Although exploring students' thought processes can be rewarding, most teachers rely heavily on reponses to tests and assignments that fail to disclose learners' thinking patterns. Concept maps grouping interrelated ideas can encourage students to demonstrate effective and meaningful assimilation of organized study areas. Includes five footnotes.…

This study compared effectiveness of cognitive modeling with and without verbalization in teaching 60 learning-disabled elementary students efficient questioning strategies. Results indicated that both groups showed significant reductions from pretreatment to posttreatment in the number of questions required but no effectiveness differential…

The first of two parts in this document is a student workbook which is designed to teach students how to construct a concept map, i.e., a graphic arrangement of the key concepts in a body of subject matter with connecting lines labelled to show valid and meaningful relationships between the chosen concepts. The workbook provides a discussion of…

Examines childrens' (age 8-14) conceptions of shadow formation through interviews. Identifies "the trigger model" of shadows and finds that there are multiple roles that children attribute to light. (YP)

Discusses using cognitive frameworks to help students who have mild disabilities or are at risk transfer and retain information. Explains development of study guides, story/critical thinking maps, and cognitive organizers and addresses teaching students how to use cognitive frameworks. Provides illustrations of study guides and cognitive maps. (CR)

Presents two teaching ideas for mathematics instruction. The first employs "mind maps" as a method to help students learn, record, and recall mathematical information. Provides examples for solving quadratic equations and complex numbers. The second discusses two ways to find the average speed during a trip employing differing constant…

Provides an overview of the nature, purpose, and instructional research related to semantic mapping. Offers a vivid description of how semantic mapping was used in a secondary social studies classroom, including how the teacher and students viewed the method. Suggests ideas and resources for interested teachers. (MJP)

Presents the results of an experiment that evaluated the efficiency of analogy in the conceptual restructuring of a science topic. The experiment involved a fifth-grade class studying water and heat flow. Discovered that analogy can act as an effective trigger for restructuring knowledge. (MJP)

Asserts that the most effective use of schema theory in history instruction requires placing students in the decision- making roles of historical figures. A more detailed discussion of the same historical event follows this initial exercise. Students then compare their decisions with their historical counterparts. (MJP)

Maintains that student-centered curriculum embodies the progressive and constructivist principles of active, participatory learning. Advocates emphasizing the importance of context as part of a constructivist approach. Includes instructional examples of connecting contextual information about artworks to constructivist activities. (MJP)

This paper discusses cognitive maps of the world that an individual needs to be considered educated. A cognitive map is the filing structure within the brain that allows an individual to encode, give meaning, and retrieve information relating to a variety of world matters. The first requisite is a cognitive map of the world of differences, whereby…