Playfulness as a learning technique is applied into the present research in a group of adult learners. Initially, a game scenario was designed and implemented for the subject of microeconomics. Following a qualitative research methodology, through observation and interviews with ten participants before and after the playful activity, the results…

Children's everyday activities enable them to learn some science even before entering preschool education and children bring these ideas with them when entering education settings. Some of these ideas, or else mental representations, may not be compatible with what is generally accepted by the scientific community. This paper presents the results…

Young learners (defined as children ages 5-12) of English as a foreign language are growing in number worldwide. At the policy level, foreign language (FL) programs for young learners are increasingly emphasizing the use of task-based language teaching (TBLT). In practice, however, designing and implementing tasks for young learners poses numerous…

Executive functions enable children to pay attention, follow instructions, apply what they have learned, have those "aha!" moments in which they grasp how multiple facts interrelate, think of creative solutions, obey social norms such as waiting their turn and not butting in line or jumping out of their seat, mentally construct a plan,…

Through examples of both a child's imagination and pretend play activities, demonstrates how a child's imagination is the thinking function that sets the stage for play, while actual play consists of a child's understanding and representation of reality. (HOD)

This article gives a brief historical account of the principal rationales of drama in education in England, pursuing the notion of distortion of the nature of drama itself. By looking at past mistakes, we may better assess the place of drama in today's curriculum. (MT)

Argues that imagery can play an important part in a variety of academic subjects. Provides instructions concerning the method by which imagery can be used in such diverse fields as the development of social skills, the identification of interests and career areas, and creative productivity. (FL)

Explored relationships among gender, play style, and skilled performance in LOGO computer-based tasks of four-year-old children. Found no significant gender differences in play styles and LOGO skills. Predictors of LOGO competence were differentiated by gender. Suggests that boys' and girls' routes to competence differ, though both genders display…

Building projects with blocks provide opportunities to foster creative thinking skills. The connection between blocks and thinking how to implement the strategy are included, along with examples. (MNS)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether introducing schematising to children in early childhood (ages five to six) promotes better learning outcomes in later mathematics (age seven). This was done using a longitudinal, quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design. With the help of teachers and a teacher-trainer, pupils in the…

An educational consultant with experience in teaching graduate courses for teacher certification in gifted education implemented a practicum designed to develop selected thinking skills in approximately 40 nursery school 3-year-olds. The practicum was also intended to inform parents of practical techniques for fostering important thinking skills…

Sex differences in activity selection or choice appear by age 12 or 18 months. These choices are one of the earliest indicators of sex differences in the behavior of young children. Differences in activity participation or toy choices are evident long before the emergence of sex differences in personality characteristics like passivity or…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter, "PLAINTalk," is the first in a four part series, reprinting chapters from Sharon and Craig Ramey's book, "Going to School." This issue presents practical and useful techniques for parents, covering the following topics: (1) How Parents Can Help Children Learn; (2) How Does Your Child's Brain Work; (3) The…

This learning module helps the teacher to master teaching skills that stimulate children to explore materials and to order their explorations in ways that lead to classification and that generate the child's own structuring of his discoveries and experiences. Teaching behaviors focused upon are congruent with Piagetian concepts about a child's…

This book is an effort to introduce early childhood educators to Vygotsky's perspective, research on young children that has been stimulated by this perspective, and current educational practices emanating from it. The discussion is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of Vygotsky's life, the social conditions in which his…