Discusses the education of future theater teachers. Describes teacher models, course content, improvisation, and the context of theater departments. (PRA)

This study evaluated performance of blind (n=17) and sighted adults on a haptic numerosity task of braille symbols in which symbol size was varied. Although blind subjects performed better than seeing subjects, the rate of learning and patterns of errors were similar, except that blind subjects did better with standard than with enlarged symbols.…

Economic progress and the networked international society make learning critical. The complex interaction between learning and economic progress involves seven processes: scientific inquiry, invention, innovation, emulation, investment, commercialization, and cumulative learning. (JOW)

Examines individual variation in infants' exploratory play with objects. Distinguishes exploratory and nonexploratory manipulative play, and shows that only exploratory play relates to focused attention and learning. Discusses resistance to distraction during focused attention, relationships between exploratory play and mastery motivation, and the…

Investigates whether pretend play is an area of advanced understanding with reference to certain skills that are implicated in both pretend play and a theory of mind, including the ability to (1) represent one object as two things at once; (2) see one object as representing another; and (3) represent mental representations. (MDM)

Examined instrumental learning in premature infants by providing 45 infants at 33 weeks conceptual age with either a teddy bear that "breathed" quietly at the infant's respiration rate (BB) or a nonbreathing bear (NBB). Over a two-week period, infants provided with the BB decreased their latency to contact the bear; infants exposed to the NBB…

Dispels some discouraging myths about authentic learning's context, mastery, originality, entertainment value, and task complexity. The main point is to let students encounter and master situations that resemble real life, which has its tedious and unengaging moments. Educators should work toward more (rather than complete) authenticity, exploit…

Discussion of learning how to solve problems focuses on instructional design models and how students construct their knowledge and learn skills. Topics discussed include conceptual knowledge; procedural knowledge and skills; knowledge representation; causal knowledge; types of knowledge and relevant skills; knowledge acquisition; prediction and…

Addresses Nelson's commentary on Ward, Vela, and Hass' study of children's category learning (both of which are in this issue). Discusses the issue of whether a holistic processing view provides a better account of children's learning than does an analytical view. (PCB)

Argues that all students be taught how to negotiate and mediate and learn the role of the mediator. Three steps in managing conflicts are examined: establishing a cooperative context; creating intellectual conflicts; and establishing a peer-mediation program. The theory and research underlying these steps are reviewed. (GLR)

Suggests that in learning and development, the process of comparison can act as a bridge between similarity-based and rule-based processing. A structure-sensitive comparison process, triggered by experiential or symbolic juxtapositions can: (1) facilitate understanding of structural commonalities and the abstraction of rules; and (2) facilitate…

Describes a connectionist, or neural network, model of musical learning that can be used to explain research by Harold Fiske in musical pattern discrimination that shows that the identification of tonal and rhythmic relationships between patterns requires varying amounts of reaction time. Discusses the model's importance for music education. (DSK)

Analyzes Vygotsky's two major types of mediation, metacognitive and cognitive, as the main mechanism of children's learning and development. Shows how this concept has influenced recent research in learning and instruction. Integrates derivative approaches to instruction. Contains two pages of references. (MMU)

Reviews feminist thought that promotes consideration of women's ways of thinking and learning. Suggests ways to include this perspective in technology education: restructuring subject matter, revising language, creating a human classroom, and integrating cognitive and affective learning. (SK)

Examines query-oriented versus document-oriented information retrieval and feedback learning. Highlights include a reunification of the two approaches for probabilistic document retrieval and for vector space model (VSM) retrieval; learning in VSM and in probabilistic models; multi-dimensional scaling; and ongoing field studies. (LRW)