An experiment in teaching logic to fifth graders using a children's story is reported. Part one of the report develops the experiment's rationale. A lack of reasoning ability among children is perceived and several causes are suggested -- among them a reliance on reading, math, and science as vehicles for reasoning, emphasis on problem solving…

The legitimate use of authority in political and moral education is examined from a cognitive-developmental perspective. However, legitimate authoritative communications by a teacher must have the potential for reasoned elaboration. These communications then mark off the boundaries of rational and authoritative communication from non- and…

The relationship between the psychological process of social-cognitive development of elementary children and social science education is reviewed. Social cognition is defined as the ways in which children come to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. For the most part, research findings have shown that a fundamental aspect of social…

The 1972-73 annotated bibliography of the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning is arranged by revised program components and completed projects in numerical order. Entries deal with learning strategies, child development, elementary math and science, reading skills, computer applications, individualized systems, and…

The development of children's language skills was studied in an experimental research project involving programmed versus incidental instruction in a prekindergarten program. It was hypothesized that children who attended a prekindergarten with programed instruction would score significantly higher on language skills tests than would a comparable…

This a report of several studies of children's artistic behavior carried out at Cornell University with 3- to 5-year-old nursery school children. The studies involved: (1) taping comments children made while painting at nursery school; (2) determining if there was a difference in difficulty between two- and three-dimensional representations; (3)…

Field experience during teacher preparation enables the prospective teacher to observe children as they develop -- emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically. Children, at different stages of development, exhibit characteristics of behavior which may or may not affect how and what they learn in the formal classroom environment. Thus,…

Argues that communication education must cultivate in teachers the capacity to respond sensitively to teaching values. Defines the responsible teacher as one who: (1) understands structure of the discipline including the relationships among communication, ethics, and morality; (2) understands students' cognitive, social, and moral development; and…

Argues that building respect for the core value of diversity should be a prime motivation and consideration in determining the instructional programs as well as the governance of the classroom and activities of the middle level school. (SRT)

This article presents 10 practical teaching procedures to encourage students to develop formal reasoning skills. A twelfth-grade English course is used as an example. Procedures include pretesting, sequencing instruction, providing students with concrete experiences, discussing reasoning patterns and forms of argumentation, assigning argumentative…

Examines childrens' conceptual frameworks and, recognizing that they may be inaccurate, proposes such teaching strategies to aid students in modifying inadequate frameworks as: asking for ideas, listening respectfully, providing guided experiences, and encouraging discussion in non-threatening settings. Stresses learning as an active, thinking,…

Reviews theory and research on various aspects of prosocial development, discusses curricula designed to increase the ability of young children to behave in prosocial ways, and lists six factors that can be used to facilitate children's prosocial development. (RH)

Discusses psychological applications for science curriculum and instruction, addressing difficulty in learning science (Piagetian theory); meaningful learning (reformulation, application, making use of prior knowledge, learner involvement); value of practical work (acquisition of skills, enhancing learning, motivation); and affective aspects…

Provides evidence that benefits occur when friends, compared with nonfriends, are coworkers on cognitive tasks. Notes meta-analysis which found superior performance was demonstrated in the areas of seeking scarce resources, problem solving, creative activity, and reaching consensus. Argues teachers should consider giving students the opportunity…

Describes distinctions among three strands of communication in the second-language classroom: cooperative learning, i.e., a particular set of classroom techniques fostering learner interdependence as a route to cognitive and social development; collaborative learning, which views learning as a construction of knowledge within a social context; and…