Discusses the importance of instruction in metacognition, the mental process of observing, evaluating, and making adjustments in one's own thinking behavior to enhance comprehension during a learning activity. Reviews educational programs which have taught metacognitive behaviors and charts a model instructional approach for use in the college…

Describes results of a meta-analysis that was performed to synthesize existing research on the effects of computer programing on cognitive outcomes. Effect size is used to evaluate studies that used experimental and control groups to assess the relationship between computer programing and cognitive skills, and outcome measures are discussed. (79…

Describes the planning and introduction of model activities that integrate subject-specific critical thinking skills through library media skills instruction. Activities for the English curriculum are described for grades 9-12 and include the roles of the library media specialist, teachers, and students. Student reactions are also described.…

Discusses authentic assessment and its possible uses in school libraries. Highlights include restructuring and authentic schools; authentic assessment techniques; motivation; increasing thinking skills; creative research products; roles of the library media specialist in authentic assessment; and an appendix with seven annotated curriculum…

Reports on a study of verbal interaction during art production experiences. Finds that teachers trained in structured questioning techniques were able to elicit significantly greater proportions of verbal interaction, inquiry-oriented questions, and student verbalizations than teachers not trained in the techniques. (CFR)

Asserts that the whole-language approach requires broader evaluation procedures most often associated with alternative assessment methods. Discusses issues related to alternative assessment, such as goal setting, portfolios, and interrater reliability, as they apply to social studies. (CFR)

Contends that aesthetics can be be made understandable and relevant to students. Describes a classroom lesson in which middle school students learned about aesthetic theory through a hands-on activity. Includes instructional procedures and suggested art works for the activity. (CFR)

Presents a lesson to help students understand the development and controversy surrounding the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. Examines constitutional amendment suggestions presented by four states represented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Includes two sets of student questions and four primary source readings. (CFR)

Middle schools must place high academic emphasis on health education and critical thinking skills which are developmentally important for young adolescents. Reasons why young adolescents should apply critical thinking to health issues include enhancing cognitive development, making health risk decisions, and preparing to be informed citizens. (SM)

An overview is provided of the nature of reflective practice as presented in pedagogical literature and of the necessary characteristics of the reflective practitioner in an educational context. Implications for the evaluation of classroom teachers are explored, and suggestions for further research are offered. (SLD)

Reviews research streams in metacognition, reading strategies, and training of reading strategies that are converging in the field of English as a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL) and impacting the teaching of English to non-native speakers for academic purposes. A research design for investigating the efficacy of metacognitive strategy…

At a time when higher education appears to be diverging from a sense of shared purpose, learning communities offer a way to maintain the balance between striving for oneself and contributing to the common good. They promote cooperation, help students forge interdisciplinary connections, empower students, revitalize the institutional environment,…

A project created tasks and tools to investigate quality and nature of 11- to 14-year-old pupils' reasoning with quantitative and qualitative computer-based modeling tools. Tasks and tools were used in two innovative modes of learning: expressive, where pupils created their own models, and exploratory, where pupils investigated an expert's model.…

Examines the appropriateness of the concept of "key skills" in higher education in the United Kingdom, as defined by the 1997 Dearing Commission report, and the processes required to achieve this ideal in the current higher education environment. The report distinguishes between high-level intellectual skills and the key skills of…

Describes a laboratory protocol using clinical veterinary data that teaches the cognitive, analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary for students in a biology core laboratory course. (WRM)