Intended to bridge the gap between current research and theory about literacy learning and teaching and teacher knowledge of that theory and research, this book raises questions about what teachers should know about language, literacy, and learning to help children become confident, reflective, independent learners both in and out of school.…

A teaching procedure and a curriculum construction model known as the learning cycle is described in this paper and research findings are discussed. Questions investigated include: (1) would students achieve more content understanding if taught with the learning cycle or exposition?; (2) would more content retention be evident if measurements were…

Effective teaching strategies must be developed to help students bridge the gap between concrete operational thinking and full formal thinking in the content areas. Reading for meaning requires readers to categorize subjects, recognize relationships, develop and maintain a sequence of thought, recognize and understand inferences, and draw…

Because they have difficulty in processing textual material, learning disabled, limited English speaking students, and reading deficient students create special problems for all teachers. Content area teachers can help these students by using a simple three-step strategy. The first phase, labeled TALK, involves prereading, with the readers…

Four commonly used approaches to teaching English as a second language to limited English proficiency and non-English proficiency students have both advantages and disadvantages. The Natural Approach is based on children's acquisition of speech sounds and oral proficiency through spontaneous interaction in a natural environment. Although a natural…

This study develops and employs the construct, personal orientation to science learning, to study the processes by which children construct meaning as they learn science in school. The theoretical bases of the thesis are the commitments of a constructivist view of learning and the psychological framework of George Kelly's Personal Construct…

A report is given of a 3-year longitudinal study which has two strands, both of which are concerned with understanding better the complexities of teaching and learning science, knowing more of the processes by which individuals change, and understanding more of the research methodologies appropriate for these purposes. The first strand involves…

The purpose of this experiment was to compare an inquiry-oriented Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) style laboratory approach with a more directive traditional approach on student outcomes in the cognitive and affective domains of learning at two private, midwestern liberal arts colleges. Intact laboratory sections of students enrolled…

The inservice and preservice learning module described here focuses on processing procedures used by students, the objective being to help teachers to stimulate cognitive processes. Perceptual and mediational processing and associative learning are specifically covered in the module, and methods for stimulating cognitive processes are presented.…

The learning of different school subjects (history, English, poetry appreciation, creative writing, reading, elementary school mathematics, geography, and modern languages) can be evaluated qualitatively, using the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) Taxonomy. The taxonomy is structured into five major levels, with transitional…

The relationship between children's language and their knowledge of the various features of their language and their reading is examined from the perspective of several prominent theories about the link between thought and language. The first chapter contrasts features of five significant contemporary theories of language and thought--the Russian,…

THE VIEWS OF EACH OF 13 EDUCATIONAL THEORISTS ON HIS SPECIAL FIELD OF INTEREST IN EDUCATION, PRESENTED IN A SERIES OF SEMINARS, ARE STATED BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS RESOURCE BOOK, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO LA GRONE'S CATEGORIES FOR IMPROVING PRESERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION. UNDER "THE ANALYTICAL STUDY OF TEACHING" ARE THE VIEWS OF (1) B.O. SMITH…

THE EXTENT TO WHICH REDUNDANCY OF LANGUAGE AFFECTS THE DIFFICULTY OF LEARNING VERBAL MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN OF SEVERAL AGES WAS STUDIED. SAMPLES OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE APPROPRIATE TO CHILDREN OF FIRST, THIRD, AND FIFTH GRADES AND ADULTS (AS REPRESENTED BY JUNIOR COLLEGE STUDENTS) FROM SIMILAR SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS WERE COLLECTED BY MEANS OF A TAPE…

This study is concerned with the teaching of French grammar to native speakers at the elementary level and specifically considers whether or not students are psychologically ready to handle concepts entailed in the formal instruction of grammar. The sample included 5,900 students in grades 4 through 8 in French schools in Ontario. Subjects…

REPORTED IS THE DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF THREE LEVELS OF ABSTRACTION (VERBAL, SKETCH, MECHANICAL MODEL) IN THE USE OF THE CONCEPTUAL SCHEME OF EQUILIBRIUM AS AN ADVANCED ORGANIZER APPLIED TO INSTRUCTION WITH REFERENCE TO ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. LESSONS WERE TELEVISED TO CONTROL THE INSTRUCTION OF PUPILS IN GRADES 7 AND 9. THE…