Discussion of the nature of professional development in distance education conceptualizes the different forms that professional development can take and then focuses on developer-led learning. Highlights include social interaction; knowledge advantages and knowledge deficits; conflicting values; organizational struggles; and experiences at the…

Describes a project conducted with Italian lower-secondary school classes using computers and telematics for the study of contemporary history. Discusses the use of computer-mediated communication to improve collaboration between students, teachers, and experts and to foster an alternative way of studying history. (Contains 4 references.)…

Questions the teaching and learning strategies that meet the needs of children with limited English-speaking skills. Makes suggestions to determine student stages of language development depending on cognitive ability and beginning, intermediate, and advanced ability. Lists basic teaching, learning, and assessment strategies for science lessons.…

Discusses the importance of considering individual students' learning styles when encouraging them to practice their musical instruments at home on a regular basis, focusing on how to accommodate learning style preferences related to: light; time of day; persistence; nutritional intake; furniture design; practicing in pairs or small groups;…

Assessment should be focused on the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and affective aspects of lifelong learning. Both qualitative and quantitative methods such as learning and study strategies inventories, affective instruments, and learning logs should be used. (Contains 63 references.) (SK)

Reviews research on reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities focusing on studies on instruction to improve comprehension of narrative text and expository text. Discusses emerging issues in the field, including use of socially mediated strategies, teaching multiple strategies to students, and teaching specific strategies as…

Explores how university students respond to and perform in a Web-based learning environment. Examines whether technology can serve as a catalyst for reforming post-secondary education, and specifically whether it can help educators address the problem of passive learning among university-level science students. (Author/LRW)

Illustrates the use of a course focused on developing 3-D spatial skills at Michigan Technological University. Provides data to support the recommendation that some students take the spatial skills course before enrolling in the regular engineering graphics courses. (DDR)

Concept maps created by 21 adult students at 3 points were scored and students were interviewed. Maps developed thinking skills and fostered understanding of knowledge construction. Most continued to use maps after 1 year. Even those who did not continue to use them reported changes in their thinking. (Contains 15 references.) (SK)

Discusses the use of electronic mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) in education. Highlights include GIS capabilities; learning environments; how GIS helps learners; examples of GIS in elementary and secondary education; GIS use by administration; and barriers to GIS implementation, including time, training, and cost. (LRW)

Assessment of nursing students' use of the following six-step learning strategy revealed it successfully promotes critical thinking: (1) describe critical clinical incidents; (2) discuss the use of critical thinking in the incident; (3) identify implicit/explicit assumptions; (4) examine the influence of context on judgment; (5) formulate…

Invites readers to join in a celebration of the stories that are a continuous part of the author's life. Tells about her experiences with sharing stories in many different settings and situations. Includes an 8-item annotated list of books on cross-generational story telling. (SG)

Introduces a special issue of the Journal of the Learning Sciences on methodology in learning sciences. Focuses on how one begins to account for learning and the potential of a learning context to support learning. (Author/MM)

Advances a methodology for capturing and tracing the emergence, evolution, and diffusion of a practice, conceptual understanding, resource, or student-constructed artifact. Presents the Constructing Networks of Action-Relevant Episodes (CN-ARE) methodology which allows researchers to identify relevant data from a complex, evolving environment, and…

Storytelling can help campers build confidence and enhance their communication skills. Techniques include choosing a short, familiar story; learning major points and retelling in one's own words; introducing the story; practicing facial expressions, gestures, voice inflections, and body movements; and telling the story in a small group in a quiet…