The purpose of this study is to examine readers' comprehension as they develop their mental representation of reference in four sequential online texts. A total of 92 college students from three reading classes were recruited to complete the following steps in each text: (1) identify references, (2) draw the relationships between references, and…

Addressing the problems of bullying in schools, this paper presents a novel and highly innovative pedagogical approach, building on the immersive power of virtual role-play. Educational role-play is widely accepted as a powerful instrument to change attitudes and behaviour, but faces some difficulties and disadvantages when applied to sensitive…

With the shift towards the knowledge society, the change of working conditions, and the high-speed evolution of information and communication technologies, peoples' knowledge and skills need continuous updating. Learning based on collaborative working, creativity, multidisciplinarity, adaptiveness, intercultural communication, and problem solving…

Florida International University's Center for Urban Education and Innovation in the College of Education and the Algebra Project have created a model for accelerated learning for disenfranchised children. The program includes mathematics instruction using university researchers in high school classrooms, supplemented with after-school enhanced…

The Reflective Tutorial Dialogue System (ReTuDiS) is a system for learner modelling historical text comprehension through reflective dialogue. The system infers learners' cognitive profiles and constructs their learner models. Based on the learner model the system plans the appropriate--personalized for learners--reflective tutorial dialogue in…

In this paper we describe the ways that SCoT, a Spoken Conversational Tutor, uses flexible and adaptive planning as well as multimodal task modeling to support the contextualization of learning in reflective dialogues. Past research on human tutoring has shown reflective discussions (discussions occurring after problem-solving) to be effective in…

In learning the Japanese language, kanji idiom learning is as important as kanji (Chinese characters) learning. A kanji idiom intelligent computer assisted instructional (ICAI) system called JUGAME was developed. It can handle approximately 3,000 kanji idioms and has a puzzle game environment within a learning environment using Open Software…

Probability-based inference in complex networks of interdependent variables is an active topic in statistical research, spurred by such diverse applications as forecasting, pedigree analysis, troubleshooting, and medical diagnosis. This paper concerns the role of Bayesian inference networks for updating student models in intelligent tutoring…

In "Discourse in the Novel," M. Bakhtin notes that writing and speaking are both fundamentally social acts--every utterance "exists in other people's mouths, in other people's contexts, serving other people's intentions" until the writer/speaker is able to appropriate it as her own. As an institution, the writing center enacts…

This directory provides brief descriptions, addresses, and contact people for 6 learning partners, reading sites, 143 other literacy services, and 13 federal agencies that serve children and their families through READ*WRITE*NOW! (a year-round intergenerational program) and other literacy efforts. The directory provides the names of national…

This booklet describes the creation of a community education course to provide the one-to-one teacher-student ratio for adults and children who require it to learn to read and spell proficiently. The booklet begins with a discussion of arguments against establishing such a class, including: (1) parents cannot teach their own children; (2) teachers…

This paper presents the seven assessment instruments used by the Student Literacy Corps project at Fitchburg State College, Massachusetts, to document tutee progress and tutor assessment. The paper includes: (1) the Flippo Interest Inventory (for assessing tutee's attitudes toward reading); (2) instructions for the tutor to give to students on how…

Answering a variety of questions about cross-age and peer tutoring, this digest provides information on how tutoring programs are organized, how to start programs, why tutoring programs are effective, and what the critical ingredients of peer programs are. The digest briefly discusses two examples of effective programs recognized by the National…

Electronic mail-based tutoring of undergraduate writing students upsets the temporal basis of the face-to-face paradigm for writing tutorials. Taking place in real time in a specified place, the face-to-face tutorial session has a beginning, middle and end. Further, the session must have a tangible point. By contrast, in on-line tutoring, time is…

The emotional transitions basic writers have to make when they enter the academic setting can be overwhelming. Basic writers tend to have a host of problems and obstacles to overcome, not the least of which are their own anxieties. One way to alleviate some of the anxieties and insecurities is through a studio or workshop course staffed with…