Presents the theory that rhetorical modes taught in developmental writing courses parallel the process of human cognitive development. Describes the teaching strategies and competencies incorporated in a developmental writing course which proceeds sequentially from description through analysis, comparison, classification, and cause and effect. (JP)

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES WERE (A) TO DEVELOP A BATTERY OF INSIGHT-PROBLEMS FOR USE IN PROBLEM-SOLVING RESEARCH, (B) TO REPLICATE A TRAINING EXPERIMENT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHAT A SUBJECT MIGHT HAVE LEARNED IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION WHICH COULD INFLUENCE NONSPECIFIC SITUATIONS, AND (C) TO ATTEMPT TO TEACH SUBJECTS STRATEGY WHICH WILL ALLOW THEM TO…

This discussion asserts that there is no significant difference between traditional instruction and remedial/developmental instruction in improving the academic achievement of skill-deficient students. Because the cognitive style of each learner reflects how learning tasks are approached and completed, matching strategies are needed that deal with…

A modified approach to the development of verbal expression in young children is proposed as an alternative to either the prescriptive-instructional method or the developmental viewpoint which relies on self-initiated learning. The Bereiter-Engelmann method, the method based on operant conditioning, and the Montessori method are representative of…

Intended for instructional personnel working with rural handicapped and nonhandicapped children (birth through 5 years), the documents provide English and Spanish versions of a checklist of behaviors to record an individual child's developmental progress, a card file listing possible methods of teaching these behaviors, and a manual of direction.…

Reviews the nine-stage Perry Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development, detailing three major student orientations--dualism, multiplicity, and commitments in relativism. Suggests techniques developmental educators can use to communicate with, support, and challenge students to promote intellectual development. Underscores the importance of…

This digest discusses the findings of empirical studies on teacher-directed and child-initiated preschool programs. Three long-term preschool curriculum comparison studies--the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison, the Louisville Head Start Study, and the University of Illinois Study--were started in the 1970s. These studies indicated that…

Those who advocate for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) do so based on the conviction that these classroom practices enhance children's development and facilitate learning. This ERIC Digest examines recent research on DAP and social-emotional and cognitive development, and describes what we have learned about DAP in early childhood…

Edmund W. Gordon, noted for his research on diverse human characteristics and pedagogy related to the education of low-status populations, responds to questions on learning styles and their modification, cultural background, hemispheric dominance, instructional design, teaching methods, matching teacher and student characteristics, and the use of…

Describes the genesis of a developmental critical-thinking course offered at Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) that melds two imperatives: to provide a comprehensive developmental-education program and to satisfy the critical-thinking requirements of the job market and the university. Provides some preliminary evaluation results from faculty…

The developmental program at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has a stable core of teachers who value independence rather than conformity and who seek to transform deeply anxious students into students who love learning. The instructors' goals of improving basic skills, fostering independent thinking, and promoting greater knowledge and…

This study was an initial effort at Brenau College (Georgia) to analyze the relative effectiveness of a self-paced math lab approach to developmental pre-college algebra. Students enrolled in 1988-89 were taught under the lecture method; this applied to students needing both developmental arithmetic and developmental algebra. During the subsequent…