Examines instructional design theories and elaborates principles about when learning is promoted, i.e., when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems, when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge, and when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner, applied by the learner, and integrated into the learner's…

Reports the results of an investigation into factors associated with variations in students' ability to achieve conceptual learning gains in a physics course that employs interactive-engagement methods. Explores the correlation between students' normalized learning gains and their initial level of physics concept knowledge, pre-instruction…

Presents important information for conducting authentic scientific field work. Interprets one teacher's field experience in the Pacific Northwest. Points out the need for teacher training in authentic field work and makes suggestions for starting a field ecology project. (KHR)

Reviews communication as a fundamental component in implementing a balanced and effective mathematics program. Presents a classroom episode in which students solve problems, use rubrics to rate the written response of a peer, and discuss solutions and decisions for rating their peers' papers. (KHR)

Discusses group learning on the Internet and problems of unequal participation and describes the development of a Web-based learning system called NetShare (Networked Sharing Construction Environment) that uses a cooperative-competitive learning strategy to facilitate participants' equal contributions. Reports preliminary results of a study with…

Describes the use of language analysis and speech-act categories (declarations, assertives, directives, commissives, and expressives) to deal with meaningful classroom concerns, thereby enabling the teacher and students to work more effectively together. (KEH)

This paper compares and contrasts the findings of studies on the learning styles of multicultural subgroups in the United States in terms of the categories of the Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Model. It concludes that individual rather than group characteristics must be addressed when providing instruction--regardless of cultural or racial…

The article addresses ways counselors can help students identify their personal learning style characteristics (using the Learning Styles Inventory) and implement study skills congruent with individual learning style preferences. (DB)

Discussion of the design considerations of educational software developers highlights considerations concerning educational needs. Topics discussed include interaction among learners, teachers, and software; learning processes; teachers' roles; effects of knowledge representation on learning and understanding; collaborative learning; curriculum…

Discussion of the effectiveness of learner control in computer assisted instruction focuses on a study of undergraduates at Cornell University using an interactive videodisc lesson on waterfowl identification. Opportunities for students to modify the delivery of the program are described, and the effects of student expectations of control on…

Explains the differences between successful and unsuccessful problem solvers' exploration of a problem, translation of information into different forms, approach to devising and executing a plan, and rechecking work. (RT)

Presented are four research articles and staff development activities. Included are: an activity used to stimulate discussion of the issue of balanced science; a constructivist approach to teaching electric circuits; a science grading scheme; and a discussion of priorities in science education. (CW)

One factor preventing the wider acceptance of school-based curriculum development and assessment is the problem of comparing performances of different students, in different schools. The SOLO taxonomy is used to describe the complexity of learning outcomes in a language that is generally applicable across the curriculum. (Author/MLW)

Mildly handicapped children share common educational needs and behavioral attributes. A general theory of learning outlines the characteristics of special learners and their implications for teaching. Components include expectancy of success or failure, selective attention, organization of input for storage, memory and recall, transfer,…

The effects of pictorial illustrations on memory for text were studied in 144 college students. Two experiments indicated that illustrations serve a supplementary function; adjunct pictures alone, without special processing instructions, do not help learners encode information that is not normally encoded in the first place. (SLD)