Emphasizes the importance of participatory, consultative interaction among teachers using the Conference Writing Process (CWP) in the classroom. Describes CWP as inclusive of gender, class, and ethnicity. Discusses how CWP actively involves students in talking, reading, and writing. Considers the appropriateness of this method at one high school.…

Summarizes current trends in second language acquisition research and suggests their implications for teaching. Five second language acquisition principles are presented, followed by a discussion of the relevant literature and a description of language teaching practices consistent with each principle. (SED)

Discusses the negative impact of poetry instruction based on scansion, biography, genre theory and formal principles. Describes three alternative lesson plans using imagist poetry, specifically that of Williams, because it rejects formal traditional rules and provokes student response. Concludes that students appreciate stylistic traits and that…

Considers several factors that combine to hinder a learner in the task of second language acquisition, including barriers related to culture and society and the classroom environment. Appropriate teaching strategies for Spanish classes and research opportunities are also discussed. (CB)

Keyword mnemonics compares favorably to other devices for learning words in a foreign language. The keyword approach provides both an acoustic link between a native-language word and the second-language word and an image of the keyword interacting with the native-language word or phrase. (LMO)

Reviews experimental studies and field investigations of the influence of violence in the mass media on aggressive behavior. Relates this research to recent developments in cognitive psychology. Suggests that the cognitive-neoassociationist hypothesis provides the best explanation for the overall findings and may subsume other hypotheses…

Discussion of the potential of computers in education focuses on the need for experiential learning and developing creativity in students. Learning processes are explained in light of artificial intelligence research, problems with current uses of computers in education are discussed, and possible solutions using intelligent simulation software…

Discussion of variables that affect successful completion of external degree programs focuses on a study that investigated the association between learning style and persistence among students from the University of Wisconsin System Extended Degree Programs. Literature on distance education is reviewed, and results of the study are analyzed. (35…

The "rear-view mirror" approach referred to by McLuhan refers to new media being used with the methods of older, different media. A Sens-it (SENtence- SENtence- SITuation) cell model is suggested as an effective use of interactive videodisk systems in contrast to the communicative competence approach. (Author/LMO)

Explains the constructivist theory of knowledge and discusses the theory's implications for teaching remedial college students. Analyzes student performance on a college placement test to highlight the differences between how novices and experts process scientific or mathematical materials. Suggests a radical change in introductory algebra…

Focuses on the language used by elementary mathematics teachers and its relationship to students' understanding of mathematical concepts, as well as their misconceptions. Describes eight situations in which the use of precise, formal mathematical terms could be replaced by informal language, particularly when introducing new concepts. (TW)

In this interview, author Art Costa asserts that the teaching of either content or thinking skills in isolation is unproductive. To combine these approaches, he recommends selecting content for its relationship to thought processes. He also observes that administrators who model intelligent behavior thereby create a climate for thinking. (TE)

Of great importance in large class instruction is the need to ensure that students learn how to learn. Course organization and evaluation methods grow out of a recognition of the course's learning goals. (MLW)

This study examined the degree to which student performance in constructing macrostructures in Chinese prose is affected by three text features: number of ideas, metaphoric expressions and advance organizer. Results showed that fewer ideas facilitated macroprocessing, metaphors did not influence idea organization, and advance organizer resulted in…

Argues that sufficient adaptivity in computer-assisted language learning materials for individual study can be achieved only if such programs are able to perform meaningful error analysis and fit the needs of individual learners. Other effective elements of the program include collecting information on learning and performance histories of…