Mayer and Wittrock (1996) have raised the specificity-generality issue as it applies to the teachable aspects of problem-solving transfer. Simply put, do the instructional practices that foster more efficient acquisition-learning of problem-solving strategies automatically foster more efficient problem-solving transfer? On the basis of the present…

Synthesizes findings from 36 studies that validated the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning-Style Preferences. Questions are raised regarding the validity of the model, the nature of the literature base, the interpretation of the meta-analytic findings, and the conclusions. The article concludes that the model has not been adequately validated.…

Describes the process of active learning--consolidation and internalization of information that is personally meaningful and conceptually coherent. Discusses downshifting (a self-protective response that includes reversion to routine behaviors) and the educational practices and conditions that lead to it or reduce it. Describes 12 principles of…

As one Illinois district found, using educational technology cannot guarantee that students will learn any better. Educators must first change the classroom/school ambience, work within the new high-tech environment, apply appropriate tools for using technology effectively, and connect student achievement and technology usage. (MLH)

Summarizes content analyses of verbatim transcripts of secondary chemistry lessons. Finds that the use of words with a metacognitive and metalinguistic function was generally limited in extent and simple and colloquial in expression and that the language of the enacted curriculum did not match the terminology of the official curriculum document.…

Examines the relationships and development of communities of concepts related to heat and convection among fifth grade students. Discusses the influence of familial and cultural experiences on conceptual development as well as the extent to which competing phenomena affect the development of new conceptual understandings. (Contains 49 references.)…

Applies the depth of cognitive processing construct to a social constructivist analysis of students' collaborative knowledge-building in science. Discusses the interplay of depth of sociocognitive processing with motivational, cognitive, and discursive elements of groups' interactions and the relationship between accuracy of ideas and depth of…

Examines the relative contribution of phonological short term memory (STM) to vocabulary acquisition in 5-year-old children. The results show that work span, rhyme detection and nonword repetition predict concurrent vocabulary level at age 5. When the study was repeated with same subjects one year later, span and rhyme detection again predicted…

Drawing on experience in South Africa, college-student learning difficulties are approached as problems in accessing and mastering the cognitive processes needed to develop the specific academic literacy required for the disciplines. Based on this theory, the article argues for integration of such academic development into mainstream…

Discusses a study that assessed the learning styles of students age 25-83. Finds that (1) most adults favored a structured learning environment and were not self-directed; (2) African Americans preferred to work with more environmental sound than did white Americans; (3) Hispanics displayed a preference for greater food intake while learning; and…

Language is easiest to learn before age 5. The Cherokee Nation supported production of a toy that teaches young children basic Cherokee words. When figures that come with the toy are placed into it, a computer chip activates a voice speaking the name of the figure in Cherokee. Learning takes place on visual, auditory, and tactile levels. (TD)

Examines changes in teacher education programs resulting from the World Wide Web, considers the role of education and paradigm shifts that have occurred, and describes an elementary education program at Florida State University. Highlights include changes in the teaching and learning process, assessment, learning environments, and skills and…

Reviews 11 articles on education, including: (1) "A Strategy for Helping Students Learn How to Learn," by M. McClanaghan; (2) "What Works in School Improvement?" by A. Harris; (3) "Just a Matter of Time," by F. Smith; and (4) "Selected Pre-Writing Treatments," by Brodney, Reeves, and Kazelskis. (NB)

Technology education should play a far more substantial role in schools. Defines the term technology and presents a comprehensive set of goals for elementary technology education. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/YDS)

There is an increasing development of courses and course components taught through teaching and learning dialogues online yet there is little secure knowledge regarding the educational quality of these dialogues. Drawing on contemporary sociocultural research, this paper adapts a well-established analytical framework (see Mercer, 1995) that has…