Describes how the Educational Software short course produced by the Open University Micros in Schools project trains inservice teachers to select suitable educational software for classroom use. Findings of a formative evaluation of an activity in the course in which teachers examined three commercially produced educational software packages are…

The authors review some current research on young children's writing drawn from their own unpublished observations as well as from published work and discuss the implications for classroom practice and educational policymaking. (CT)

Describes research in two different domains: novices learning programing, and school pupils interpreting Cartesian graphs. Findings in each domain are discussed, but the main focus is an examination of the extent to which general principles and issues apply across both domains. Research implications for instructional design are discussed.…

Faculty members and residents at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Nebraska were surveyed to determine whether there was agreement on a core of procedural skills that all internal medicine residents should be able to perform. Nineteen procedures were indicated by 90 percent or more of the respondents. (Author/MLW)

Describes the MENTE (Minorities Engaged in New Things in Education) program which builds migrant students' skills, confidence, and awareness of opportunities. Components include language arts, quantitative skills (science and mathematics), and personal development activities. Participants later entered college at a much higher rate than the…

Problem-based learning is argued to be the most effective means of developing students' general mental abilities, integrating academic and operational approaches to higher education, and instilling a high level of student motivation and capacity for active learning. Conditions for successful problem-based learning are discussed. (Author/MSE)

Discusses a computer program requiring students to find an object on a grid by using location coordinates. The program, which provides a wide range of problem-solving activities, is a highly motivating approach to hands-on metric measurement, rounding off numbers, and plotting points on Cartesian coordinate systems. Includes complete program…

Training medical students in physician/patient interaction skills resulted in a reduction of the number of times patients failed to show for their scheduled appointments. However, students were ambivalent about recommending the course to future students. (RM)

The author examines the present educational provision for unemployed adults, in the light of its relevance to their needs, and draws attention to the Open University's (Great Britain) work in this field. The author also discusses the effects of unemployment and assumptions about unemployment. (CT)

Concludes that middle school and high school students are rarely involved in discussions (as opposed to recitations) of their content reading assignments. Includes three sources of information for helping teachers help their students learn from text. (FL)

Describes a program in which three educational institutions collaborated to create and implement a multisensory reading/language arts program that focuses on language arts integration, sequential skills learning, and individualized instruction. (FL)

Cognitive theories of problem solving and cognitive psychologists' suggestions for teaching problem solving are reviewed. Theories and suggestions from creativity research are also considered. How high proficiency levels in problem solving are acquired and how best to teach problem-solving skills (for both well- and ill-structured problems) are…

Radio-assisted practice is a technique that allows unobtrusive communication from supervisor to trainee teacher during actual teaching activity. Further research, implications, and application to the enhancement of intelligent teaching skills are discussed. (Author/DF)

Presents an overview of findings related to preparing for employment and making a successful college-to-work transition. Reports how some educators responded to these findings and their recommendations for nontechnical skill development at the postsecondary level. (JOW)

Identifies five obstacles to effective teaching of thinking skills, including lack of consensus among teachers, lack of knowledge among teachers, mistaking of skills testing for skills teaching, teaching of too many skills in too little time, and testing that inhibits students' thinking skills. (JW)