Presents some thoughts on using "dichos" (or sayings of students) to develop literacy skills. Suggests that drawing on the knowledge bases of learners in classrooms not only entices them to participate in the curriculum but also makes the necessary connections between home and school. (RS)

Offers teachers five suggestions for guiding classroom reading practice: (1) develop and maximize prior knowledge; (2) use familiar materials that are interesting and meaningful; (3) model fast, fluent reading; (4) accept all efforts; and (5) expect success of all students. Finds that teachers can facilitate reading as a meaning-making process or…

The Degree of Experience is a program for accrediting prior learning (APL) at a London university. Advantages for students lacking entry qualifications include admission criteria stated in terms of skills, knowledge, and ability (SKA) rather than credentials; accurate SKA profiles for diagnosing weaknesses; and integration of APL into admissions…

The Educational Development and Assessment System in a Dutch university's vocational education program involves student-directed, self-regulated evaluation methods and integrates assessment with instruction. Evaluation focuses on competencies and portfolio assessments. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Presents a model of reading comprehension development from a cognitive perspective. Employs structural equation analytical methods to evaluate within- and cross-grade relations among theoretically relevant variables. Finds phonemic knowledge drives comprehension for grades two and three; background knowledge has its greatest effect in grades three…

Examines the influence of prior knowledge on expert readers' strategies to identify and state a text's main idea. Identifies three methods of constructing the main idea: automatic construction; draft-and-revision; and topic/comment. Concludes that expert readers' construction of the main idea is often a mediated, strategic task. (RS)

Examines the effect of headings on memory as a function of readers' preexisting knowledge of passage topic. Employs a multiple-choice retention test. Finds that headings facilitate recognition memory by activating schemas and that such organizational effects of headings benefit main-idea information more than detail information. (RS)

Examines the interrelationships between cinematic and literary works in terms of possible responses, or the possible worlds created when children encounter and create literary discourse. Notes that these responses reflect previous encounters with literature, film, and life. (MM)

Argues that the use of visuals specifically designed to complement printed instruction can significantly improve student achievement of certain types of educational objectives, but that visualization itself represents only a mild rehearsal strategy which will not always optimize student achievement of the more complex levels of learning. (RS)

This paper discusses recent research on second-language learning and argues that "prior knowledge" does not necessarily constitute the basis of comprehension in second-language learning, that "comprehended input" does not have to be "learner-controlled," and that "input" and "intake" are not necessarily two fundamentally different phenomena.…

Investigates how metaphor influences a reader's ability to recall information about new concepts, assimilate new concepts into existing conceptual structures, and accommodate new concepts by creating new conceptual structures. Offers support for metaphor as an instructional device for formal reasoners. Suggests that metaphor may interfere with…

Discusses the importance of teacher planning for effective second language instruction, focusing on preplanning analysis, textbook adaptation, and lesson planning. Teachers need to be aware of what their students already know and what they need to know in order to understand the new material. (two references) (MDM)

Presents a refined form of a personal theory of learning that examines two distinct parts of the complex interaction between a learner's internal mental structures and his or her world of experience. (Author/MKR)

Chippenham College (Great Britain) meets the needs of local armed services personnel with programs incorporating accreditation for prior learning within the framework of the National Vocational Qualifications. One aim is helping service personnel with transition to civilian employment. (SK)

Suggests that adults learn more easily when material is linked to knowledge that they already have. Offers tools such as structured overviews, effective graphics, and conceptual maps and discusses the use of case studies in corporate training. (JOW)