Reexamines the pros and cons of traditional basal reader and literature-based reading programs and those based on the whole language approach. Compares and contrasts classroom teaching methods, goals, and some outcomes. Includes Venn diagram showing overlap and divergence of whole language, literature-based, and traditional basal methods. (ET)

Content analysis of task force reports on improving the undergraduate major in 10 liberal arts disciplines revealed that each discipline's epistemological character strongly influenced methodology, pedagogy, and curricular innovation, consistent with previous theory and research on disciplines. The role of these factors and pragmatic…

A discussion of socially situated learning, critical thinking, and implications for distance education looks at a study of learners' perceptions while enrolled in two different models of audio teleconference-delivered university courses. It is concluded that learning communities, which support critical thinking, can be created at a distance.…

Investigates the effectiveness of instruction in story mapping as a means to promote first-grade students' comprehension of central story elements in children's literature. Concludes that instruction in story mapping is an effective instructional strategy for promoting first-grade students' ability to identify central narrative elements in…

Identified three preschool models operating in an urban school district. Compared the mastery of basic skills and the social, motor, language, and adaptive development of 295 children who attended the preschools. Found that children in preschools that allowed child-initiated learning demonstrated the greatest mastery of basic skills. (MM)

Explores the nature of explanations used by 20 middle school science teachers utilizing the constant comparative analysis method in analyzing transcripts of classroom discourse. Discusses a subsuming categorical framework for the 10 types of explanations generated, along with examples of each type, namely: analogical, anthropomorphic, functional,…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine what influence instructional systems design (ISD) has on teachers' planning processes and how teachers implement instruction. Results were compared for teachers with and without an ISD background in areas including instructional planning time, long-range planning, daily planning, and use of…

Discusses advantages of flexible grouping over ability grouping. Maintains ability grouping is nonprogressive, and blames it for the unequal treatment of students who have a low perception of themselves. Flexible grouping is based on the use of a variety of group patterns to accommodate diverse interests, learning rates, and special styles. (DG)

Argues for a critical language awareness (LA) and for LA to be closely linked to the development of learners' practical language capabilities. The paper offers a critical evaluation of three major programmatic statements about LA: Committee for Linguistics in Education (1985); National Congress on Languages in Education (1985); and Hawkins (1984).…

Effects of acquisition of a problem-solving model on the ability to transfer to analogous problems in different domains were studied with 210 undergraduates who solved a biology problem and a transfer problem. Beneficial effects of the problem-solving model and implications for instructional strategies are discussed. (SLD)

A year-long study of knowledge development in 40 college students focused on the relationships between the historical and philosophical dimensions of the curriculum, teaching method, and quality of learning. Student exposure to the discipline's history and philosophy, discussion-based instruction, and personally meaningful topics were seen as most…

Compares teaching of engineers with teaching of policy analysts. Emphasizes similarities. Presents briefing format to be used in teaching students basics of policy analysis. Includes briefing instructions, selecting an issue, writing a proposal and briefing paper, and preparing the oral briefing. Suggests methods of evaluating students' efforts,…

This study found that 420 regular elementary and 359 special education teachers were similar in use of procedures to assist students with low achievement. Peer tutoring received the highest mean score by both groups, followed by cooperative learning. Differences in teaching practice are analyzed by age, grade level, and degrees obtained.…

Provides a case study of one Chinese boy's experience learning to read in Great Britain. Compares the formal didactic approach of the Chinese school with the developmental approach of the English reception school. Shows how many contributory factors influence student learning and argues for fuller appreciation of this fact. (HB)

Using the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) observation theme, this study compares the second-language-learning environments of elementary-level students of French in four submersion and four immersion classrooms in Montreal, Canada. Results indicate clear differences between the two environments. (Author/VWL)