Practice-based or experiential learning has come to be dominated by mentalist models of reflection on experience. The argument here is that these models split mind from body and subject from environment in ways that yield problematic practices. An alternate conception of practice-based learning is offered here, based on the notion of…

Metacognition, an awareness of one's own thought processes, plays a central role in explaining and describing the learning process. As it shapes learners' beliefs about and attitudes toward learning which in turn affect their behaviours, it directly relates to language learning and teaching as well. Thus, cautious teachers should understand and…

Experiential or work-based learning has been touted as imperative for the development of students and their preparation for the workplace. However, work-based learning does not always occur or occur to a significant extent merely because a student is in the workplace. What matters is the nature of the student's participation in workplace…

This paper reports on two studies, one quantitative and the other qualitative, on the effectiveness and influence of Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) at the University of Washington. A quantitative panel study compared 442 freshmen participating in 21 FIGs with 1818 non-participating freshmen. Findings indicated that the FIG program provided a…

The idea that breaks from experience are necessary and salutary in teacher education is a response to an enduring problem of teacher education: the fact that aspiring teachers come to their preparation with set ideas about teaching, learning, and schooling that fit with the larger ideal and institutional order into which they were born. Typically,…

THE THEORETICAL ORIENTATION OF THIS PAPER IS TOWARD STIMULUS RESPONSE (S-R) LEARNING THEORY, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE POLLARD-MILLER PARADIGM OF (1) DRIVE, (2) CUE, (3) RESPONSE, AND (4) REWARD. IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF MEDIA AND TEACHING MATERIALS, THESE FOUR CONDITIONS REQUIRE THE EMPLOYMENT OF A NUMBER OF INSTRUCTIONAL VARIABLES. THIS…

This workshop report focuses on the necessity of broadening the base of evaluation in higher education and beginning to look at types of student development other than purely academic: their characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, goals, values, motivations, and most effective learning styles. The need for non-standardized measures occurs in two…

The performance of 144 pairs of college students on four successive concept attainment problems was assessed. A 3 x 2 x 2 x 4 factorial design with repeated measures on the last factor was used with the following variables: (a) type of interaction format (cooperation with discussion allowed during solution of the problems, cooperation with…

In this book, it is argued that the so-called crisis in education is really a crisis in childhood and that the unit of change is not the school but rather the larger community. Schools inherited from the industrial age are structured to develop a mass of students who, at best, are equipped with basic skills and the ability to follow orders. The…

States that the traditional instruments used to measure teacher performance at the end of the semester promotes a student-as-consumer analogy. Presents an alternative end-of-semester questionnaire that enables students to assess their own efforts and responses to learning processes. Includes a copy of the student opinion survey and lists…

Reviews constructivist and sociocultural approaches to child development and early education. Outlines a neo-Piagetian systems approach to early learning and development which examines development as the result of coactions between multiple levels of hierarchical individual-environment systems. Discusses a neo-Piagetian curriculum, Rightstart, for…

Describes a science enrichment program for 5- to 8-year- olds that used constructivist theory to create a social learning environment conducive to science learning. Considers the strategic actions and roles the teacher adopted to achieve theoretical objectives. Presents evidence that the children engaged in knowledge generation and critical…

This essay is an examination of the efficacy of group methods in the facilitation of learning. It describes and characterizes two learning experiences and reports the findings on some unconventional educational methods. It provides a summary of six principles of learning and reviews some essential literature which compares a variety of teaching…

In considering the questions of what sense teachers make of their professional education and what they learn during teacher preparation, two case studies are presented, based on an analysis of interviews across the first year of teacher preparation. The first student was enrolled in an academic-learning program which emphasized the importance of…

This handbook was prepared for use in any classroom to aid the student in understanding how to become a better learner and how to learn meaningfully. This program is based on Ausubel's cognitive learning theory which places emphasis on the differences between meaningful learning and rote learning. To acquire knowledge meaningfully means that the…