This handbook is for use by content area teachers in grades three through six who want to help students improve their comprehension of both oral and written language. The first three chapters discuss the nature of comprehension and establish the general philosophical framework for the strategies and activities that make up the major portion of the…

Students' preconceptions (also called misconceptions) interfere with desired learning and resist attempts to eradicate them. By applying previous findings about misconceptions regarding the particle model for gases, a new approach was designed for teaching the subject. A "critical situation" was treated in which students in sixth and…

This multiple case study investigated the relationship between kindergarten teachers' questions and children's responses. The classroom discussions of 4 groups of children and their teachers (all middle income level) were taped and classified into five different question and response categories. Results indicated that: (1) some teachers ask more…

This study examined the relationships between fourth graders' performance on two intelligence, eight achievement, three creative thinking, three attitude, and two locus of responsibility scales and their self-reported out of school preferences for activities involving (1) peers, (2) television, (3) radio, (4) adults or parents, (5) reading, and…

The document offers suggestions for developing a Strucure of Intellect (SOI) program for gifted elementary students. An introductory chapter covers the definition of SOI, rationale for using the SOI model with gifted students, purpose of the guide, assessment of intellectual ability, preparation of the SOI prescription, classroom activities based…

A course for first-year architectural students is described. The approach concentrated on developing an understanding of the nature of design activity through exploration of the kind of thinking that may be applied in order to improve the first-year studio work. The course is based on the following premises: (1) it is possible and educationally…

To address the issue of a teacher's self image, a holistic teaching model was used at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Teachers, student teachers, and preservice students enrolled in a course featuring the Symmetrical Model. The model presents a framework for perceiving self in completeness or symmetry for consideration in an educational…

The program outlined in this manual is an interdisciplinary method of teaching required curriculum (plus additional skills) to elementary students within the framework of a series of activities that relate subject matter to real-life situations. The activities of the program are divided into four slightly overlapping phases or topic areas, each…

This study hypothesized that disadvantaged black children could achieve higher creativity scores if they were provided with stimulating experiences appropriate to psychological warm-up immediately before they were tested for figural and verbal creative thinking ability. The subjects were 105 first grade children divided into three experimental…

New social studies materials are based on inquiry modes of learning and teaching; however, little is known as to what students actually learn from an inquiry model (except for cognitive knowledge). An inquiry model and test to measure the "unmeasurable" in the social studies--namely, a student's ability to use the scientific process,…

Studies that conclude that class size makes no difference are based almost entirely on student achievement of cognitive scores, whereas those studies that find class size significant include other important factors such as creativity, decline of learning and behavior problems, better class control, problem-solving and retention, and the amount of…

Explores the following classical problem: given any 30 points on a circle, join them in pairs by segments in all possible ways. What is the greatest number of nonoverlapping regions into which the interior of the circle can be separated? Presents strategies for solving this problem. (PK)

Notes that the economic, political and social change occurring in the world is having an effect on school system administration, but that with some creative foresight, administrators can seize the opportunity to become better leaders and to make creative changes in school system policy. (JC)

It is suggested that most successful creators are polymaths, and that polymathy is essential to their creativity. This necessitates reintegrating the curriculum, emphasizing the arts and literature as equal to the sciences. The development of a common body of "tools of thought" applicable to a range of disciplines is proposed. (Author/KM)

Argues that if computers are to play a role in language arts instruction, teachers need to reflect on their programs, selecting software congruent with children's interests as well as their teaching thrusts. Suggests using shell and database programs because they allow students to work with original ideas. (SRT)