This book discusses the challenge for today's schools to find the ways in which students with learning disabilities (LD) learn best and to deliver those opportunities for learning. The chapters focus on: (1) the elements of effective learning that belong in every classroom and the characteristics of students with LD; (2) theories of teaching and…

This paper examines teachers' practical theories of teaching and ways in which individual teachers participate in a social solidarity, based on Richard Rorty's idea of solidarity as clinging to one's own ethnocentrism to understand differences between right and wrong, good and bad. Social solidarity is seen as holding people together, defining…

Although research over the past 20 years has examined the dynamics of student learning, most initial studies focused on how scholastic aptitude tests and teacher rating scales predicted academic success. This study attempts to determine the relationship between scholastic aptitude and three approaches to learning: (1) presage; (2) process; and (3)…

Recent research suggests the importance of social interaction in facilitating knowledge acquisition and transfer. The theory of mediated learning experience has recently been used to develop a teacher-student interactionist model that is especially applicable to high-risk students. In this model, teachers are involved as mediators in: (1)…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of seven chemistry learning centers for use in an ongoing preschool education program. The seven centers piloted were: (1) Observing Color Changes; (2) Making Bubbles; (3) Using a Thermometer; (4) Balancing; (5) Classifying Colors; (6) Cooking; and (7) Sink or Float. All of the centers…

A program of theoretical and empirical research focusing on the ability determinants of individual differences in skill acquisition is reviewed. An integrative framework for information-processing and cognitive ability determinants of skills is reviewed, along with principles for ability-skill relations. Experimental manipulations were used to…

This seven chapter book offers guidance to elementary and secondary teachers on how to help students develop strategic study skills. Chapter 1 summarizes current knowledge about information-processing theory, the teacher's role in facilitating learning, and the necessity for changes in instructional techniques across grade levels. Chapter 2…

Jack Mezirow's theory of transformative learning has evolved into a description of how learners learn by integrating new knowledge with their existing knowledge, beliefs, and experiences. Centrality of experience, critical reflection, and rational discourse are three common themes in Mezirow's theory, which is based on psychoanalytic theory and…

This study examined whether halo error--the masking of college gains by general gains in intellectual development--influenced students' ratings of their learning and development during college. A total of 1,084 first-time freshmen at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) completed the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) during the…

This conference proceedings includes two plenary lectures by Celia Hoyles and David Henderson. Papers from working groups deal with teacher growth, dynamic algebra, and the role of proof in post-secondary education. Topic sessions from the conference examine problems, puzzles, and games; the relationships among parents, children, and mathematics;…

Experiential or work-based learning has been touted as imperative for the development of students and their preparation for the workplace. However, work-based learning does not always occur or occur to a significant extent merely because a student is in the workplace. What matters is the nature of the student's participation in workplace…

This paper proposes a theory that can account for differences between everyday and formal mathematics knowledge and a set of processes by which informal knowledge is transformed into formal mathematics. After an introduction, the paper is developed in five sections. The first section lays out the nature of informal, everyday mathematics knowledge.…

Interest is examined in relation to its role in the learning process. A broadly based model of learning is presented, and implications of the model for the educational context are considered. In the framework presented, learning involves the perception, interpretation, and storage of information about the environment under particular motivational…

Using cognitive science as a lens, this report identifies serious problems with most learning situations, maps the design principles for more effective learning, and shows how these principles relate to four policies and programs: integrating academic and vocational education, work-based apprenticeship, tech prep and 2+2, and cooperative…

Writings in the field of human development and learning in the adult years can be integrated into a simple theory. A theory is defined as a policy, hypothesis, or set of principles used or proposed as a basis for action. The adult years are defined as a time in which one makes choices with a degree of maturity and wisdom and assumes responsibility…