Outlines the functional standards for didactic and clinical optometric education adopted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, including specific abilities in the areas of: observation; communication; sensory and motor coordination; intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative skills; and behavioral and social…

Describes a study that investigated whether second grade students internalized content and concepts embedded in a science computer simulation as opposed to treating it as a game to be played. Discusses cognitive outcomes and processes, thinking skills, use of scientific language, transfer to other contexts, and partner and gender considerations.…

Cantonese tertiary-level students taking a general education course taught in English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were asked to rate their own English language skills development in relation to six specific areas. They were asked to identify what they had learned in relation to other aspects of the course. Responses indicated that…

Teachers require new ways of teaching, including readers' workshops, literature circles, and book clubs to promote critical thinking and positive attitudes toward reading. When teachers gather to discuss nonprofessional literature, they tap into their love of reading while enhancing their understanding of students' needs. (MLH)

Profiles a class exercise that teaches the importance of developing an accurate definition of a psychological construct (guilt, control, altruism). The more precise the definition, the easier it is to choose an appropriate technique to measure that construct. Discusses the Health and Psychosocial Instrument File, a recent measurement database.…

Asserts that literacy learning begins in infancy and that no age is too young to be read to. Recommends that parents begin reading to their children early, that they read for short periods, and that they read often. Includes a list of books for newborns and infants. (BGC)

Involvement in various college activities and educational gains of black students (n=1,200) attending a historically white institution were compared. Involvement in academic activities had a greater impact on gains of students at the black institution, and social engagement was more important for black students at the white institution. (Author)

A study of fourth-grade students with and without learning disabilities and their teachers examined students' strategic comprehension behavior and the instruction they received. Results found important differences in the way students perceive their comprehension instruction in the classroom and in the way teachers perceive how they implement…

Learning differences or disabilities can be best understood and addressed within the holistic/constructivist theory of knowledge construction and the reciprocal evolution of cognitive structures. Learning differences manifest themselves in the spirals of mental structuring activity that guide relational thinking. Such a perspective focuses on…

In a cooperative research program, classroom teachers and university researchers developed and implemented a contextualized performance-based assessment in mathematics. The assessments were intended to model what students may do in the course of daily activity and designed to assess problem solving, and conceptual and procedural understanding.…

Offers suggestions to librarians on how to teach Internet use and Web searching to beginners. Highlights include active learning, including small group assignments; Web addresses; Web site authority, currency, accuracy, commercialism, and scope; critical thinking skills; the training environment; student exercises; and educational resources for…

Reviews a variety of information models developed to provide support for student research that will help school library media specialists meet the needs of diverse learners when providing course integrated library instruction. Each model assumes learning as an active and creative process and promotes the development of critical thinking skills.…

Interactions between levels of learner knowledge in a domain and levels of instructional guidance were investigated. Inexperienced trade apprentices were presented with either worked examples to study or problems to solve. On subsequent tests, inexperienced trainees benefited most from worked examples. With more experience in the domain, worked…

Examined effects of conceptually based instruction on development of students' procedural flexibility. Students in primary schools in the Netherlands participated in one of two instruction programs: the Realistic Program Design (RPD) or the Gradual Program Design (GPD). In both programs, conceptual understanding preceded procedural skill. However,…

Examined discourse components, interaction patterns, and reasoning complexity of eighth-graders in two science classrooms as they constructed mental models of the nature of matter. Found that teacher-guided discussions were more efficient for attaining higher reasoning levels and higher quality explanations, but peer discussions were more…