Vygotsky (1978) presented ideas influential to the "constructivist" approach to education. This approach included the "zone of proximal development," and defined what is essential for student's development of a higher cognitive ability in order to become self-motivated learners. His theory also directly relates to the research regarding the…

This article discusses the assessment of language and cognitive development as reflected in preschool activities and describes the Preschool Language-Cognitive Assessment for Curriculum Entry (PLACE). Five task-skill areas associated with common preschool activities (building with blocks, completing puzzles, pounding pegs, etc) are identified. How…

The Structure of Intellect (SOI) learning abilities test and curriculum emphasize teaching that promotes individualized learning and divergent thinking and recognize special problems in identifying underachievers, minority gifted students, and differing abilities in boys and girls. The model addresses these variations by taking the view that…