Offers ideas for asking good questions in the classroom. Recommends that key questions be written down prior to class. Questions should clearly cue students to respond specifically and briefly. Presents examples of types of questions that have been found either to encourage or to inhibit thinking. (JS)

The article describes a multifaceted intervention program based on social cognitive theory which was used with six boys, ages six to eight, with antisocial, aggressive tendencies. The intervention addressed cognitive/affective variables, behavioral factors, and environmental conditions. Evaluation indicated the program was effective, and it has…

Discussed is the relationship of concept-mapping by students to the meaningful learning of genetics and ecological concepts. The implications of these results for teacher education in biology are addressed. (KR)

Examination of a second grade additive-bilingual (Spanish-immersion) classroom, compared to a monolingual classroom for nonverbal problem-solving and native-language development, found significant differences in problem solving in favor of the bilingual class and no significant differences in native-language development. (46 references) (Author/CB)

The constructivist approach of the Teacher as Composer project used analog experiences that replicate thinking and social demands. Classroom constraints, inservice limitations, and teacher mindsets impeded its application. Personal narratives and principles of children's thinking helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. (SK)

Study of eight teachers who participated in the Cognitive Training-Intervention Program showed students were more likely to become competent thinkers with explicit encouragement and reinforcement; teaching quality diminished when teachers did not teach what they planned nor assessed what they taught; and only three of the eight benefited from…

Outlines the rationale, resources, and techniques for teaching K-12 physical science via toys. Includes 65 references and a list of 9 mail order suppliers of scientific toys. (MDH)

The oppressive mechanisms of racism suppress the development of children of color. Teachers must critically analyze school structures; conventional notions of ideology and identity; and cultural artifacts such as ideas, ideals, language, and routines to reveal how they reproduce the racism of the larger society. (SK)

Examined effects of structured interactions in conferences and journals on the cognitive complexity of adult educators. Subjects were 11 graduate students enrolled in an educational leadership class (mentors), paired with 11 colleagues selected from student work sites (mentees). Final journal entries revealed evidence of movement toward the upper…

Two studies investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' understanding that trait can be causal mechanisms based on desires or mere summaries of behavioral regularities. Results suggested that children change from viewing traits as behavioral regularities to understanding them as internal mediators and that advances in understanding desire underlie this…

Domain theorists' findings in Piaget's work in children's moral development do not contradict Piaget because they are predicted by objective responsibility; research has not established that children distinguish between moral and conventional events. Claims that Piaget underestimated early morality are based on research that neglects children's…

Examined the relationship between phonological sensitivity and letter knowledge in 4- and 5-year-olds in a one-year longitudinal study. Found that phonological sensitivity predicted letter knowledge growth, and letter knowledge predicted phonological sensitivity growth, when controlling for age and oral language abilities. Also found that the…

Tests the hypothesis of U-shaped development in graphic symbolization that postulates similarities between the drawings of preschool children and adult artists, and the loss or suppression of the early facility in middle childhood. Confirms the existence of a decline in symbolic skills in adolescent children. Presents implications for art…

The scores on cognitive tests and school examinations of approximately 110 Kenyan children aged 6-9 years were analyzed, and a model was formulated. Certain measures of biological development and grade level are important predictors of scores on higher order cognitive tests. Household socioeconomic status is also positively associated with…

Presents a lesson plan that uses a constructivist approach for developing and challenging students' different thinking strengths. In the context of musical and bodily-kinesthetic thinking, elementary school students interpret the sounds and movements the dinosaurs made as they negotiated their primitive environments. (CR)