Suggests that problem-solving ability of science students is associated with students' ability to organize the information provided in a problem into memorizable patterns. This hypothesis, derived from research studies, is exemplified by reference to chemical problems and its educational implications. (Author/GS)

A method of study which is inefficient but used by large numbers of students taking courses in mathematics is described. The wide relevance of the problem, for subjects other than mathematics, is also examined. (MP)

A review of mathematics curriculum reform stresses the integration of new ideas with old practices in order to produce a better program. The author identifies four "basics" and examines how they relate to the curriculum. (MP)

This study investigated the hypothesis that prerequisite skills in a seriation learning hierarchy mediate positive transfer for superordinate skills. In addition, the effect of instructional conditions involving modeling combined with variations in feedback on skill acquisition at different levels in the seriation sequence was examined.…

Experiments on the cognitive and perceptual development of three- to seven-year-old Soviet children are described, especially the work of L. A. Venger, N. N. Poddyakov, and D. B. El'Konin. Visual-action and visual-image thinking are illustrated. (GDC)

Observation of practices in V. V. Davydov's laboratory school suggests that students proceed from concrete example to abstract generalization--rather than from abstract to concrete, as Davydov has claimed. (GDC)

Susan Futterman, a former teacher and early childhood specialist for Action for Children's Television, comments on changing formats for children's programs, as well as on the role of educators in using television as a learning vehicle. (Editor/KC)

Current theories about teaching children to read overemphasize use of the left brain hemisphere. Children with a right-hemisphere dominance are likely to experience difficulties unless reading experiences are planned which capitalize on right-brain characteristics: divergent thinking and creative activities, hands-on experiences, and free reading.…

The current disquiet over basic numeration is briefly discussed with reference to Piaget and Bruner and attention is focused on play as a possible vehicle for enactive representation. A program of games is described including program rationale, examples, and tentative findings. (Author/SJL)

Discusses language as a goal and a means to learning and presents strategies for in-school development of language across the curriculum in the context of consideration of effects on students. (HTH)

When a lecture course seems to be unsatisfactory, a systematic analysis of its content, objectives, and learner characteristics may prove helpful in selecting a more appropriate teaching-learning method. A model for such a process is examined. (CT)

Two consistent areas of sex differences in mathematics are pointed out, along with the variety of reasons used to explain their causes. Two studies that examined students of both sexes who had revealed high mathematical abilities are discussed, with fear of success of girls highlighted as an important factor. (MP)

Space and shape, estimating and measuring, and number are viewed as the three strands of mathematics that come together as a child develops mathematically. Five cognitive/mathematical levels of development, labeled discrimination, order, application, operation, and estimation, are identified and discussed. (MP)

Responses to criticism of the amount of theory involved in the physical education teacher's training suggest the significance and applicability of theory. The prospective teacher must understand that theoretical knowledge facilitates the ability to interpret and predict behavioral phenomena. (JMF)

If the basic operations hypothesis (EJ 184 227) is interpreted as a general principle governing acquisition of all movement rules, it may obscure the fact that children distinguish between unbounded and local rules. Error patterns support this distinction, lending credence to theories with separate status for the two rule types. (Author/RD)