The main idea skill presents a structure that is the basis of all kinds of understanding and narration activities. In this respect, while it covers all language skills, it also lays the groundwork for all learning levels and lessons because people communicate through meaning transfer. Therefore, the importance of main idea teaching is not limited…

Describes the work of Maria Montessori, starting with her career in medicine which gave her the unique perspective to probing the frontiers of the inner intellectual life of children. Explains how she felt every student possessed untapped potentials. Discusses how her concept of the potential of the absorbent mind of children is being…

Responds to Myra Kogen's article, "The Conventions of Expository Writing" (JBW; v5 n1). Discusses several misunderstandings about models of intellectual development. Argues that developmental schemes are useful when interpreted cautiously, but risky if used to classify a student's intellectual development. (MM)

Discusses the differences between Piagetian and post-Piagetian conceptions of intellectual development and the implications of these differences for science education in early childhood. (GLR)

This document consists of three papers presented at a symposium on expertise in organizations moderated by Ross Azevedo at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "How Individual Expertise May Be Socially Constructed: A Literature Review" (Abney V. Gleespen) looks at the research to determine the…