It is proposed that a relational perspective on college teaching and learning provides more insight than paradigms that reduce the complex relations between students, subject content, and teaching to characteristics of instruction and students. The relational perspective links the improvement of the professional practice of teaching to research on…

Poses the theory that teaching is telling a story about the acquisition of knowledge. Explores the approaches of four composition textbooks using the pattern of heroic adventure (separation, initiation, and return) as a basis for comparison. Concludes that the implied educational values in texts should be considered conscientiously by teachers.…

Models the creation of a complex mental geographic map to illustrate the geography teacher's instructional task to students. Cites 12 elements of a well-organized geography course that emphasizes spatial analysis, synthesis, and explanation of features and patterns that give geography its uniqueness among social science disciplines. (TRS)

A simulation model of episodic memory, MINERVA Z, is applied to the learning of concepts, as represented by the schema-abstraction task. The model successfully predicts basic findings from the scheme-abstraction literature, including some that have been cited as evidence against exemplary theories of concepts. (Author/LMO)

Studies with Nootropic psychoactive drugs (such as Piracetam) suggest that Piracetam lacks significant side effects; promotes memory and learning; and improves the reading ability of dyslexics, possibly by directly affecting the left-brain hemisphere. Results are contrasted with studies showing the lack of effectiveness of intensive teaching.…

The effect of level of stereotypy on learning a discrimination was examined using a factorial design with high and low levels of stereotypy and three levels of IQ with 30 institutionalized retarded persons. Results indicated the effects of stereotypy were different across the IQ levels. (Author/DB)

Presents a model of the role of instructional feedback in learning a motor skill and identifies six levels of motor skill output, each of which has a characteristic type of feedback. The usefulness of several feedback techniques reported in the literature is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Students with learning disabilities work to avoid difficult tasks while trying to appear competent ("passing"). They also check, monitor, and evaluate their actions, a form of "metacognition." These are flip sides of the same coin of strategic interaction and are context-bound, not context-free activities. (Author/LHW)

Effects of prior knowledge and elaborate processing on retention of connected discourse were studied. Using the mean scores of the control group from each condition, derived scores were calculated for experimental groups. Results indicate prior knowledge and elaborative processing operate to diminish retroactive interference generated by reading a…

The subtleties of instruction include interpretation, interaction, and longitudinality. Instructional leaders can help teachers make decisions about how to verbally mediate students' understanding during lessons. Includes references. (MD)

Looks at the nature of introspective accounts and the usefulness of such accounts in studies of the composing process. Concludes that retrospective journal accounts are a rich source of information because they permit consideration of the complex context in which composing occurs. (FL)

Discusses the benefits and disadvantages of television as a learning medium for adults. Concludes that television's positive benefits outweigh the negative effects, provided that the medium is seen as just one part of a larger whole. (CH)

Sixty-four learning disabled sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were assigned to 24 small instructional groups that were in turn assigned at random to mnemonic and control conditions, and instructional groups were given daily lessons. Results indicated that mnemonic groups outperformed control groups on the immediate and delayed tests. (Author/LMO)

The National Association of Secondary School Principals formed a national task force on learning styles, defining them as the composite of cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that indicate how a learner approaches learning. The goal was to develop a workable diagnostic instrument leading to personalized education. (MT)

Describes research on the psychological types of word/information processing students that seems to relate to the learning process and job satisfaction. Examines characteristics of the psychological or personality types and describes how the research results have been used in the courses and in planning future research. (CT)