This discussion of a major problem area in education--the curricular and implementation aspects of the application of the computer or new information technologies--focuses first on the use and integration of computers in existing courses or subjects in the curriculum, and defines some key terms. The next section considers issues in the…

Drawn from several comprehensive bibliographies and computer searches of volumes by speakers at the Conference on Thinking, this brief bibliography presents resources for researchers and practitioners interested in the areas of cognitive and critical thinking skills. The materials are divided into the following topic areas: (1) general, (2)…

The six "thought pieces" presented in this document summarize the personal perspectives of conference participants on issues raised in formal or information discussions, but not part of the central themes of the conference or conference papers. They include: (1) "Assuming That..." (Anne Nicol, Apple Computer, Inc.); (2) "A…

This paper outlines seven assumptions about teaching conditions that best facilitate critical thinking in the undergraduate psychology curriculum; the main ideas proposed in a model of critical thinking developed by a network of psychologists across the nation; and the application of this critical thinking model to the undergraduate curriculum.…

A study was conducted to investigate the compensatory effects of graphic organizers on text organization. Subjects were 114 tenth grade students who read two versions of an expository passage containing identical information but differing in top level structure. The version organized to show opposing views (comparison/contrast) was considered…

Designed for workshop, teacher inservice, and classroom use, this monograph pulls together theory, research findings, and descriptions of successful classroom practices to improve instruction in listening skills. Chapter 1 discusses the importance of listening instruction, providing general background information on the nature of listening. The…

Investigations in Natural Science is a program in secondary school biology, chemistry, and physics based upon the description of science as a quest for knowledge, not the knowledge itself. This teaching guide is designed for use with the 18 biology investigations found in the student manual. These investigations focus on concepts related to:…

This working paper, which reviews the experimental literature on learning skills to provide background information to the staff of the Skills Essential to Learning Television Project (a multi-level series of video and print resources for classroom use), covers four areas: study skills, instructional development and design, cognitive psychology,…

High performance skills are defined as ones: (1) which require over 100 hours of training, (2) in which a substantial number of individuals fail to develop proficiency, and (3) in which the performance of the expert is qualitatively different from that of the novice. Training programs for developing high performance skills are often based on…

The relationship between personal development and mastery of instructional skills in a preservice teacher education program was studied. The sample of 80 students were in elementary, early childhood, and special education programs. Questions posed were: (1) How well do the personal development instruments describe the students? (2) Are there…

Practical assistance for adult educators is offered in this four-part document, which outlines the present status of adult education, particularly with regard to courses about computers, and discusses an approach for improving the situation. Important considerations in the improvement of adult education are discussed, including the conditions of…

Parents and educators have expressed fears that high noise levels in open space schools may interfere with academic achievement. This investigation compared the reading comprehension of 60 fourth grade students in an open space school during periods both of quiet and of naturally occurring background noise. The reading tasks resembled normal…

Student withdrawals were compared to course completers in two variants of a contingency-managed lecture (CML) course and a personalized instruction (PI) course. Within both CML sections, withdrawals performed 10-25% worse on unit quizzes and 20-30% worse on review exams than did peers who completed the course. Within PI, withdrawals had a retake…

This study examined the value of the Read-Encode-Annotate-Ponder (REAP) procedure as a teaching/learning strategy, focusing on its use of written annotations designed to achieve specific learning objectives. Subjects were 105 students in six college reading/study skills classes who were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: the…

This study examined the influence of male and female models on the expectancies, achievement, and attributions of college students. A factorial design varied sex of subjects (male, female), sex of models (male, female), and causal attribution offered by models for completion of a novel task (effort, luck, ability, task difficulty). Females'…