Mediated learning based on Vygotsky and other cognitive theorists can be used by occupational therapists to teach children to solve problems. A cognitive, top-down approach helps focus on tasks the child wants to perform and aids the child's awareness, selection, and application of cognitive strategies. (SK)

Describes experiments in the Soviet Union intended to develop scholastic activities which encourage young children to develop their motivation for cognitive learning. All experiments were based on the problem-solving approach. (DB)

Discusses the cognitive approach to instructional design (ID) and how ID practitioners can design training differently. Highlights include how learning occurs; categories of learning; a model that summarizes the components of a well-designed lesson; a framework for ID based on cognitive psychology; and a table to use as a job aid for designing…

Distinguishing between motivation and cognition in goal-directed activity is discussed; goal and energy are assessed from motivational and cognitive viewpoints. Motivation is a broader concept than cognition. If a problem or goal-solving activity is ego-involving or self-challenging and affects the individual's personal standards, the term…

Presents a library and information skills curriculum based on an information problem solving approach and Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives in the cognitive domain. The taxonomy is described, and six information skills that match Bloom's six levels of cognition are identified. (12 references) (CLB)

Evaluates a junior high school social studies program which emphasizes integration of content with developmental problem solving and writing skills. The four major skill components are analyzing social studies questions, demonstrating understanding of the questions, recording relevant information, and summarizing material. For journal…

Three experiments (which used adults and 14-year-old children) studied the congruence between textual input at encoding and output in the form of memory reproductions. Results verified a very close correspondence between encoding and retrieval regarding hierarchically structural operations on the information in simple stories. (AN)

Deficits common among secondary students with learning disabilities or mathematics deficiencies are considered, along with a strategy to teach upper level mathematics, such as algebra or calculus. The strategy involves use of a mentor to help students to comprehend mathematics vocabulary, develop their own problem-solving strategy, and create a…

Presents research on cognitive skills demanded by elementary and secondary school mathematics textbooks, based on an original 10-level classification of thinking activities; reports a general decline both in the amount of material demanding student involvement and in the percentage of that material requiring higher-order thinking. (MCG)

In this interview, author Art Costa asserts that the teaching of either content or thinking skills in isolation is unproductive. To combine these approaches, he recommends selecting content for its relationship to thought processes. He also observes that administrators who model intelligent behavior thereby create a climate for thinking. (TE)

The shift in behavior therapy towards more cognitively oriented interventions in the treatment of behavior disorders in school children is reviewed. Recent applications of cognitive behavior modification have dealt with traditional academic concerns. (Author/MH)