to initiate as well as respond promote independent learning, suggesting ways to structure learning opportunities for mildly…

A review of research suggests that the idea of cultural differences in "learning styles" may be used to marginalize and alienate Indigenous students in mainstream educational settings. An awareness of cultural influences can be used more appropriately to further the effectiveness of communication in the classroom and among all…