Analyzes four informal science-related writing tasks produced by seventh-grade students (n=374) from two schools with different socioeconomic populations. Demonstrates that students' informal writing in the science context can provide a rich source of information regarding students' cognitive and attitudinal engagement with science. (Author/CCM)

Examines how college English as a foreign or second language learners' beliefs about language learning are related to their learning strategy use. Results found that language learners' self-efficacy beliefs about learning English were strongly related to their use of all types of learning strategies, especially functional practice…

Presents a selected annotated list of recent publications dealing with technology and learning that will be helpful for school library media centers. Subject categories include research studies; research reviews and bibliographies; and non-research articles and information sources. (LRW)

Describes the development of the Statement of Relevance (SOR) for facilitating reflective learning. Discusses issues concerned with their use for assessment and outlines advantages of SORs, including the transferability of learning, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, developing skills of reflection, and raising the value of…

Presents results from two separate studies, which focused on proteges' reports of ways in which mentoring was usually arranged--as well as typical mentor roles and mentor-protege activities. Mentors were often described as "career guides" or "information resources," and the greatest percentage of mentor-protege activities belonged to an…

This review of the effects of contingency experience on development and data from a model intervention program provides evidence demonstrating how basic technology can be used to teach young children with developmental disabilities that the environment is responsive and controllable and to promote positive attentional, emotional, and motivational…

Identifies research contributing to teachers' understanding not only of what it means to teach composition but how it might be implemented in a meaningful and productive manner to improve students' writing. Concludes that a variety of meaningful writing tasks contribute to student growth, writing instruction is a shared responsibility, and the…

Relates how coaching football is like teaching writing to students. Both groups of students benefit from demonstrations by the teacher or coach and require practice and routine drills. Describes the KISS theory of "Keep it simple, stupid" and how teachers can utilize it as part of their teaching strategy. (VWC)

Sets forth strategies intended to provide classroom teachers with some options that enhance writing for all students, but also provide special needs students with the structure they need to be successful as well. Describes the writing process, which includes prewriting activities, creating a draft, reviewing and revising, editing for polish,…

Explains why it is important for chemistry educators to know about metacognition, provides some examples to illustrate main points, and discusses some instructional tools that have been employed to promote metacognition in introductory science courses. (Contains over 50 references.) (WRM)

In this introduction to a special issue on cognitive architectures and human-computer interaction (HCI), editors and contributors provide a brief overview of cognitive architectures. The following four architectures represented by articles in this issue are: Soar; LICAI (linked model of comprehension-based action planning and instruction taking);…

Presents a conceptual foundation for using concept mapping as a cognitive learning strategy and as a method for assessing structural knowledge; reviews the growing body of research related to both applications. Describes some of the conceptual and empirical limitations of concept mapping. (Author/AEF)

Demonstrates the merging of cognitive psychology, psychology of mathematics, and special education. Various models of children's addition strategies are reviewed and critiqued. Addition strategy with poor learners should be comprehensive and include interactions between strategies, knowledge, metacognition, motivation, and social factors. (MAK)

Presents an inexpensive hands-on lesson in DNA fingerprinting that can be completed in a single class period. Involves students in solving a murder in which a drop of blood is fingerprinted and matched with the blood of the murderer. (DDR)

Provides an activity in which students create small classroom factories and investigate several aspects of production including design, engineering, quality control, waste management, packaging, shipment, and communication. (DDR)