This paper argues for an action-oriented conception of learning in higher education: one which marries higher order learning (coming to understand) with apprenticeship in knowledge work. It introduces epistemic tasks, forms and fluency as constructs that are useful in giving a more precise meaning to ideas about collaboration in knowledge…

This paper shows that so-called "threshold concepts" have been defined in a way that makes it impossible, even in principle, to empirically isolate them. It continues by proposing an alternative theoretical framework, and argues: (1) that concepts are not reducible to abilities; (2) that acquisition of a given concept can be necessary, but not…

In this article, the author reflects on her session at the 2006 conference, including the learning styles and strategies she observed. In her session, they explored some of the more unusual aspects of convex polyhedra (with regular faces), including the notions of "valence" and "species". Although the session was about shape and space, there was…

To be able to express generality one must first be able to "identify" the generality in a situation, and this is not something that comes naturally. Learning to recognise generality involves many steps. The first step is to write down a list of invariant and changeable aspects of the situation. In this article, the author describes her growing…

This study examined college students' awareness of difficulties in learning class content and selection of study strategies to address the perceived challenges. Data consisted of responses by 94 students to two survey questions on 11 weekly monitoring worksheets. Data analyses, using the constant comparative method and Chi-Square tests, revealed…

Current research evidence suggests that metacognitive monitoring decisively affects learning. More specifically, it appears to affect the learner's tasks and learning strategies. However, the way this skill can be developed in schools has not been thoroughly examined. This article discusses the development and application of an intervention…

In this strategy, students individually select and record 10 important words on self-adhesive notes as they read a text. Then students build a group bar graph displaying their choices, write a sentence that summarizes the content, and then respond to prompts that ask them to think about words in powerful ways. Several prompts are suggested, each…

The article describes a study that attempted to characterise Portuguese students' conceptions of learning and approaches to learning. A sample of university students answered open questions on the meaning, process and context of learning. Results, derived from content analysis, replicate most conceptions of learning described by phenomenographical…

The manual on problem solving was culled from a set of newspaper articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Each brief article typically suggests problem solving strategies and offers sample problems on which to test one's skill. Articles are organized into the categories of input, process, and output. The input section offers ideas about analysis,…

Six brief papers on mnemonics are given, with emphasis on increasing learning and memory skills of learning disabled students: Papers have the following titles and authors: "History of Mnemonics from Classical Times to Present" (J. Johnson); "The Keyword Method and the Keyword Vocabulary Method: (M. Prater); "Learning…

Investigated whether and how children age 5 to 7 employed counting to measure and integrate the duration of two events, which were accompanied by metronome beats for half the children. The rhythm enhanced use of counting in younger children. By age 7, most counted spontaneously, using sensible counting strategies. (SKC)

When learning is described as intentional action which is operative in both formal and informal education settings, the problem of relating ordinary understandings to academic understandings of learning disappears. Experiential learning then becomes the real business of education, not a fad. (MT)

Fifteen nondisabled children were superior in performance to 15 learning disabled Ss on transformation that required reordering or abandoning previously learned strategies. For the majority of transformation tasks, significant ability group differences occurred on the encoding and retrieval stage of processing. Results suggest that learning…

Discusses strategy-like behaviors in a memory-for-location task found in four studies of 18- to 24-month-old children. Interprets results as evidence of an early natural propensity to keep alive what must be remembered, a rudimentary version of what will later become more elaborate mnemonic strategies. (Author/CB)

This synthesis addresses the following research problem: Based on rigorous research and evaluation studies, what is the effectiveness of OST strategies in assisting low-achieving or at-risk students in reading and mathematics? An exhaustive literature search was conducted to identify both published and unpublished research and evaluation studies…