Four primary factors are relevant to social and cultural diversity in the college classroom: students, teachers, course content, and teaching methods. Faculty can use understanding of these factors and their interrelationships to facilitate learning in an increasingly multicultural environment. (MSE)

Reports a study that investigated the relationship among (1) teacher's attitudes and implementation of inservice workshop developed learning cycle science materials, and (2) elementary school student's conservation reasoning and language used to describe properties of objects. Data were gathered from 100 students from grades K-5 and 16 teachers…

Addresses three issues raised by Ann Irving in her article in this yearbook: the unique contributions of a librarian to the processes of teaching and learning; the deskilling of the librarian; and the future of the school library media professional. Information literacy and the influence of information technologies are also discussed. (LRW)

After discovering at least 64 percent of their students were either tactile or kinesthetic learners, educators at North Carolina elementary school began grouping kids according to their tactile/kinesthetic or auditory/visual strengths and altered reading instruction schedules every three weeks so that each group had opportunities to learn at best…

Discusses how students generate meanings for mathematical word problems, develops a generative predicational model to account for students' comprehension of word problems, and describes an empirical study of Israeli sixth graders that was designed to test the model. Talk aloud protocols of the students are analyzed, and hypotheses tested are…

Describes a taxonomy of computer user modes in distance education and identifies three major learning and behavioral processes that are extended by computers: (1) information processing; (2) interaction; and (3) communication. Highlights for each process include the relationship to other media, pedagogical functions, hardware and software, and…

Discussion of computer simulations used for exploratory learning focuses on the design of a hypothesis scratchpad that students can use for hypothesis generation and testing. An experiment with college chemistry students that compared three versions of the scratchpad is described, and the effect of the scratchpads on learning environments is…

Two key concepts in diagnosing learning disabilities ("severe discrepancy" and "process dysfunction") are reviewed, and their relationship to the habilitation of learning is discussed. Guidelines are given for calculating a severe discrepancy, and the evaluation of processing skills is discussed. Strength models of remediation…

Discusses gender differences in the use of computers in education based on a review of the literature. Highlights include prior exposure to computers; access to home computers; influences from the socialization process, including sex stereotypes; and differences in learning processes, including innate perceptual differences. (19 references) (LRW)

Presents seven scenes showing everyday classroom situations that give students the options of applying their own problem-solving strategies to solve everyday problems of life and enable them to experience mathematical power coming from self-initiated insights into mathematical concepts. (MDH)

Explores possible outcomes of using the "Professional Teaching Standards" as a set of tools to construct productive conversations about teaching. Presents a discussion taking place in the author's third grade classroom illustrating discourse in the classroom, accompanied by the author's commentary on the lesson. (MDH)

Research on college student learning styles and characteristics suggests that new, nontraditional students prefer a different kind of learning than did traditional students and that expanding the repertoire of learning activities used in college instruction can increase student learning and faculty satisfaction. (MSE)

The Transition to College Project examined how college student learning is affected by involvement of students in academic and nonacademic experiences in college, particularly outside the classroom. The students (n=132) interviewed were from four institutions serving demographically very different populations. Results suggest that nontraditional…

Discusses adult learner characteristics, explains events of instruction, and describes how the characteristics of adult learners can be merged with these events of instruction to help facilitate instruction in software use. Highlights include gaining attention; motivation; stimulating recall of prerequisite material; feedback; performance…

Relates the whole-language concept to the reference process in the school library media center and presents a model of a whole-language librarian. Highlights include selection as part of the inquiry process; books as the basis for discussion; and the media center as a model of democratic community. (Contains 27 references.) (LRW)