The essays collected in this volume are concerned with the field of computer-based intelligent instruction. The papers are organized into four groups that address the following topics: particular theoretical approaches (3 titles); the development and improvement of tools and environments (3 titles); the power of well-engineered implementations and…

A year-long thematic unit for fifth-graders combines critical thinking and whole language frameworks to help students retain, understand, and make active use of knowledge within and across domains. Using systematic instruction in critical thinking, students explore the fundamental human concepts of race, sex, age, and power. David…

The relationship between self-regulation, using measures from the affective and cognitive domains, and academic performance was investigated for 62 middle-school (grade 6) students. Key aspects of self-regulated learning studied were planning and self-assessment. A range of affective variables, including self-concept and locus of control, was also…

This paper describes the senior honors thesis (a multigenre research paper), and narrates the process by which a senior English major at the University of New Hampshire and her project advisor worked together on this semester-long project. In the first section, the multigenre research paper is defined as a work that combines poems, monologues,…

This essay proposes that systematic and reflective inquiry ought to become the underlying professional frame of mind that guides teachers, administrators, and policy officials. It is noted that the products of inquiry include rationales connecting recommended courses of action to intended outcomes, as well as the invention of techniques,…

As a preliminary study evaluating the relative merits of skill development and information exposure in speech communication classes, an opinion survey was administered to students taking two variants of the introductory course. The two courses, labeled "Basic Blend" and "Blend: Public Speaking Emphasis," included roughly equivalent units on…

The learning of mathematics was addressed in this study, with attention in this first volume focused on defining specific learning styles in mathematics, classifying individuals according to learning styles, relating achievement to learning styles, associating learning styles with localized hemispheric functioning of the brain, correlating…

A computer-assisted language learning (CALL) software evaluation form that looks directly at important aspects of language teaching approaches is presented. Examples of typical evaluation checklists are described to illustrate how they fail to address the appropriate questions for language teaching software. Three major categories of language…

It is argued that current views of teaching as delivering curriculum underestimate the nature of teaching and imply simplistic views of human learning. The current vogue for teacher appraisal, which stresses a managerial approach, assumes that teaching is relatively easily quantified and measured, and it overlooks the value-laden nature of views…

It has been noted that students have an influential role in determining the nature of classroom events in the middle grades and that their teachers adjust their classroom behavior in response to the characteristics of students in the class. This paper analyzes instruction as discourse between teacher and students and the collaborative nature of…

The paper describes four major patterns that emerge in studies of college student intellectual development. Quotations from students' writing about their epistemological beliefs and quotations from professors' writing concerning their courses and students are related to the four patterns. Characteristics of student writing associated with each…

This study examined transitional knowledge during literacy development, hypothesizing that there are times when the integration of reading and writing knowledges into literacy knowledges is problematic for children because these knowledges are out of synch with one another. Data were gathered from 46 kindergarten pupils, each of whom wrote and…

Prepared by classroom teachers, the papers in this collection combine practical knowledge with recent findings from writing research. Among the topics discussed in the 25 papers are (1) student teacher conferences, (2) using poetry to develop writing fluency, (3) writing as a learning process, (4) oral and written discourse, (5) creative dramatics…

This review of the research literature on the interaction between humans and computers discusses how man machine systems can be utilized effectively in the learning-teaching process, especially in secondary education. Beginning with a definition of man machine systems and comments on the poor quality of much of the computer-based learning material…

This handbook of research findings and practical suggestions is written for teachers, educators, and psychologists who are concerned about computer literacy for adults. Based on a federally funded research project, the handbook focuses on the computer needs of non-traditional adult learners over 25 years of age. The first section examines…