Mathematics and science are important for success in school, but learning mathematics and science can be a difficult task to some students. Efforts to improve students' learning of school mathematics and science have led to reform efforts in curriculum and instruction over the past decades (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM],…

The paper reviews literature on the relationship between food, nutrition, and learning with particular emphasis on impairments in cognitive development and learning which result from malnutrition. Considered are means of detecting malnutrition, allergy symptoms, and steps a teacher can take in educating students and families about nutrition. Among…

This study examines the learning of a gross motor coincidence timing task by children with learning difficulties, compared with that by children of average intelligence of an equivalent chronological age and mental age. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

After an overview of several studies of cognitive instruction used with problem learners, the article describes two learning mechanisms that explain why such cognitive interventions work--prolepsis (communication that initially leaves implicit some information) and reflective abstraction (changing observables into meaningful internalized…

Children lacking sufficient mediated learning experiences (MLEs) are ill-prepared to handle the cognitive challenges confronting them at school and cannot benefit even from hands-on learning experiences. Reuven Feuerstein's theory of MLE holds that our cognitive abilities are modifiable, that we can change the course of a child's early cognitive…

Two phenomena related to the quality of student responses in regard to items used in a testing situation are involved in the construction of a pupil response model. The underlying phenomenon which defines the individual's cognitive limits is termed the hypothetical cognitive structure (HCS). The second phenomenon, which is a function of not only…

Examines the research relating nutrition and diet to achievement in reading and language arts, and suggests ways teachers and parents can use this information. (ARH)

Uses classroom anecdotes to illustrate how social forces limit literacy as a tool enabling students to think for themselves. Defines literacy as involving knowledge, learning, and culture. Appeals to teachers to enhance learners' inventive and analytical skills by putting them in touch with their own intelligence and intuition. (TES)

The author seeks to clarify the difficulty and complexity of the things youngsters must do to learn mathematics, and to have teachers question their own views about children in redefining mathematics instruction. (MP)

Reported at this symposium were investigations using the projective "Tree Drawing" test in (1) a case study of the impact of natural and cultural environments on Japanese children attending elementary and junior high schools in Singapore by Kimio Yoshikawa and K. Loganathan Mutharayan; (2) a study comparing cognitive processes of normal,…

Although many articles in the education literature recommend how to teach statistics more effectively, there is little published research on how students actually learn statistics concepts. The literature reviewed in this paper indicates a need for collaborative, cross-disciplinary research on how students come to think correctly about probability…

This document presents the agenda and materials distributed at a 1-day introductory workshop on deaf-blindness. Introductory material explains the workshop's purpose and rules. A short test contrasts facts and myths about deaf-blindness. A handout presents information on the dynamics of deaf-blindness, etiologies in the adult deaf-blind…

Math Notebook is a publication issued 10 times a year, with each issue focusing on a particular learning problem in mathematics and its diagnosis and remediation through practical, workable strategies for use by teaches, parents, and tutors. All the articles were written by Mahesh C. Sharma, with the exception of "The Japanese Soroban," by Frances…

Based on suggestions of participants at the second annual Instructional Methods Forum held in June 1989, the monograph considers cognitive-based approaches to teaching mathematics to students with learning problems and the implications for the design of media and materials. It discusses characteristics of successful cognitive approaches and the…

A study focused on identifying the academic characteristics of 21 children and youth who have Asperger syndrome. Students had an extraordinary range of academic achievement scores, extending from significantly above average to far below grade level. Lowest achievement scores were shown for numerical operations, listening comprehension, and written…