A correlation exists between verbal ability test scores and name identity minus physical identity reaction times in a letter matching task. The present results support Carroll's (1981) suggestion that the reaction time difference is related more to speed than power component of standardized tests and is not optimum for prediction. (Author/RD)

Reports on three studies that investigated the knowledge gained by students, ranging from grade 3 to graduate school level, from exposure to single examples of literary types. Concludes that students of all ages showed evidence of some pick up of rhetorical knowledge, although of limited complexity. Contains materials used in the study. (FL)

Investigated the efficacy of an instructional program designed to induce students to construct a mental scheme in which experimental design and natural experiments are understood as facets of the same problems and which incorporates a general solution procedure applicable to both. Results show a highly significant posttest achievement by the…

Teachers producing their own worksheets can now make ones that include questions that stimulate such higher level cognitive processes as analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing. Suggestions are given for assignments which utilize word searches and partially filled outlines in both group and individual activities. (IS)

Compares the performance of Black, Hispanic, and Anglo students on a story unscrambling task to determine if sociocultural differences in story schemata affect reading comprehension. Shows some effects suggesting that the three groups have somewhat different strategies for choosing initial and final sentences and for making narratives coherent.…

Although adult education as a field has shown interest in theories of situated cognition, it has misappropriated some of its central concepts. Proponents of situated cognition posit that learning is not something that happens in independent isolation, or just inside the head, but instead is shaped by the context, culture, and tools of the learning…

Spontaneity has been linked to high quality learning experiences in mathematics (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1992; Williams, 2002).This paper shows how spontaneity can be identified by attending to the nature of social elements in the process of abstracting (Dreyfus, Hershkowitz, & Schwarz, 2001). This process is elaborated…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter, "PLAINTalk," is the first in a four part series, reprinting chapters from Sharon and Craig Ramey's book, "Going to School." This issue presents practical and useful techniques for parents, covering the following topics: (1) How Parents Can Help Children Learn; (2) How Does Your Child's Brain Work; (3) The…

Since the advent of reform in mathematics education, writing in mathematics courses has taken on an increasingly important role. This paper discusses what one teacher has done over time to incorporate writing into calculus classes and how the techniques employed have evolved over time. The focus is on journal writing, extended exercises, and…

This study investigated how inservice teacher education on teaching thinking skills affected teachers' self-reported thinking behaviors and teaching style, focusing on similarities and differences among teachers in the U.S. and Costa Rica. A group of 28 experienced U.S. public school teachers completed 2 different 5-day training sessions in…

Recent large scale international studies have indicated that while a gender differential in mathematics performance still exists at secondary school level there are few differences in the primary school years. However there is some indication that differences exist in the use of mental strategies rather than in correctness of responses. In this…

This study is to explore the potential of Fauconnier's mental space theory in understanding the teaching and learning processes of mathematics. Notions from cognitive linguistics have been introduced to research in mathematics education recently, but there have been little studies about what potential the framework of mental space has in…

This document provides an introduction to the relationship between the current knowledge of focused and creative thinking and artificial intelligence. A model for stages of focused and creative thinking gives: problem encounter/setting, preparation, concentration/incubation, clarification/generation and evaluation/judgment. While a computer can…

Cognitive style identifies the ways individuals react to different situations. Cognitive styles include stable attitudes, preferences, or habitual strategies that distinguish the individual styles of perceiving, remembering, thinking, and solving problems. Intended for researchers, psychologists, child development specialists, and early childhood…