One is best able to teach when familiar with student needs and experiences. Cognitive developmental theory can enhance the "art of teaching" and understanding the cognitive stages of student development can help the advisor appreciate a student's perspective. Cognitive theory is translated into useful advising strategies. (MLW)

Investigates the effect that manipulation of the extent of formal reasoning required for solving chemistry problems has upon student performance, and presents a cognitive model for the qualitative analysis of that effect. Concludes that the developmental level of students is the most important predictor of problem-solving success given significant…

Discusses the use of feedback from students and the analysis of students' error patterns to understand why students develop misconceptions in mathematics. Looks at learning vis-a-vis the abstract nature of mathematics and the students' cognitive development. (MDH)

Reports two small-scale studies that investigate whether the understanding of scientific concepts will be enhanced by using collaborative pairings. Examines how types of pairings affects performance. Finds students working in pairs outperformed their counterparts working individually. Also notes that dyads improved upon initial performance in…

Over a decade of research findings representing the work of more than 100 scholars are contained in the growing body of knowledge about effective schools. This report summarizes the results of studies that focus specifically on the characteristics of effective principals, classrooms, and teachers. The report also offers notes of caution to users…

Some science educators who are interested in conceptual development have considered the phenomenon of student misconceptions and alternative frameworks. Researchers have used a variety of terms to describe the situation in which students' ideas differ from those of a scientist about a particular concept. This digest was produced to briefly…

When administered to 34 infants with handicaps, Bayley Scale mental age scores were an average of 2.1 months higher than Estimated Developmental Ages (EDA's) calculated from the Uzgiris and Hunt Scales. The EDA's were significantly and positively related to Bayley mental age, and sensorimotor play emerged as the best single correlate. (Author/JDD)

While logical reasoning skills are related to success in science, the relationship between thought and formal logic is not clear. Propositional Logic Test (PLT), error patterns of students' interpretations of logical proposition, and developmental patterns of the error type are described. Examined is the relationship between logical reasoning…

Reports on misconceptions held by intermediate grade students concerning chemistry textbook concepts, on the relation of reasoning ability to those misconceptions, and on the extent that textbooks encourage misconceptions. Concludes that the level of understanding displayed for the selected concepts, in combination with the nature of students'…

Conceptual change teaching is an instructional method that helps students modify, extend, or exchange their alternative conceptions for the appropriate scientific conceptions. Provides activities and a diagnostic test to apply the method to the concepts of heat and temperature. (MDH)

Two studies on cognitive performance in mentally retarded children are reported. In the first study, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to 56 mentally retarded children, aged 2 to 6, to determine the possibility of discerning subsets of items that form a developmental pattern of interrelated subscales, using the SCAMMO scale…

This book on classification abilities is part of a series designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in becoming regular evaluators of their own instruction. The book consists of two sections. The first section provides information on: resemblance and consistent/exhaustive sorting; multiple membership and inclusive classifying; and…

This book on conservation abilities is part of a series designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in becoming regular evaluators of their own instruction. The book consists of two parts. The first part provides information on: conservation related to number, length, solid amount, liquid amount, discontinuous length, area, weight, solid…

This book on propositional reasoning is part of a series designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in becoming regular evaluators of their own instruction. The book consists of two parts. The first part provides information on probabilistic, disjunctive, combinatorial, implicational, deductive, and proportional reasoning and on…

Down Syndrome children (N=229), aged 1-83 months, from Australia, Canada, and Germany were tested using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Test performances on the Bayley's Mental and Motor scales were not dissimilar, leading to the conclusion that young Down Syndrome children from different countries with relatively comparable standards of…