One aspect of Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development is presented and its implications for designing and using homework problems is discussed. Suggested is a way in which homework problems can be used to provide students an opportunity for self-regulation. Also discussed are the deficiencies of typical homework problems and examples are…

Outlines various misconceptions about problem-solving (PS) and several strategies to improve intellectual skills and strategies. Also describes the Covington Productive Thinking Program (designed to help develop PS skills) and several lesson problem sets from this series of 15 books. (JN)

Psychological equilibration (internal mental process by which individuals develop intellectually) is discussed in terms of its origin in the biological theory of evolution and in the thinking of Jean Piaget. The importance of equilibration theory for biology instruction is then considered. (Author/JN)

A secondary school curriculum which includes a significant focus on individual developmental goals is proposed. Emphasis is placed on students' intellectual development, self-management, and interpersonal and small group involvement. The basic content of the developmental curriculum is summarized to include acquisition of the knowledge to: (1)…

Describes a professional-development project designed to establish a community of learners among high school teachers. Diverse English and history teachers met twice monthly for two-and-a-half years to read and discuss fiction and history, develop an interdisciplinary humanities curriculum, and videotape and view classroom instruction. Teachers at…

Unpaid community activities have been widely recommended as learning experiences for adolescents. An evaluation was conducted of two community action learning programs, one which placed adolescents one-to-one in adult-dominated settings and the other which gave adolescents a group project to plan and carry out with adult assistance. Both programs…

The language teaching method presented here is an inter-related set of techniques for teaching target comprehension skills directly to students on both university and high school levels. Three elements of the method are discussed: (1) the basics of a comprehension-based classroom; (2) the expanded speaking component; and (3) the expanded reading…

Surveys 278 British high school students concerning musical styles preferences. Generally speaking, students rejected classical and "serious" music as they grew older. Girls exhibited acceptance of a wider range of musical styles. Includes statistical tables. (MJP)

A cognitive-based system of analysis of spoken discourse was designed to provide details about the way pupils think and talk about issues arising from prose material. Written and spoken responses were analyzed to examine the effects of intellectual ability, differences in the stimulus passage, and prior small group discussion. (Note: Page…

Summarizes interviews with British West Indies children concerning the production of art and the role of the artist. Demonstrates that children's perceptions undergo a shift from naive realism (pretty things make pretty pictures) to a more interpretive stance (the artist's efforts define the final product). (MJP)

Intended for college or secondary school teachers of courses beyond the basic level in freshman English and composition, this course description treats components of composition for critical thinking, including semantics, tone, logic, and argumentation, and their application to writing critical, argumentative, and research papers. The introduction…