Fifty-three adolescents with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation were taught reasons for dinosaur extinction. Those taught in a mnemonic elaborative interrogation condition recalled more reasons than did students who received direct teaching. Students in elaborative interrogation and mnemonic elaborative interrogation groups recalled…

First in a series of columns on helping children develop content area literacy. Promotes the 3W3H strategy, a framework of "what" and "how" questions to help students approach content-area assignments. (ET)

Suggestions are offered for implementing a collaborative approach to teaching self-questioning and applying this approach to foster the self-regulated learner. Collaborative self-questioning was used in two settings: with adults who were poor readers and with fourth- and fifth-grade students with learning and language disabilities. (SW)

Discusses the role of teacher questioning in the development of a child's concepts of and about mathematics. Proposes the development of mathematical concepts and procedures in problem-solving situations through questioning that engages student thinking and decision making. (MDH)

The Socratic method of teaching, which uses open-ended questions asked in a logical sequence, is discussed. Suggestions for structuring curriculum content around seven adult learning principles and Socratic process analysis systems for student motivation are included. (SLW)

This issue contains 12 articles that present library perspectives on information literacy. Topics discussed include critical thinking and bibliographic instruction (BI); learning style theory and reference desk interviews; teaching information retrieval to end users; library instruction for faculty; cognitive authority; question formulation…

Describes an activity in which students communicate with real science professionals. This activity requires students to develop a science question, select the appropriate scientist or science professional, and draft and send a letter. Includes tips for developing a resource list of cooperating science professionals, guiding students in developing…

Explored the relation between types of peer behavior in young children to children's level of intention understanding. Found level of intention understanding predicted types of overtures made, types of objects offered, monitoring of partner responses, partner compliance, and types of speech acts addressed to partners. (Author/DLH)

A study in a graduate-level occupational therapy class found that questions asked by teachers and the instructional format in which they were asked influenced the frequency and level of student questioning. Subjects were 5 undergraduate and 15 graduate students. It was concluded that improved classroom questioning strategies may contribute to…

Many early childhood teachers report lacking confidence to teach science. Today, science education is defined as "doing science", as opposed to memorization of facts (Seefeldt & Galper, 2002). This paper discusses developmentally appropriate practices in the context of teaching science. Knowledge of child development, individual differences and…

Inquiry training is a powerful teaching model for principals to know and teachers to implement. It is designed to teach students to engage in causal reasoning and to become more fluent and precise in asking questions. Further, inquiry training helps learners build concepts and form and test hypotheses in all curriculum areas. The current emphasis…

Extensive research in cognitive psychology and education shows that discussion facilitates "depth of processing" (Craik & Lockhart, 1972), which in turn promotes thinking, understanding, and retaining information. It is also well recognized that an effectively facilitated discussion is one of the most valuable vehicles for learning. In MBA…

This study documented how young children talked about story in a supportive environment. Participants were 22 kindergartners and their teacher, who engaged in extended talk about story after listening to a picture book or chapter from a novel. Data collected included transcripts of videotaped conversations during large- and small-group discussions…

This paper describes a program for using higher order thinking skills to improve reading comprehension. The targeted population consists of seventh- and eighth-grade junior high school students in a stable middle class community, located in a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Reading comprehension difficulties were documented through data obtained…

This paper analyzes the teaching practice of one of the authors and articulates the role of such reflexive analysis in the practice of professors of teacher education. The study extends the recommendation that teachers reflect on their practice to include the relationship between personal educational experiences of teacher educators and their…