Considers how blind children do not receive exposure to environmental print and do not generally learn to recognize written letters of the alphabet prior to schooling in Braille. Concludes that letter learning is a major contributor to the development of phonological awareness in blind children. Suggests key similarities in the underlying…

Explores social and biological causes of male literacy underachievement. Suggests strategies for improving male literacy skills. (PKP)

Investigates 2nd and 3rd grade students' estimation of distances traveled during the summer. Uses concepts from measurement, approximation, number sense, and organizing and interpreting information. (KHR)

Presents several alternatives to customary algorithms for whole number arithmetic. Includes a brief history of each algorithm and discusses why each might be useful for particular kinds of children. (KHR)

Tests an adaptation to case-based learning that facilitates abstracting problem-solving schemas from examples and using them to solve further problems: analogical encoding, or learning by drawing a comparison across examples. In 3 studies, the authors examined schema abstraction and transfer among novices learning negotiation strategies. (Contains…

Forms a conceptual framework for studying learning in artificial environments, i.e. computer-supported simulations of natural environments. Discusses the ideas that cognition is embodied in physical activity, that this activity is embedded in a learning environment, and that learning is the result of adaptation of the learner to the environment…

Explores whether technology might transform teaching methods that could result in greater improvement in learning. Discusses how broader changes in society might influence the issue of technology integration versus technology transformation; suggests principles for a learning-focused paradigm of education; and considers the roles technology might…

Explores policies and practices that support the creation of a successful learning environment for postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Outlines the learning challenges that learning-disabled students face and discusses the legal mandate for accommodating students with learning disabilities. Outlines the pedagogical rationale for…

Notes that in order to help students with the rigors of the first year of college, many postsecondary institutions offer some form of academic assistance. Describes a program evaluation study, which aimed to determine if students changed in their personal beliefs about an academic discipline and if they changed in the strategic behavior they…

Discusses small-group apprenticeships (SGAs) as a method for introducing cell culture techniques to high school participants. Teaches cell culture practices and introduces advance imaging techniques to solve various biomedical engineering problems. Clarifies and illuminates the value of small-group laboratory apprenticeships. (Author/KHR)

Discusses reflective practice and suggests that participants in computer-mediated conferencing can be encouraged to engage in reflecting about onscreen experiences with the help of a trained moderator. Provides examples from Open University (United Kingdom) classes and concludes that reflective practice helps participants to learn online and…

A paper by Gow and Kember suggesting that higher education does not promote independent learning and that students' use of deeper cognitive processes diminishes during higher education is criticized for not considering the method, frequency, and perceived importance of evaluation and grading practices more thoroughly. Authors of the original paper…

Studies the ability of skilled and unskilled college students to underline and summarize expository prose while studying a passage for a test. Finds that skilled summarizing produced better test performance than unskilled summarizing, skilled and unskilled underlining, and a read-only control. (MG)

Examination of differences in the language-learning strategies of monolingual and multilingual adults found no clear evidence that multilinguals were superior in language-learning abilities overall, although they were more able to adjust their learning strategies according to language task requirements. (Author/CB)

Madeline Hunter's statements and teaching examples lead to a conception of teaching best described as a teacher-centered, funnel model. The Hunter lesson design may be useful to science teachers for some instructional objectives, but it cannot be expected to improve the state of science education. Includes five references. (MLH)