The current "Writing Across the Curriculum" movement so prevalent in the public schools is based upon the premise that writing is a powerful tool for assisting learning, from the processing of facts through the creating of personal judgments. The "writing to learn" literature draws heavily on research in the fields of learning…

Issues pertaining to thinking skills are discussed in an attempt to clarify what thinking skills are and their components, how they function and how they can be developed in the teaching-learning environment. Chapter 1 reviews the definitions of thinking skills. These definitions are selected from the current literature on education and…

This paper examines the methods used in designing school and classroom environments. The tools are labeled: (1) discipline-centered schooling; (2) empirical-naturalistic schooling; and (3) great works schooling. First, the outline endeavors to reveal the essential elements of the three tools that represent images, structures, or "maps" of…

The report examines key questions surrounding cognitive and metacognitive strategy instruction for disabled learners as a concept and in practice. The first three sections provide background information about cognitive and metacognitive strategies by defining terms, by discussing their relevance to special education populations, and by summarizing…

Publications addressing the training of learners and the improvement of learning strategies are reviewed. This literature includes materials directed at the learner himself and at teachers, who are in turn expected to pass insights on to the learners. The literature also includes both formal language training techniques and the experiential…

This series of one- to two-page abstracts highlights a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the community college. Topics covered in the abstracts include: (1) academic partnerships pairing "high-risk" students with a concerned faculty member, counselor, or administrator; (2) teacher-to-teacher learning partnerships; (3)…

This publication was developed to help teachers expand their choices for teacher-student instructional interaction. It identifies the key issues in the design of instruction and develops a common vocabulary surrounding instructional improvement. The role of the teacher as decision maker is emphasized. A description is given of the four interacting…

At Massachusetts Bay Community College a course was designed to create a transition from the process-based basic writing course to the traditional required freshman English course. WTG 100 was designed as an inquiry into academic writing, where students would learn about the various discourse conventions and expectations they would encounter as…

This leaflet describes simple techniques for developing children's ability to do well on tests, as derived from research done through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Suggestions for parents are divided into five sections: (1) Why Test?; (2) Ask the School; (3) Avoid Test Anxiety; (4) Do's and Don'ts; and (5) After the Test.…

The goal of this paper is to sketch the epistemological roots of constructivism, to clarify certain implications of Piaget's constructivist theory for science education, and to explicate the issues surrounding a specific research study and its replication. Constructivist epistemology is described in terms of its emergence from rationalist,…

A study of the effects of the Instrumental Enrichment cognitive intervention program with 41 severely hearing impaired secondary school students was conducted. Experimental and control groups were compared in regard to general cognitive functioning, problem-solving strategies, reading comprehension, and mathematics. Experimental subjects were…

This book is for both teachers in training and those already in the classroom. It covers the underlying skills necessary for curriculum development, focusing on initiating, developing, implementing, and evaluating written lesson and unit plans. In addition, the book presents a wide range of instructional strategies, from the lecture method to…

This curriculum guide is a systematic instructional strategy designed to enhance the intrinsic motivation of learning disabled adolescents. The complete strategy encompasses three major phases. Phase P (Preparing for Challenges) describes steps in preparing the classroom environment and presenting program goals to students. Phase A (Attacking…

Academic learning experiences provided during a unit on genetics were examined in this case study report of two honors biology classes. It was conjectured that the nature of students' work and how it is handled by teachers affects how students attend, how they process information, what skills they practice, how they are evaluated and ultimately…

This six-chapter document (part of a series on biology and human welfare) focuses on ecology, ecosystem management, and biology teaching. Chapter 1 discusses the basic elements of ecology (considering organisms and their environment, populations, and communities and ecosystems). Chapter 2 describes several aspects of human ecology and resources…