The Group Embedded Figures Test and Van Tilburg/Heimlich Teaching Style Preference instrument were completed by 31 agriculture student teachers (58% over age 25). Females were more field independent than the general female population. Overall, field independence was the preferred learning style and student-centered was the preferred teaching…

Investigates how metaphor influences a reader's ability to recall information about new concepts, assimilate new concepts into existing conceptual structures, and accommodate new concepts by creating new conceptual structures. Offers support for metaphor as an instructional device for formal reasoners. Suggests that metaphor may interfere with…

Investigates differences in learning styles between men and women. Seventy-two people of different ethnic groups responded to the Learning Style Inventory (D. A. Kolb, 1976), 12 Educational Dialectical questions, and 1 question concerning learning experiences. Findings reveal that men appear to find congruence between traditional education and…

Interviews of fifth and sixth graders (n=120) found that they approached a task perceptually instead of reasoning with equivalent fractions, which they had studied in school. (Author/MKR)

Provides middle-school teachers with practical ideas for modifying the curriculum for at-risk students experiencing academic difficulty. Stresses strategies for information acquisition, information, and utilization and development of individual metacognitive skills, self-concepts, and academic independence. Methods include using verbal cues,…

To teach effectively and reach as many students with varying learning styles as possible, a combination of teaching and learning styles may be more productive than a single approach. This article presents a five-phase instructional process for integrating small-group discussion, reading and writing from text guides, and writing activities to…

Secondary marketing students (n=144) completed the Group Embedded Figures Test and Educational Style Preference Inventory. Gender differences were found in information processing strategies and on 12 of 19 conative variables representing the way moods and emotions act as filters to produce selective attention. These differences could be most…

Findings of cognitive research about teaching and learning can be applied in instruction in a number of ways: focus on core concepts, use advance organizers, teach learning strategies, allow time for practice, use interactive lecturing, be aware of learning styles, and practice such strategies as problem-based learning and case method. (SK)

Because many economically disadvantaged learners have a social learning style, vocational educators need to bridge this personality-based readiness gap to help develop advanced problem-solving skills. Students may find it difficult to gain this support in today's educational environment. (Author)

In this interview, 16-year-old Samantha Abeel, who is learning-disabled in math, describes the frustrations of dealing with seventh-grade responsibilities like locker combinations, unfamiliar teachers, and algebra. Sam is gifted in writing but didn't receive special help with math until entering a special education class in eighth grade, where a…

A survey of a French business school with multinational branch campuses received 123 usable responses supporting the proposition that cross-cultural differences exist within each of Kolb's learning cycle stages. National profiles of learning preferences were developed for French, German, Spanish, Anglo-Irish, and Eastern European learners. (SK)

For students to become proficient critical thinkers and decision makers, they must be involved in a continuous process of skills acquisition and application. This article presents and illustrates an action model (comprising perceptions, thought processes, actions, and closure) allowing middle school students the opportunity to design their daily…

Discusses the elements of thinking that need to be incorporated throughout the school curriculum and school day, including knowledge transmission; shared responsibility for thinking; and facilitating thinking through practice. (RS)

This study of 30 gifted and 30 average secondary-level readers found that both groups used the same reading strategies but with differing frequencies. There were also significant differences in how frequently some strategies were used by field-independent and field-dependent readers. Implications for teaching are noted. (Author/JDD)

Human resource practitioners must recognize the growing requirement for facilitating skills and processes, the diversity of preferred learning styles, and the importance of identifying learning potential. They must understand how barriers to effective learning can be identified, overcome, and facilitated by appropriate technology. (Author)