Research on learning styles has shown that students learn better when teachers plan class learning activities to fit students' learning styles. This paper describes three "ways of knowing" and discusses the role they play in "knowing the culture" of a school. The first part relates ways of knowing to the usual three domains of learning--cognitive,…

The essays in this book form a dialogue between instructional developers and learning theorists about the implications of constructivism for instructional design practice. Following an introduction entitled "Constructivism: New Implications for Instructional Technology" (Thomas M. Duffy and David H. Jonassen), the papers are divided into…

This study focused on identifying learning difficulties with a view to incorporating both understanding of those difficulties and methods for minimizing or neutralizing them in multicultural classroom settings. Discussion gives guidelines for teachers to use in analyzing student concepts and approaches to learning, particularly in the…

This paper proposes an integration of the arts into second language programs as an effective inexpensive, and creative way to serve second language learners, using Stephen Krashen's Monitor Model as a framework. An overview of Krashen's model describes its five hypotheses: (1) that acquisition and learning are separate concepts; (2) language…

General principles of history instruction at the community college level are presented in this essay. Suggested criteria for the teaching of history include emphasizing relevant, vital subject matter in ongoing lessons and units, and encouraging students to utilize primary as well as secondary data sources. Potential philosophies that the history…

This paper offers a critique of elaboration theory (ET) based on recent cognitive research and offers suggestions for updating the model to reflect new knowledge. It begins by summarizing the basic strategies of this model for sequencing and organizing courses of instruction: (1) organizing structure; (2) simple-to-complex sequence; (3) sequencing…

In the attempt to improve the quality of geometry instruction in schools, researchers and teachers alike have given considerable attention to the van Hiele theory of geometry learning and development, which proposes a series of cognitive levels through which every geometry student passes. This paper reports a study to determine the extent to which…

This paper discusses two related areas in which recent advancements in cognitive science and educational technology may affect instructional design theory. These are: (1) the analysis of information-to-be-learned; and (2) the linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The first area proposes extensions to current methods of…

This study investigated the interaction of variations in color realism on pictorial recall memory in order to better understand the effects of variations in color realism, and to draw comparisons between visual recall memory and visual recognition memory in terms of color information processing. Stimulus materials used were three sets of slides,…

Krashen's (1981) second language learning monitor model and Labov's (1978) first language acquisition monitor model are compared, and it is concluded that monitoring is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon, but is variable. It is also suggested that the ability to monitor in formal language styles may improve accuracy in less formal styles, based on…

Nonnative speakers learn to write just as native speakers do, by learning to adjust their "monitors." Teachers too often focus on form rather than on the students' interests and abilities. With the monitor working at a low level, beginning writers can use their store of acquired skills, and with the monitor level higher, they can…

This review of the findings of recent cognitive science research pertaining to learning and teaching focuses on how science and mathematics are being taught, analyzes how the presence of the computer demonstrates a need for radical rethinking of both the theory and the practice of learning, and points out that if educators fail to consider the…

While story grammar and cognitive science theories of stories state or imply that a story will be more interesting if the protagonist experiences difficulty in attaining his or her goal, neither theory considers that the importance of the goal may also affect how interesting the story is. The structural-affect theory, however, defines stories on…

A semantic web visually represents concepts and their relationships in an organized schema. It is an aid to comprehending printed material in a more concrete way through the illustration of main ideas, supporting details, and their relationships in a reading selection. A semantic web consists of four basic components: (1) a core question asked by…

Conclusions drawn from learning and memory retention research which are applicable to adult learning are provided in this brief review. Findings indicate that: (1) teaching methods which stimulate the widest variety of senses will generally be the most effective; (2) the greater the degree to which a student participates orally, the greater the…