Discusses online help systems in application software design and describes two experiments in which adult computer novices learned to use experimental graphics software by task-based exploration. Topics include operative help; function-oriented help; effects on learning performance; schemata; mental models; and implications for the design of…

Explains four instructional approaches with varied learning processes and provides guidelines for the use of each. Describes receptive instruction, that is highly controlled; behavioral instruction that assumes learning occurs through a gradual building of skills; the situated guided discovery approach, including constructivism and social…

Argues that the first and primary focus of assessment should be the learner and that student feedback on their learning process and the inclusion of any presentations, products, or exhibitions produced along the way are essential. The author presents personal experiences using this assessment practice involving an English class. (GR)

Describes several generative vocabulary-building strategies that teachers of college developmental reading classes can use to help English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students become independent learners of the enormous amount of unfamiliar vocabulary they encounter in their academic courses. Discusses vocabulary selection strategies, personal word…

Reviews the following claims of situated learning: action is grounded in the concrete situation in which it occurs; knowledge does not transfer between tasks; training by abstraction is of little use; and instruction must be done in complex, social environments. The authors, focusing on mathematics education, critically evaluate each claim and…

This article presents principles for effective adult learning applicable in child care settings. These principles include the need for motivation to learn, the view that learning is an active process, the benefits from guidance, the importance of appropriate materials and activities for sequential learning, the need for reinforcement and varied…

Describes research on the reflection of six professors regarding their thinking about teaching. Topics include the model of the metacognitive process of reflection; the role of reflection in knowledge construction; the role of reflection in teaching development, including conceptual change; and the relationship between reflective teaching and…

Reviews the major features of participatory development, asking how far similar processes are applied in promoting the use of local languages. Argues that language development processes must figure into participatory approaches to develop multilingual environments and that attention to language must proceed along similar participatory lines. (CMK)

Describes a learner-centered training model which draws from recent research on brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, and emotional intelligences. Emphasizes the importance of attending to trainees' emotional, physical, and social environments in addition to their cognitive environment. (EV)

Asserts that the field of discourse processing offers some solutions to the challenge of promoting deep comprehension during learning. Sketches the salient components of discourse processing mechanisms and points out how such mechanisms can be recruited to improve deep comprehension. (EV)

Today's best constructivist teaching reflects the legacies of educational visionaries such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Reuven Feuerstein, Howard Gardner, and Marian Diamond. Creative cognitive designs stem from three essential elements: creative teaching genius, excellent instructional methods, and expansive, interconnective…

Calibration concerns (a) the deviation of a person's judgment from fact, introducing notions of bias and accuracy; and metric issues regarding (b) the validity of cues' contributions to judgments and (c) the grain size of cues. Miscalibration hinders self-regulated learning (SRL). Considering calibration in the context of Winne and Hadwin's…

Schools are currently receiving increased funds for multimedia software for classrooms. There is a need for good software in the schools, and there is a need to know how to evaluate software and not naively rely on advertisements. Evaluators of multimedia software for education must have the skills to critically evaluate and make decisions not…

Consideration of the subtleties in a group of Navajo children's science learning activities provides us with some useful ways of viewing those activities. It also more clearly establishes the elements to consider in valuing or not valuing the use of these kinds of activities that I am calling "games" and other possible kinds of student inquiry…

One of the best ways to understand what it is like to be an English-language learner in a U.S. classroom is to hear the stories of immigrant students. In this article, the authors use these stories to determine what steps teachers can take to help their students triumph over their struggles with a new culture and a new language. This article…