Describes a study that assessed cognitive style of 11-year-old pupils from a British primary school through use of the Cognitive Styles Analysis using CD-ROM multimedia packages. Style and aspects of learning performance are considered; gender differences and style are discussed; and further research is suggested. (LRW)

Uses a Vygotskian framework to examine students' (n=26) use of tools in a ninth-grade physical science classroom during a unit on electric circuits. Indicates that conceptual progress may be hindered by students' need to first understand the tools in terms of everyday application. Advocates selection of laboratory tools and activities that match…

Examines H. G. Wells's ideas about a World Brain and a new world encyclopedia organization that would change universities and systems of learning. Highlights include politics and notions of social repression and control, the nature and organization of knowledge, and current theorizing about global information systems and emerging intelligence and…

Claims many changes in education are based on political agendas and popular educational philosophies rather than solid research findings. Suggests reform would benefit from the kind of practitioner/researcher relationship that operates in other fields such as agriculture and medicine. Provides guidelines for effective research. (NH)

Reports on a small-scale study designed to estimate science teachers' awareness of findings derived from research in science education and other branches of educational research. Focuses on experienced science teachers in Portugal who were following advanced professional training programs that usually lead to Masters' degrees in science education.…

Indicates the importance of the interdisciplinary approach in teaching and learning. Recommends using grids in curriculum design for the integration of concepts such as art, math, and science. (YDS)

A focus on people--whether community members, students, historical figures, or fictional characters--and their motivations brings excitement to learning. A community's experts on everything from jazz music and Chinese tapestries to building construction can help students move inside history and other subjects. (MLH)

Comparison of the conceptions of learning of 60 nursing students and 54 auto mechanic students, elicited in individual interviews at program beginning and end, found qualitative differences and similarities. Differences within an educational program were fewer than those among students participating in different programs. Among students within a…

Recent research has revealed remarkable data about the intricacies of brain-based learning and the integration of this knowledge into the academic setting. Prudent educators can create a brain-friendly classroom by developing an emotionally and physically safe environment, using laughter and simple exercises to eliminate mental cobwebs, creating…

Unlike the open-classroom movement, which operated on a slim theoretical base, current spiritual pedagogies reflect the work of respected theorists and researchers. The term "holistic" has advanced the idea of universal interconnectedness. Spirituality grows in classrooms when teachers act as agents of joy and conduits of transcendence, rather…

Beneath elements of cognitive development, motivation is seen as a basic concept to describe students' learning in a physics classroom. German secondary school students regard physics as difficult to learn, very abstract, and dominated by males. Knowing about the influence of motivation on learning physics may lead to new insights in the design of…

A study of 261 New Zealand students (ages 6-15) investigating technological capability in undertaking technological problem-solving tasks determined that focus on end-product precluded students from fully considering processes to solve problems, that technological approaches were influenced by classroom culture, and that existing concepts of…

Describes a process for moving toward high levels of mathematics and science learning for all students. Presents the collaborative inquiry process and a framework for integrating it into systemic mathematics and science education reform. Proposes steps for developing a learning-centered systemic action plan. (ASK)

An adolescent aversion to competition helped the reviewer/marathoner appreciate Mariah Burton Nelson's "Embracing Victory: Life Lessons in Competition and Compassion" (Morrow, 1998). Nelson, a former collegiate and professional basketball player, focuses on female athletes' and nonathletes' attitudes about numerous competition-related…

Learner engagement ranges from passive interest to dynamic interaction to flow state. Engaged teaching and learning online also progresses through three levels: transfer (converting conventional instruction to technology-enhanced environments), translation (redefining instruction using technology's capabilities), and transcendence (inventing new…