Nine- through 14-year-old girls made predictions about and performed experiments involving sinking objects. Found that children initially believed that weight alone determined an object's sinking rate, older but not younger children viewed experimentation as a way of exploring object attributes other than weight, and experimentation helped…

Portfolios give teachers insights into their students' growth not possible through traditional assessment measures. The portfolio concept is feasible if students become immersed in reading, writing, speaking, and listening and are given sufficient time, project choices, and positive reinforcement. Educators should nurture self-evaluation of…

Discussion of educational games that can be configured to accommodate changes in the structure of the game focuses on MANAGEMENT 500, a microcomputer-controlled prototype business simulation game. Three modes of learning that can be emphasized through a configurable simulation game are explained: learning by discovery, by perseverance, and by…

Describes learning processes of inquiry and discovery involving six steps of teacher-student interaction: questioning, investigating, analyzing, interpreting, understanding, and answering. Presents examples of dialogue in adventure education that illustrate four learning styles within the inquiry/discovery approach: guided, shared, consultative,…

The recent Carvo/Chall phonics debate (in the September and November "Kappan" issues) reduces children's early literacy development to a battle over methods. Reductionist disagreements and simplistic notions about complex behaviors must yield to a theoretically grounded, unified approach to literacy learning and instructional practices.…

Presents a hypothetical instructional dialogue which illustrates the vocabulary, syntax, and style of Terrapin Music Logo, and shows how that dialect might be used to explore the concept of repetition in musical form. The educational philosophy of Logo is examined, and computer-aided discovery learning in music theory is illustrated. (eight…

In three experiments, three normal preschoolers were presented with sorting tasks ordinarily insoluble for four-year-olds. Found that, although the subjects had difficulty correctly sorting the pictures when told what criterion to sort by, they could provide correct answers when asked what they were looking for. This self-instructional effect was…

Research affirms that preschoolers learn best when following their natural dispositions to explore, wonder, question, create, and play. Preschoolers attending early education programs should not be treated like smaller versions of older kids. They need a well-equipped classroom with an ambience that fosters their social and emotional development.…

A mathematician who has been teaching for 58 years discusses 3 types of knowledge that are subjects for teaching or learning (what, how, and why) and why teaching must include problem solving or the use of the Socratic, Moore, or discovery method. (MKR)

Discusses a teaching method used by the author in his college sociology classes. Describes a method of active learning in which students are encouraged to discover interrelationships of parts and wholes on their own. Compares this discovery method to the Montessori method used in elementary education. (DK)

This article is an historical review of the genesis, the subsequent promulgation, and the eventual demise into the present pejorative status of the phenomenon called New Math. Examples of New Math concepts are included. (JJK)

Describes projects of the School of Social Work at Central America University, Nicaragua: (1) development of a postgraduate course for professionals; (2) discovery learning and participatory action research in a fishing village; and (3) application of participatory approaches to rural development. (SK)

Ideas for the development of creative exploration in mathematics are offered, including games to play in class (e.g., card games and tangrams), competitions (sample problems), clubs and math evenings (math relays and treasure hunts), projects (possible topics in patchwork quilting, art, and music), and math camps. (DB)

Discusses the mathematics education philosophy of J. W. A. Young and how it compares to the principles in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematic's "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics." Elaborates on Young's views concerning rote learning, establishing connections between mathematics and other disciplines,…