Explores how people's understanding of a material is created and developed as they interact with it to find effective ways of promoting better image development when no prior information about a device is available. Reports that models from good learners who finished the task quickly were coherent and centered around the notion of…

Metacognitive strategies support individual development and make learning transparent to the learner. Techniques such as modeling, coaching, scaffolding, fading, reflecting, and exploring are essential to maintain and approve the ability to learn throughout life. (SK)

This article presents a lesson plan in which students learn about water in solid, liquid, and gaseous phases through trade books, demonstrations, and artwork. The author illustrates the stages of the lesson plan in the sequence they were conducted in the classroom with a group of students in grades one and two. Each stage targets specific learning…

In two experiments, the principles of cognitive load theory were applied to the design of alternatives to conventional music instruction hypothesised to facilitate learning. Experiment 1 demonstrated that spatial integration of visual text and musical notation, and dual-modal delivery of auditory text and musical notation, were superior to the…

The current study tested the development of working memory involvement in children's arithmetic strategy selection and strategy efficiency. To this end, an experiment in which the dual-task method and the choice/no-choice method were combined was administered to 10- to 12-year-olds. Working memory was needed in retrieval, transformation, and…

Mental computation helps children understand how numbers work, how to make decisions about procedures, and how to create different strategies to solve math problems. Although researchers agree on the importance of mental computation skills, they debate how to help students develop these skills. The present study explored the existing literature in…

Can short, ungraded, free-writing assignments promote learning of course material? We randomly assigned introductory psychology recitation sections (N = 978 students) to writing or thinking conditions. For all sections, teaching assistants presented students with a discussion topic based in current coursework. Students either wrote or thought…

Objective: To explore and compare the use of metacognitive, cognitive, and environmental resource management self regulatory learning (SRL) strategies used by a national sample of students enrolled in traditional and accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs. Background: Learner focused reforms in nursing education require students to assume more…

A discussion is presented of the value and benefits of using questions in the classroom that will develop the critical thinking abilities of students. Some of the benefits of employing questions in classroom teaching are related to the affective domain, being psychological in nature, some are evaluative in that they provide clues to the extent of…

An understanding of the uses of metacognition provides a powerful tool toward developing quality and efficiency in task learning and performance. Specific thinking skill categories of attention, organization, and elaboration are described with examples of how specific techniques can optimize learning and job performance. (Author/JOW)

The Flavell (l981) model of cognitive monitoring and metamnemonic development was tested by four experiments conducted to determine whether preschool children (1) recognize that mood, fatigue, and fear are variables that influence learning; and (2) self-monitor their internal states and adjust their study behavior when they are sad or tired. (NH)

Argues that pupils' beliefs about what counts as historical explanation, usually the actions--and particularly the motives--of individuals, is an obstacle to their history learning. Superseding this personal level, and getting pupils to analyze a historical event as a whole, is where the mutual understanding between teacher and pupil collapses.…

Investigates students' use of imagery in their mathematical activities. Findings indicate that image forming is crucial in doing mathematics. A student who fails to construct an image in a problem-solving situation is severely limited in giving meaning to the situation. Contains 21 references. (JRH)

Microanalysis of problem-solving activities of 10 learning-disabled and 10 normally achieving children (ages 10-12) found that, although normally achieving subjects reached more sophisticated levels of strategy use, there was no evidence that the learning-disabled subjects were inactive, passive, or maladaptive in their problem-solving attempts.…

Discusses two cognitive models that are appropriate for the study of language acquisition: the "holodynamic" model, and the "production systems" model. (CFM)