The effectiveness of three tutorial strategies was evaluated by experimentally manipulating the strategies used in a 2 X 3 factorial design. Two tutors taught 48 college undergraduates a basic optics lesson about "how lenses work," using three instructional methods which varied the amount of tutor control. In the lecture condition, tutors assumed…

This paper illustrates an approach to analyzing the content and contexts of inservice teacher education programs. Two inservice programs in mathematics for elementary teachers are compared. One program is part of a large urban school district's initiative to revise its mathematics curriculum. The other program is conducted by a local college;…

This annotated bibliography on mastery learning, intended for use by teachers, administrators, curriculum-planners, and researchers, covers writings and reports on the following topics: (1) research reports; (2) use of mastery learning concepts and strategies; (3) task skills analysis; (4) sequential learning; (5) learning hierarchies; (6) task…

An analysis of the rationale, concepts and procedures for designing and implementing a model of decision-making for teachers engaged in developmental research is presented. The decision-making model is conceptualized as the intersection of four sets of data sources derived from the performance of preactive/planning tasks,…

In this discussion on how teachers can encourage and develop students' abilities to think critically and creatively it is pointed out that fostering discussion in the classroom opens new avenues of thought and stimulates divergent thinking. Recommendations for helping teachers foster discussion in the classroom are: (1) making reflective…

A technique to teach cognitive skills to directly facilitate abstract and rational thinking is described. Based on George Kelly's theory of personal constructs, his Role Construct Repertory Test has students construe similarities and differences among important course concepts rather than provide individual definitions or examples of those…

The feasibility of guiding students of moderate aptitude to select appropriate learning strategies while they are learning an imaginary classification system was investigated in a study that contrasted the effect of system-assigned strategies for learning concepts with strategies selected by students. Subject-matter content was based on a set of…

In an increasingly technological society, there is a social need for designing communication technology around the perceptual abilities and cognitive strategies of people. A growing demand for information has created additional pressure on emerging communication technologies to provide electronic alternatives to the printed page. Design depends…

Ways that college faculty can increase students' learning by reducing stress are identified by three members of the University of Utah School of Medicine faculty. Consideration is given to the impact of stress on learning and the causation, recognition, and reduction of stress. The value of feedback and control, teacher-student interaction, and…

Research on the learner's role as an active participant in the teaching/learning process suggests that modified content instruction holds promise for influencing the development of second language skills. This research indicates that the effectiveness of learning depends on how the student thinks about the new task as well as on the way in which…

A study investigated the effectiveness of subliminal techniques (such as tape recorded programs) for improving public speaking ability. It was hypothesized that students who used subliminal tapes to improve public speaking ability would perform no differently from classmates who listened to identical-sounding placebo tape programs containing no…

The first part of this book deals with the beginning act of teaching, which covers the preparation of appropriate objectives, understanding of sound motivational practices, and knowledge of effective set induction activities. Part two deals with what the effective teacher must do once the lesson is underway and before it is ended. Five teaching…

This study investigated the effects of solution-oriented and strategy-oriented feedback when using interactive computer-assisted instruction. The feedback confirmed problem solving strategies that were either similar to the learner's cognitive strategies (i.e., spatial strategies) or different from the learner's cognitive strategies (i.e.,…

An annotated bibliography of 33 studies on recognition of and intervention into test anxiety (TA) for elementary school students (grades 1 through 8) is provided, and the research results are analyzed. Focus is on increasing the ability of educators to recognize students experiencing TA and to examine methods of reducing its effects. A basic…

Much research has focused on cognitive skills in isolation from daily life and from action. However, memory and thinking in daily life are not separate from, but are part of, doing. This study is based on a theoretical framework that encompasses an integrated account of mind in action. This "activity theory" holds that neither mind as such nor…