Developmental spelling, the pattern resulting from different strategies that children use at various stages of cognitive development, is explained and five instructional activities supported by developmental spelling research are offered, including the importance of an environment emphasizing functional use of language and of opportunities for…

Since evidence indicates that the potential for play must be developed in a child, just as the potential for thinking, it is important that teachers be aware of the need to provide a climate which is conducive to imaginative play. This article suggests steps to be taken in creating such a climate. (Author/NQ)

Cognitive neuroscience will provide theoretical foundations for areas of educational policy and practice. Educators will benefit from knowledge in the basic sciences related to brain development and function. Brain development begins at birth and the brain remains capable of complex changes throughout the lifespan. Educators will want to be aware…

The focus of this discussion is on the providing of educational experiences which will help students develop skills at various levels of learning awareness. Examples of different levels and the skills associated with them are presented. (JP)

Tested the effectiveness of a 120-problem learning set for teaching simple classification skills to blind children, as compared to a general enrichment program administered to a matched control group. The learning set facilitated mastery of classification, indicating that this training can accelerate the acquisition of Piagetian concepts in…

A review of 25 years of Piagetian research in intellectual growth as it pertains to the learning and understanding of mathematics and implications for teaching. (MM)

Describes research on Piaget's theories on the importance of exploration, use of concrete objects, and self-directed learning for children. Relates the concepts of construction and instruction to educational models and teaching roles. (DR)

Literature indicating a correlation between age/grade of students and spurt and plateau periods of brain growth is reviewed. Suggestions for teachers based on the review are provided. These include indexing learning and behavior events to brain growth spurt/plateau periods, using spurt times to introduce novel intellectual materials, and others.…

The method presented provides a systematic approach for communicating information about interrelationships between concepts taught in a psychology course. Students who did not receive the information through traditional instructional methods received enhanced scores on tests of structural understanding. Five references are listed. (MER)

Chicano mothers were observed teaching their own five-year-old children. Field-independent mothers used inquiry and praise; field-dependent mothers used modeling. Trends suggest that the teaching strategies to which the child is exposed may influence which cognitive style the child develops. (Author/CP)

The successful development of a basic movement program depends on the teacher's ability to recognize and to work effectively with varying levels of student motor and cognitive proficiency. (LH)

Examines the concept that all perceptual development seems to involve the tactile or sense of feel and attempts to comprehend this relationship. Its implications for teaching reading and for developing instructional techniques are also considered. (Author/RK)

Discusses several research efforts focusing on understanding students' attributes and validating instructional programs to improve mathematical learning and provides several instructional recommendations to assist teachers in enhancing mathematics learning for all students. (MKR)

Research on young children and their understanding and use of models indicates that they have particular difficulty understanding and using symbols that are in themselves interesting objects (have dual representation). Implications for the use of symbols for educational purposes are discussed, reviewing several commonly used symbolic objects. (SLD)

Commentary from the point of view of an applied psychologist considers the findings of five papers in this special issue on cognitive development, exploring how the contributions of each study or analysis could be used in real instruction. Some areas on which to focus applied research are discussed. (SLD)