Theory and practice, especially in education and more particularly about the composition process, stand in a dialectical relationship to one another, otherwise practice gets gimmicky and theory becomes dogmatic. The role of theory is to define purposes, figure out why something works so it can be repeated, give perspective, and free teachers from…

The major claim of this paper is that teachers should acquire the skills of administering clinical interviews in order to improve their instruction. First, the concepts of teaching and learning are differentiated and analyzed. Then certain aspects of theories of teaching and learning are covered. Following that, the conclusion that a theory of…

This is one of a series that is a collection of translations from the extensive Soviet literature of the past 25 years on research in the psychology of mathematics instruction. It also includes works on methods of teaching mathematics directly influenced by the psychological research. Selected papers and books considered to be of value to the…

Research developments in learning theory over the past fifty years have led to principles of behavior which have been shown in innumerable applied settings to be valuable in analyzing and modifying human behavior. When applied to flying training using simulators, these principles suggest that a significant contribution could be made in improving…

Issues concerning the teaching of sign systems to severely communicatively handicapped persons are considered. It is explained that the differences causing severe communication handicaps will affect which aspects of language processing and which aspects of language will be affected. Suggestions are made as to why some individuals who have great…

Noting that many students appear to lack the skills necessary for composing an academic paper, this paper contends that such students may possess a field dependent cognitive style (termed "holistic") that is at odds with the needs and expectations of the college world's field independent cognitive style. Pointing out that cognitive style permeates…

This booklet contains a speech on the value of discovery learning in building a sound knowledge base. The author contends that systematic concepts (such as spatial relations) should be fully explored by experimentation and discussion in the classroom. The cognitive processes involved in solving problems are examined and examples are given of…

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE PIAGET CONCEPT OF CONSERVATION WITH REGARD TO THE CHILD'S CONCEPT OF THE PROPERTY OF LIQUIDS. AN INVESTIGATOR-CONSTRUCTED CONSERVATION INVENTORY WAS GIVEN TO 45 KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE PUPILS SELECTED FROM THE PRAIRIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, URBANA, ILLINOIS, TO PROVIDE AN INDEX OF THE CHILD'S…

THE STUDY ASCERTAINED WHETHER VARIOUS TRAINING PROCEDURES CAN INFLUENCE THE ACQUISITION OF THE "PIAGETIAN" CONCEPT OF CONSERVATION OF SUBSTANCE. EQUAL NUMBERS OF MALE AND FEMALE, CAUCASIAN, KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO FOUR EXPERIMENTAL AND TWO CONTROL GROUPS. THE TRAINING CONDITIONS WERE COGNITIVE CONFLICT, LANGUAGE…

A CLINICAL APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORY OF INSTRUCTION WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH MODERN VIEWS ON LEARNING IS PRESENTED. IN GENERAL, THIS APPROACH INVOLVES PROVIDING FOR THE STUDENTS' INFORMAL, EXPLORATORY EXPERIENCES. THE STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN THIS REPORT RELATE TO MATHEMATICS. IN SELECTING MATHEMATICAL EXPERIENCES TO PRESENT TO…

IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE CHILD, SURROUNDED BY A SEA OF WORDS, SEQUENTIALLY AND SELECTIVELY ACQUIRES THE NOUNS, VERBS, AND PHRASES OF HIS LANGUAGE AS WELL AS GESTURES, INTONATIONS AND DIALECTS OF THOSE WITH WHOM HE INTERACTS. THE RATE AND BREADTH OF THIS ACQUISITION IS INFLUENCED BY THE NATURE OF HIS VERBAL INTERACTIONS WITH THOSE CHARGED WITH HIS…

THIS PAPER SUMMARIZED THE RESULTS OF SEVERAL STUDIES CONDUCTED BY THE AUTHOR TO (1) INVESTIGATE THE GENERALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REACTIVE INHIBITION AND ACHIEVEMENT AND (2) DETERMINE FACTORS THAT AFFECT INHIBITORY POTENTIAL. THESE STUDIES WERE MADE WITH A VARIETY OF SAMPLE GROUPS. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REACTIVE INHIBITION AND ACHIEVEMENT…

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF ESTABLISHED AND INDUSTRIALLY VALIDATED LEARNING AND FORGETTING THEORIES IS OUTLINED, AND A COMPUTER-EXECUTED HEURISTIC ALGORITHM FOR SELECTING THE BEST SCHEDULE FOR SUBJECT PRESENTATION IS GIVEN. FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS OF THE MODEL INCLUDE EDUCATION POTENTIAL, TYPE OF SUBJECT MATTER, TYPE OF LEARNER, TEACHING METHODS, AND…

After expanding on the definition of advance organizers as proposed by David Ausubel, this paper offers possible reasons for the lack of strong empirical support for the use of the strategy. It then cites examples of the successful use of advance organizers with learners from nursery school through college and in a variety of disciplines. The…

The paper describes the diagnostic and prescriptive medical model used by most special educators and presents an alternative model based on the work of Jean Piaget. The author contends that the presently used model is useless both educationally and for research purposes because the teaching and learning process is more complex than the medical…