A lesson plan is a design problem for a teacher. The desired solution to this problem is to design an instructional process that can guide students in constructing an understanding of scientific concepts through their own thinking. This article demonstrates a practical approach to designing an effective lesson plan. The approach has five phases:…

Discusses the role of instructional design in the development of learning theory. Topics discussed include the acquisition of knowledge and skills; models of teaching; the teaching and acquisition of concepts; influences on retention; and the integration of procedures, principles, and concepts for solving problems. (20 references) (LRW)

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between student conceptual level and attitudes toward four methods course components: theory, content, method, and experience working with children. Research findings have indicated that a match between student conceptual level and course instructional mode result in significant…

Reports the results of an investigation into factors associated with variations in students' ability to achieve conceptual learning gains in a physics course that employs interactive-engagement methods. Explores the correlation between students' normalized learning gains and their initial level of physics concept knowledge, pre-instruction…

Performance of over 200 third and fourth graders on a post test and a two-month follow-up measure showed that groups receiving lessons based on a task analysis instructional design performed significantly better than groups receiving placebo lessons at two levels of advanced mastery for the concepts, "equilateral triangle" and…

We articulate and explicate a mechanism for mathematics conceptual learning that can serve as a basis for the design of mathematics lessons. The mechanism, reflection on activity-effect relationships, addresses the learning paradox (Pascual-Leone, 1976), a paradox that derives from careful attention to the construct of assimilation (Piaget, 1970).…

Instruction should be designed to incorporate learning theories that explain how intellectual skills are developed. Through these appropriate learning theories, students learn to think conceptually, critically, and creatively when analyzing situations, developing solutions to problems, and learning from their experiences. Several critical issues…

Defines cognitive computer tools as software programs that use the control capabilities of computers to amplify, extend, or enhance human cognition; suggests seven ways in which computers can aid learning; and describes the "Learning Tool," a software package for the Apple Macintosh microcomputer that is designed to aid learning of…

THE VIEWS OF EACH OF 13 EDUCATIONAL THEORISTS ON HIS SPECIAL FIELD OF INTEREST IN EDUCATION, PRESENTED IN A SERIES OF SEMINARS, ARE STATED BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS RESOURCE BOOK, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO LA GRONE'S CATEGORIES FOR IMPROVING PRESERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION. UNDER "THE ANALYTICAL STUDY OF TEACHING" ARE THE VIEWS OF (1) B.O. SMITH…

The views of each of 13 educational theorists on his special field of interest in education, presented in a series of seminars, are stated by the author of this resource book, classified according to LaGrone's categories for improving preservice teacher education. Under "The Analytical Study of Teaching" are the views of (1) B.O. Smith…

A learning cycle consists of three phases: exploration; conceptual invention; and expansion of an idea. These phases parallel Piaget's functioning model of assimilation, disequilibrium and accomodation, and organization respectively. The learning cycle perceives students as actors rather than reactors to the environment. Inherent in that…

Twenty-five eleventh grade classes were taught two social studies concepts, sovereignty and comparative advantage, using written or oral methods. Methods differed in their use and sequence of examples to explicate definitions. Finds using examples increased concept attainment. Suggests sequence was important for the more complex, relational…

Discusses the use of writing to enhance learning in mathematics from a conceptual development perspective. Shuell's phases of learning are described as a general model for conceptual development and subsequently matched with Britton's categories for transactional-informative writing. Sample mathematics assignments for each writing category are…

Activities in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 1969-70 concentrated on the USOE site team visit and on implementation of the team's planning recommendations. In a background paper and a preliminary program plan submitted to USOE, the importance of continuing emphasis on developmental psychology was stressed. The center learned in December…

When teachers possess detailed knowledge about children's thinking and problem solving, it can profoundly affect their knowledge of their students and their planning for instruction. Reported is a project designed to demonstrate the feasibility of redesigning courses for prospective teachers in mathematics and science by incorporating into the…