This paper describes the development of children's ability to pose and answer questions and discusses the teacher's role in enhancing these problem-solving skills. Several chapters review theoretical and empirical work related to these issues: models of man, general intellectual development, the mother's role in children's intellectual development…

Recounts the case of a learning disabled sixth grader mainstreamed into a social studies class. Describes a variety of instructional strategies and activities that capitalize on the student's strengths to facilitate learning. These include critical thinking maps, semantic maps, simulations, and kinesthetic learning. (MJP)

This study examined the effects of child day care, evening care, and night care on the development and adaptation of young children in Japan. Caregivers completed a survey on the home childrearing environment, their feelings of self-efficacy, and the presence of child care support. Results of the discriminant analysis indicated that factors in the…

Four articles on higher education curriculum are presented. In "The Articulate Curriculum" an approach to curriculum description is presented that is designed to have minimal ambiguity concerning the intention, content, and processes of the curriculum and that will lead to questioning several discrete factors in the curriculum planning…

This report examines the development of one prospective English teacher's thinking about what it means for secondary students to learn literature and what it would mean for her to teach it. The prospective teacher was one of 14 research participants in the "Understanding Literature for Teaching" study of the National Center for Research…

An approach to developing college students' critical thinking skills, designed for freshman composition students but adaptable for other disciplines, is outlined. Components include: establishing bounds of analysis; using bibliography to foster scholarship; capitalizing on emotional response; learning the genre to be analyzed by writing in it;…

The mission of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS) is to advance the conduct of high-quality interdisciplinary research to promote the intellectual, behavioral, and social-emotional development and functioning of individuals across educational, familial, and community contexts. Central to this is…

This paper describes the development and use of the Casey-Monahan Screening Instrument, designed to assess kindergarten readiness. The instrument consisted of various tests and evaluation procedures chosen from previously published tests. The instrument was designed to measure ability in five areas: (1) motor integration and motor development, (2)…

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…

At present, there appear to be only two prerequisites for entry into a music teacher education program at most institutions: a minimum academic grade point average and sufficient musical competence to be admitted to the school of music. These seem overly minimal, and serious suggestions have been made regarding additional essential requirements.…

This book examines the realities of educational change from the perspective of reform-minded teachers, focusing on how the professional work of teachers mediates the translation of the new educational orthodoxy into sustained and enhanced levels of student learning. The book charts the perceptions and experiences of 29 teachers in grades 7 and 8…

Describes inquiry learning as defining a purpose for inquiry (the problem), postulating tentative answers or solutions, testing various hypotheses, drawing tentative conclusions, and applying those conclusions to new situations. Asserts that acquisition of these skills supports democratic citizenship. Outlines the inquiry approach used for a…

The mission of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS) is to conduct research that improves our understanding of optimal ways that parents, teachers and other service providers in family, school and community contexts can promote the intellectual and socio-emotional development and behavioral adjustment of…

Turning Points helps middle schools create challenging, caring, and equitable learning communities that meet the needs of young adolescents as they reach the "turning point" between childhood and adulthood. Based on more than a decade of research and experience, this comprehensive school reform model focuses on improving student learning through…

The 14 chapters of this book review and synthesize research on the influence of college on students. Chapter 1 provides a detailed discussion of the evolution of research on college outcomes as an area of study, outlines the conceptual framework that guided the review, and provides a general overview of the study. Chapter 2 summarizes the major…