Writing need not be a minefield of run-on sentences, misspellings, and trite expressions, but should serve as a powerful catalyst for learning. Teachers focusing on the writing process in various disciplines take students through prewriting activities, writing a draft, peer review of a draft, revising, editing, rewriting the final draft, and…

Describes an upper-level seminar dealing with political economy theory applied to Asia. Requirements include a short paper, a comparative article review, an in-class presentation, and a term paper. Provides a brief review of these activities and a syllabus for a 15 week course. (KO)

Traditional teaching methods are not appropriate for adults who have a bank of existing knowledge. Nonformal education must begin by finding out what people need to know and prepare materials and programs that are relevant to perceived needs. Improving adults' understanding of science and mathematics must proceed upon these principles. (SK)

An individual instruction intervention with 13 high school students with learning disabilities improved: (1) metacognitive knowledge related to generating or adapting task-specific strategies, (2) ability to generate problem-solving strategies for novel problems, and (3) students' regular classroom grades. (DB)

Discusses the recent recognition of the importance of listening comprehension in Chinese language instruction, and how extensive listening comprehension exercises can drastically improve students' listening comprehension. Describes such learning strategies as tolerating the unknown, listening for specific information, listening for the main idea,…

Reviews the premises of Leslie A. Hart's Proster Theory of brain-compatible instruction, which focuses on programs, patterns, and increasing the amount of cognitive input which students receive. Traces the foundations of the theory and presents evidence that the Hart approach leads to learning achievement. (DMM)

This article describes an early childhood self-regulated metacognition program for underachieving gifted students. Teacher and peer modeling of such strategies as think-aloud, behavioral demonstration, and cuing of steps to efficient task accomplishment are outlined, with examples. Benefits of self-regulated learning strategies are reported from…

In a study of psycholinguistic factors, 47 students' learning of German under repetition, keyword, or "own" strategy conditions was investigated. Native-to-foreign learning is shown to be easier the more the foreign language words conform to the phonological and orthographic patterns of the native language; the relationships are less…

This article describes instructional procedures for helping students with learning disabilities become more effective mnemonic keyword strategy users. The procedures involve providing a rationale, providing explicit strategy-attribution instruction, modeling strategy use with think-alouds, providing verbal practice, providing guided practice with…

Two experiments involving 114 college students were conducted to determine the potential of elaborate verbal rehearsal (EVR) as a learning strategy for high-risk college students. EVR-trained subjects performed significantly better on immediate and delayed tests, which suggests that EVR is a powerful learning strategy for high-risk students. (SLD)

Describes a study at the University of Leiden (Netherlands) that investigated whether students with different learning styles used different study strategies in a hypertext reading environment, the role of strategy regulation in strategy use, the consistency of strategy use over two different reading tasks, and use of the Inventory of Learning…

Suggests that Kuhn's study reported in this issue (PS 524 345) offers insight into how people make casual inferences, and raises important questions about these processes. (JW)

Responds that questions of study by Kuhn and others (PS 524 345) in this issue were motivated by concerns about the role of scientific thinking in general thinking, not in development of scientific reasoning. Study was meant to increase understanding of role of strategies in development, not provide definitive explanation of how strategies fit…

A survey of trainers of challenge course facilitators resulted in a list of general competencies to be included in facilitator training. Includes technical skills involving challenge or ropes courses, group initiatives and low ropes, safety and environmental issues, and program administration. Facilitation skills involve recreational, educational,…

Two experiments with a total of 37 college students showed that metacognitive training influenced strategic flexibility and metacognition of students. The studies also found it was much easier to enhance performance on closed problems than with open problems calling for creativity. (Author/DB)