Performance technology and instructional design are affected by the philosophical approaches of learners and teachers. The theories of constructivism (reality is constructed by individuals) and objectivism (reality is external but accessible to individuals) lead to different understandings of human cognition and affect both instructional design…

Reflects on the lessons of one life, a life lived to the fullest, to illustrate a philosophy of life experiences and learning. Discusses the importance of the quality of interpersonal relationships to student success, focusing on the theme of respecting children and taking them seriously. (SV)

Questions the theoretical assumption that experiential learning informs in fixed ways for everyone. Suggests a critical look at where we get our theoretical information, as well as at the social parameters that explain reality. Focuses on two aspects of experiential learning not adequately addressed in theory: the embodied location of experience…

Examines approaches which have been successful in creating a humorous atmosphere in a Montessori class for 2- and 3-year olds, and reviews research findings with various ages and cross-cultural comparisons that contribute to an understanding of the role of humor in children's natural development. (Author)

Examined the relation of positive affect to attention and learning in 5-, 7-, and 9-month olds. Found that at all ages positive affect was associated with long look durations and slower learning. Neutral affect was associated with short looks and faster learning. Learning was faster than expected for infants displaying both short looks and neutral…

Two studies assessed whether: (1) high levels of task-relevant metacognition would be related to good task performance; (2) some kinds of feedback (e.g., explanations) would improve task-relevant metacognition (and hence, performance) more than other kinds of feedback; and (3) some kinds of people would be more likely to seek out and use this…

To improve student understanding of protein structure and the significance of noncovalent interactions in protein structure and function, students are assigned a project to write a paper complemented with computer-generated images. The assignment provides an opportunity for students to select a protein structure that is of interest and detail…

A teacher's experience with an eight-year-old child named Aaron that pushes her understanding of language, literacy and culture to a different level is presented. This thrice-learned lesson details her professional journey of continual transformation by revisiting a story as a kindergarten teacher, a graduate student and a teacher educator.

In this study, the authors examined students' attitudes toward specific elements of an ongoing internship program. The study sample consisted of 351 student interns from 12 different colleges and universities. The results indicate that perceptions have remained relatively constant over the 10-year time frame studied and that internships provide a…

Previous research indicated that learners experience an illusion of competence during learning (termed foresight bias) because judgments of learning (JOLs) are made in the presence of information that will be absent at test. The authors examined the following 2 procedures for alleviating foresight bias: enhancing learners' sensitivity to…

This article describes the results of the first Practice Research Network (PRN) survey conducted by the National Association of Social Workers, a collaborative project funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The objectives of the PRN survey were to develop broad knowledge about social work practices and more specific knowledge about…

A student sitting in a class and listening to an instructor talk is experiencing a particular mode of instruction sensed through visual and audio channels. She is aware that she is in the center of a classroom and also in close proximity to other students. Occasionally they gesture to the instructor at the front of the room, who stops talking when…

Much attention is paid in education to assessing teaching effectiveness. Collegiate textbooks, professional development workshops, and professional journals overflow with indicators of this trait. An underlying assumption is that a primary task of teachers and coaches is to identify, develop, and reduce areas of weakness in their student athletes…

This article reports the results of an experimental study on multimedia learning environments, which investigated the impact of increasing the social behaviors of a pedagogical agent on students' perceptions of social presence, their perceptions of the learning experience, and learning. Paradoxically, in this experiment students detected higher…

Open and distance learning provide particular (and sometimes overlapping) contexts for discussions of student retention. This paper argues that the environment for learning created by distance learning tutors is a key factor in student retention, whether retention is taken to refer to student completion of a single course or student persistence…