The life and philosophy of British educator Susan Isaacs (organizer of the Matting House School) and her contributions to education are examined. (JD)

The author presents information related to brain growth and intellectual capacity. Work on early adolescent (ages 10 to 15) brain growth, its effect on cognitive development, and the implications that such research has on the capacities of early adolescents to learn are discussed. (Editor/KC)

Subjects between the ages of 50 and 86 years were given portions of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery, the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Younger subjects performed significantly better than older subjects on 10 of the 18 neuropsychological measures used. (Author/BEF)

The effectiveness of observational learning in social skills acquisition was assessed with two moderately retarded adults (ages 23 and 27) who were being trained as role models with mentally retarded peers. (Author/PHR)

Several different conceptions of the relationship between learning and development are considered in this article. It is argued that dialectical and ecological developmental orientations might provide a useful basis for synthesizing the contrasting frameworks of the operant, information processing, learning theory, and knowledge acquisition…

A framework based on a series of "instructional events" is presented for planning instruction. (JD)

Explores ways to organize skills which aid in developing the reasoning process. Suggests a social studies curriculum which focuses on a skill network composed of facilitating skills (observation, classification, spatial relationships), processes (inferring, predicting, hypothesizing), and operations (communications, interpretation, social…

A study investigated the effects of intensive practice of outlines for 500 frequently occurring words on achievement in first-year Gregg shorthand classes. Achievement in recording high frequency outlines and in transcribing was elevated for both lower level and higher level grade-point-average scorers in the experimental group. (LRA)

An experiment is discussed that tested a 1975 hypothesis of Aiken, Thomas, and Shennum that a "spaced lecture" might help solve the problem of the negative of concurrently listening and writing. Results indicated that the "spaced lecture" was no better than the traditional lecture. (MLW)

The field dependent and independent dimensions of cognitive style focus on the individual's ability to perceive and manipulate a figure with or without a background. Research suggests that field dependence or independence does not significantly interact with expository or discovery teaching styles to heighten achievement. (Author/CMJ)

Advantages and disadvantages of beginning literacy instruction in the learner's native language are examined. Factors that need to be considered in choosing the language of instruction are presented. (SK)

Suggests that curriculum should not divorce content from context. It matters what we know, but it matters equally that we know when to apply it. In this respect, acquisition of knowledge is no different from the acquisition of ability. (Author/KC)

The author asserts that teachers must interest children more directly in the actual process of learning. She suggests having students keep "learning logs" in which they reflect back over their classwork and examine their intentions, observations, and feelings during the school day. She presents examples from several such student diaries.…

One hundred seventy gifted and average junior high students were administered the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to identify how students prefer to learn. Gifted Ss were more persistent, tolerated the presence of sound, and preferred learning alone to a greater extent than average Ss. (CL)

Variables in student performance--including instructional mode, conceptual approach, perceptual preference, curricular interest, time preference, and counseling needs--are discussed; and the author suggests that alternative schooling which takes these variables into account for individualization would serve gifted students as well as slow learners…