Examines results of a study using the inquiry method in composition instruction. Findings suggest that writing tasks that engage students in specifiable inquiry strategies should be an important part of every writing curriculum. (RAE)

A progressive time-delay and a trial-and-error strategy were compared in teaching sight word acquisition to two children with severe behavior disorders. Observational learning was also studied. Results found direct and observed instruction both effective, and progressive time delay somewhat more effective than trial and error. (Author/PB)

This review identifies five themes of child language intervention: (1) development of augmentative and alternative communication systems; (2) provision of language stimulation to take advantage of observational learning; (3) teaching of various language functions; (4) teaching of language as a means of environmental and self-control; and (5) study…

The present study investigated the potential of modeling or observational learning in resocializing asocial psychiatric patients. Patients received one of three treatments: modeling, instructions, or attention. The effects of the treatment indicated that the modeling and instruction groups were of equal impact and superior to the attention group.…

Shows how teachers developed student self-expression and appreciation for poetic rhythm by using blues music and lyrics in the classroom. Provides examples of students' collaborative poems. (RL)

Elementary students can learn to appreciate their own and other cultural backgrounds through a four-stage process of observation. The process involves taking a careful look at home environment, participation in food exchange with classmates, observation at friends' homes and other schools, and followup discussion. (AV)

A hypothetical story suggests that were there no textbooks teachers would stretch themselves and children would learn to look into the community for answers. Argues that textbooks should be aids to learning rather than the only source of learning. (Author/DN)

A structured discourse strategy, employing child echoic imitations and adult expansion, was used to teach five autistic preschool children two-term semantic relations. The strategy increased the children's initial spontaneous imitations of two-term relations. Following the imitation increase, spontaneous productions of the two-term relations…

Eleven students of novice paddling ability were divided into two groups, one group receiving verbal, the other nonverbal, instructions on using the kayak stern rudder. The verbal group was significantly better at performing the correct sequence of movements. Results support existing research showing that observation alone does not enable the…

Provides instructional techniques, using samples from evergreen trees, to explain to school children the concept of adaptation. The techniques help children develop skills in observation, classification, communication, inferring, and predicting. A teacher's reproducible is included. (GLR)

A study involving six children (ages 5-13) with mental retardation found that overall passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling in teaching skills, and that passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling with response-contingent verbal prompting. (Author/CR)

The author's favorite way to start the new school year is to perform a science demo for students. At the beginning of the period, he discusses the importance of making accurate observations. He tells them that he will perform a short demonstration that they are to carefully watch and then record their observations. They each have a sheet of paper…

Maxims derived from recent theory in learning and instruction and from reflection on excellent practice can be applied to teacher education, not only to improve the training of prospective teachers, but also to improve their ability to teach others. Especially useful are examples from Reading Recovery, a successful literacy training program. Some…

Assigned 26 kindergarten children to either a sexual abuse prevention program which taught self-protective skills through modeling and active rehearsal (PM) or a program which taught the same skills by having children watch skills modeled by experimenter (SM). Results provide support for greater efficacy of PM relative to SM for learning of…

Utilizing four pairs of preschoolers with Down's Syndrome, the efficacy of two prompt-fading procedures (decreasing assistance and graduated guidance procedure) was compared during instruction of two self-help skills. The efficacy of observational learning was also examined. Both prompt-fading procedures and observational learning were effective…