This document contains two syllabi and selected handouts developed for a graduate-level course in bibliographic instruction (BI). The purpose of the course is to enable students to become familiar with the field of bibliographic instruction and to plan, implement, and evaluate a BI course within an academic setting. Attention is also given to…

This paper discusses issues related to the design of software tools that support learners in their participation in network-based learning activities. To guide the development and use of a new class of educationally-oriented network tools, this paper proposes a cognitively-based, distributed network learning framework (DNLF). This framework has…

The gap between learning and assessment is apparent both in the beliefs of children, who often see no connection between the two, and in the practices of teachers, who do not choose to use the most recently developed means of assessment. This gap stems from management theory and from learning theory. Traditional management in the United States has…

Interviews with fourth graders who had not yet received systematic instruction in U.S. history revealed that these students are interested in the past, concerned about human intentionality and cause-effect relationships, and able to construct coherent narrative accounts of historical events as they understand them. However, they lack an…

A common problem for teachers and students is that the teacher's control of the communication in the classroom limits the students' use of their language to learn. Group learning, an alternative to the traditional teacher-led classroom structure, can enhance the students' opportunity to use their language. An understanding of the following three…

This paper reviews the literature on mastery learning theory and reports its successful application since 1987 with mainstreamed special education students at one elementary school in Missouri. The methodology, originally developed by Benjamin Bloom, involves formative evaluation after initial instruction followed by either corrective activities…

The question of what schools should do about individual differences among learners is discussed with reference to the cognitive theories of Piaget. Historically, teachers were not expected to adjust to individual differences; the child who could not adapt was at fault. Around the turn of the present century, educators began to turn their attention…

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of the interaction between computer assisted instruction (CAI) and cooperative learning. The constructivist perspective is discussed in relation to other learning theories, and is emphasized as the theoretical basis for the study because of its focus on prior learning, student characteristics,…

This paper reviews the literature relative to the theory and practice of literature-based reading instruction, and seeks to bring clarity concerning the concept of literature-based reading instruction. The paper points out that from a theoretical point of view advocates of literature-based reading instruction draw upon the whole language…

The materials in this report deal with the process of children's writing and rewriting. The first section of the report describes the original methodology of a study of children's rewriting and explains how and why that methodology was changed as the study progressed. The second section provides a review of related literature, while the third,…

The projection of shadows task developed by Inhelder and Piaget was used to identify error patterns and solution strategies used by diverse populations in a sequence of proportion tasks. In Study A, two group tests were administered to 607 students from science and mathematics classes in grades 9 and 10. A sub-sample of 69 students was involved in…

In an effort to create a multilevel, interactive, and hypothesis-based model of the reading comprehension process that bridges interdisciplinary gaps in the theory of learning, this report focuses on descriptions of cognitive processes developed in the fields of cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, sociolinguistics, linguistics, and…

The analysis of conceptual issues related to the perception and use of knowledge by classroom teachers and school administrators in improvement programs, specifically in urban elementary reading programs, was the primary goal of this study. To begin, a distinction was made between knowledge sources that constitute the initial bases for program…

Based on research relating William Perry's scheme of cognitive development to foreign language proficiency, a developmental hypothesis concerning language ability is proposed. This approach suggests that lower developmental stages in the cognitive domain retard the achievement of communicative language proficiency, while higher developmental…

From a Vygotskian perspective critical thinking skills are taught through speech interactions between teacher and student. Two assumptions central to Vygotskian theory are the role of inner speech in self-regulation and how teaching creates the zone of proximal development. Inner speech allows humans to consciously direct their thought processes.…