A comparative analysis evaluated three studies that dealt with the differences among five-year-olds that should be considered before reading instruction is initiated in kindergarten. The premise of the comparison was that children from different countries (especially Israel, where these studies were conducted), have different abilities, react…

A study sought to analyze the relationships among the content and pedagogy of introductory education courses at two women's colleges, and the students' self-awareness, views of knowledge, and sense of themselves as women. One of the courses, "Schooling in America," was offered by a liberal arts college concerned with equal career opportunities for…

In the foreword to this book, Inhelder states that its essential contribution is that "it transposed to actual reality Piaget's central epistemological thesis according to which mathematical thought is, from its most elementary manifestations, the product of the subject's activity that he characterized by the term 'reflective…

The 13 articles in this information packet are intended to assist individuals involved in developing plans to improve student thinking within a school or a school district. The topics discussed include (1) the need to improve student thinking, (2) obstacles that stand in the way of teaching thinking skills, (3) practical approaches to improving…

A year-long holistic study of literary responses was conducted to determine the effects of using a transactive literary paradigm in secondary school English classrooms. (The transactive--for transactional--paradigm emphasizes the reader's involvement with a text and the reader's use of personal experiences to extract meaning from texts.)…

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual basis for advocacy of an inquiry-based instructional model. Focusing on the teacher as inquirer, the paper discusses the nature of inquiry, presents its conceptual framework and describes in detail the use of question strategies in the preschool program. The definition of inquiry analyzes…

This instructor's guide for a foster parent curriculum consists of specific curriculum materials for the study of the social and psychological development of preschool children ages 3 to 5. The guide is divided into 5 parts: (1) a developmental guide to normal behaviors of preschool children and appropriate adult responses; (2) an outline of…

Intended for administrators, the handbook provides an overview to Project SOCRATES, a program for academically gifted fourth and fifth graders designed to expand academic capabilities for problem solving, creative thinking, evaluation, leadership, and the ability to adjust to change. Sections address the following areas: statement of philosophy;…

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF TEACHING READING TO CHILDREN WITH LOW MENTAL AGES, FOR EXAMPLE, OF FOUR TO FIVE, IS THAT MOST READING PROGRAMS ARE GEARED TO THE CHILDREN WITH A MENTAL AGE OF ABOUT SIX AND ONE-HALF. A CHILD WITH THIS HIGHER MENTAL DEVELOPMENT WILL OFTEN HAVE MANY OF THE BASIC READING SKILLS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED, OR HE CAN LEARN THEM QUICKLY…

THIS BOOK FURNISHES CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENT STUDY (SCIS) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. IT IS PRIMARILY DIRECTED AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS, BUT IT WOULD BE PERTINENT TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN NEW TRENDS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. THE ACCOUNT…

This paper briefly reviews criticisms directed against the Montessori method, and summarizes results of a survey of primary school teachers using the Montessori method in regular classrooms. Eight teachers, teaching daily in regular public school classrooms and enrolled in the Montessori Teacher Training Program of Buffalo on Saturdays, were asked…

This paper presents a discussion, based on current research, of what can be done to help children achieve the highest level of cognitive development (Piaget's formal operations). The four factors which Piaget found to be involved in cognitive development are discussed in relation to recent research. These factors include: (1) organic growth and…

The present study was designed to explore the possibility that exposure to the "Misterogers' Neighborhood" program might increase the likelihood of spontaneous imaginative play in preschool children who watched the program over a period of two weeks. The specific focus of this investigation was to determine whether a well-produced…

A Piagetian preschool emphasizes the child's active construction of mental images rather than passive association of words and pictures with real objects. The role of the teacher is neither to dictate good behavior nor to transmit ready-made predigested knowledge. Her role is to help the child to control his own behavior and to find things out as…

Educational experiences which facilitate the development of original thinking and learning are (1) the "open system" of education which stresses freedom at home and at school; (2) the emphasis on sensory awareness of the environment; (3) the development of curiosity and sense of wonder; (4) the growth of imaginative powers and original thinking…