Techniques for teachers to use in asking questions and encouraging critical thinking in the classroom are offered. Discussion includes components of an effective question and methods for getting students interested, promoting success, and providing useful feedback. (MSE)

The effects of feedback (explicit correction) on the learning of morphological generalizations were studied in 79 adult native speakers of English with varying levels of proficiency in French. Among the findings was that the learning of absolute exceptions was more likely among advanced learners. (69 references) (Author/LB)

Fourteen undergraduate women (mean age 20) and 14 elderly women (mean age 70) executed a task requiring them to align a pointer with a target light in 5 positions. Elderly subjects had slower reaction and movement times. However, they were as capable as the younger women of correcting unanticipated movement errors. (SK)

Seven adults with severe to profound mental retardation participated in match-to-sample discrimination training under three conditions. Results indicated that error-correction procedures improve performance through negative reinforcement; that error correction may serve multiple functions; and that, for some subjects, trial repetition enhances…

Studies revising strategies by examining the correction-sequencing procedures implemented by 48 elementary children and 48 adults. Finds three distinct groups of subjects: those who improved the text by using one of the model strategies, those who improved the text without using a model strategy, and those who failed to improve the text. (MG)

A convenient and user-friendly method for computer-based second-language instruction (especially exotic-alphabet languages) presents a "pool" of text chunks from which the student uses a mouse to select and drag the chunks to form answers. Several types of feedback, including edit markup, may be selected; revision consists of rearranging, adding,…

A study of six adult learners of English as a Second Language provides some evidence to suggest that pushing learners to produce more accurate output contributes to acquisition. The data also demonstrate how this might be achieved through focused communication tasks. (Contains 11 references.) (Author)

This article reviews research on the revision component of the writing process with hearing and hearing-impaired or deaf students. Special issues to consider in hearing-impaired children's revision include variability of the deaf population, level of writing skill, level of reading skill, and student response to revision. (JDD)

A follow-up study by officials of the Council for Aid to Education uncovered a major error in the Internal Revenue Service's 1987 corporate-contributions data. The new figures, representing contributions from 1986 to 1989, reflect a continued but less dramatic growth in corporate philanthropy. (MLW)

Compared the effects of negative evidence versus positive input on the acquisition of irregular past-tense verb forms. Young children from two London nursery schools participated in a within-subjects design over five weeks. Results indicated that improvements in the grammaticality of child speech were considerably greater in cases where negative…

Response to criticism of oral grammar correction in second-language (L2) instruction which argues that while there are challenges and complexities in providing effective feedback, error correction should not be abandoned. Continued systematic, rigorous research to investigate whether different types of feedback are more effective, and to what…

Although most teachers use word processors and electronic mail on a daily basis, they still depend on paper and pencil for correcting their students' compositions. This article suggests some tools and techniques for submitting, editing, and returning written work electronically. (BD) (Author/VWL)

Proposes a new technique for teaching search strategies on CD-ROM databases, using common novice errors to illustrate basic search techniques. By incorporating examples of search errors, such as use of search terms that are too narrow or broad, or failure to utilize thesaurus terms, database users may more readily comprehend why searches are…

Examines the research of Morgan, Bonamo, and Travis (1995) to detect the effects of recasted error correction on children's emerging grammar. Notes that regression procedures used by Morgan and others could not discriminate between the data generated by models in which recasts totally determined grammatical learning, supplemented other learning,…

The failure of Bohannon, Padgett, Nelson, and Mark's (1996) time-series analysis to distinguish among varying models of recast function is shown to be attributable to confounding of parameters and idiosyncratic assumptions adopted in generating simulated data from these models. (MDM)