Assessing teacher methods in relation to espoused learning objectives is the key to improving instruction and evaluation, says this principal. His article describes various ways to analyze teaching methods. (Editor)

A young beginning teacher describes the mature adult students in her first community college class.

STEPHENS COLLEGE INTRODUCED A "HOUSE PLAN" IN THE FALL OF 1960 AS AN EXPERIMENT IN USE OF THE RESIDENCE HALL AS A CENTER FOR BOTH LIVING AND LEARNING. RESIDENT COUNSELORS AND FACULTY MEMBERS WORK WITH THE STUDENTS IN ANY ONE HOUSE, INSTRUCTING THEM IN A COMMON BODY OF GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES AND HELPING THEM WORK OUT THEIR EDUCATIONAL…

Eighty undergraduate students participated in an investigation of the effects on acquisition of immediate versus 30-second delay of reinforcement under either known or unknown response contingency conditions. The students in the four experimental conditions were required to depress three buttons in proper senquence. Following a correct response,…

Under the pentagonal principle, a class is divided into groups of five (or six) to complete a discrete learning task, which is divided into five bits. Students take turns presenting the bits; if one fails, the group takes over. In this rotation, each student leads at least once in the session; the group verifies all steps. The instructor acts…

Preschool teachers need to acquire more realistic expectations and definitions of their jobs and need to learn how to observe their own behaviors. Members of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory have observed that preschool teachers offer rewards for learning that are extrinsic to the learning process (e.g., rewarding a reading lesson…

This booklet, one in a series entitled "What Research Says to the Teacher," deals with guided study and homework. The first section discusses the general topic of supervised and guided study; study methods and the psychology of learning are examined as are related factors. Section two takes up the topic of study at home: objectives of homework,…

Recent studies have demonstrated that external rewards can affect intrinsic motivation to perform an activity. Money tends to decrease intrinsic motivation, whereas positive verbal reinforcements tend to increase intrinsic motivation. This paper presents evidence that negative feedback and threats of punishment also decrease intrinsic motivation.…

In the present study the relationships between the amount of freedom given the learner in choosing a learning task and his subsequent performance and persistence on that task were investigated. (Author)

An interview with two adults who are fluent readers and writers leads to the conclusion that fluent readers get to be that way by reading, and by reading a great deal, from something of their own choosing. (JD)

Students who understand why physical activity is important are more likely to be physically active all their lives. (JD)

The case of S. Yamamura, a mentally handicapped (MH) Japanese who has become a famous artist, indicates that educators ought to concentrate upon the talents of the MH and use their interests in particular areas as a spur to further learning. (GW)

Tested the generalizability of the specificity model of environmental action to the domain of mastery motivation in infants. Found that the specificity model successfully predicted that aspects of the environment uniquely related to dimensions of mastery motivation, and that infant sex and temperament mediated the relation of environment to…

Discusses (1) how instructional objectives can become a constraint on students' learning, (2) how teachers need to help students overcome their fears about learning, and (3) the danger of fragmenting process approaches to learning into ritualized parts. (SRT)