Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fundamental concepts and theoretical challenges with regard to systems, and to build on these in proposing new theoretical frameworks relevant to learning, for example in so-called learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on some crucial fundamental aspects introduced…

What can be learned from two films with "rock" and "school" in their titles, about rock in school and about music and schooling more broadly? "School of Rock" (2003), a "family comedy," and "Rock School" (2005), a documentary, provoke a range of questions, ideological and otherwise, surrounding the inclusion of rock in formal instructional…

A major error in cognitive science has been to suppose that the meaning of a representation in the mind is known prior to its production. Representations are inherently perceptual--constructed by a perceptual process and given meaning by subsequent perception of them. The person perceiving the representation determines what it means. This premise…

A discussion of the connectionist approach to language looks at the nature of language, language processing, and language acquisition. Language processing is seen as a means of satisfying the linguistic constraints of comprehension and production, and is also viewed as a process that operates with other aspects of cognition and involves mutually…

The general problem of the significance of the teaching process on the undergraduate level is addressed. (Author)

Research has shown that a behavior may be acquired through observing and imitating a model. A behavior which has already been acquired may be inhibited, disinhibited, or elicited by observing and imitating. A definition of imitation is given, and the effects of imitation on learning and performance are summarized. Research on factors which affect…

The author presents a framework of "design principles" for trainers in designing management learning events, based on the humanistic school of thought and the personal growth of the individual, with the model being applicable to group training. (MF)

If an educational program provides a theory of learning (defining specific competencies), and if community subsystems are understood and used in conjunction with academics, and if other learning resources (persons, events, media, etc.) are identified and catalogued, then the "community" can function as a total learning resource. (Author/JC)

Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and a battery of ability tests were administered to a sample of 104 male fourth graders for purposes of investigating the relationships between 2 previously identified subscales of the Raven and the ability tests. Results indicated use of a spatial strategy and to a lesser extent, use of reasoning, indicating…

The dimensions of any instructional program generally center around three variables: objectives, methods and time. Provides quadrants that include alternative instructional designs appropriate for the various sub-groups of students within the given population of a school or classroom. (Author/RK)

Nonprogrammers learned a computer programming language and took a transfer posttest. Subjects who were given pretraining with a model of the computer before learning performed better on novel transfer and worse on near transfer relative to no-pretraining subjects. (Author/DEP)

Describes a model of instructional theory relevant to individualized distance education that is based on Keller's Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), behavior analysis, and the instructional systems development model (ISD). Systems theory is emphasized, and ISD and behavior analysis are discussed as cybernetic processes. (LRW)

Discusses development of Didaktik, a teaching and learning theory which investigates relationships between disciplined-based and general teaching theories; discusses the need for concretization of general teaching models in terms of discipline-based teaching theory in distance education; and postulates the necessity of a theory of distance…

The article examines various models of aptitude-treatment interaction that guide studies regarding differentiation of instruction based on learner characteristics with specific reference to individualization of instruction for special education pupils. The examination reveals scant evidence to support the notion of individualization. (Author/CL)