A model of the sources of differences in the learning potentials of students is presented, including group differences in learning potentials between gifted and nongifted students; interindividual differences between gifted students; intraindividual differences within one gifted student; and independent and interactive contributions of…

Reviews five books: (1) "Modularity and Constraints in Language and Cognition" (Gunnar and Maratsos); (2) "Beyond Modularity: A Developmental Perspective on Cognitive Science" (Karmiloff-Smith"; (3) "The Self-System: Developmental Changes between and within Self-Concepts" (Oosterwegel and Oppenheimer); (4)…

Seven students (ages 10-13) with learning disabilities were introduced to the write-say method, which provides immediate visual and auditory feedback following the administration of a daily spelling test. Compared to studying words on one's own, the write-say method significantly enhanced subjects' spelling accuracy in a brief period of time.…

Explores how auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and symbolic/abstract learning modalities can be applied to interpretive presentations to capture an entire audience. In addition to addressing diverse learning styles, the article discusses presentation outlines, making the concept personal, combining song, music, and drama, and using action rather than…

Experience with one young man in a school for troubled adolescents helps author understand how the application of voluntarism could help initiate troubled adolescents into a community of learners and empower them to take control of their lives. Describes the school's successful venture teaming up with Habitat for Humanity to provide work…

Reports the use of two different visual control treatments (self-controlled versus system-imposed) among students with different cognitive styles. Students in middle school were tested to determine how they learned from instructional materials generated using different design approaches. Results indicated that students with different cognitive…

Aims to optimize computer-based learning environment designed to teach how to solve word problems by incorporating an animated pedagogical agent. The agent delivered instructional explanations either textually or aurally, while simultaneously using gaze and gesture to direct focus of attention. Results indicated an animated agent programmed to…

Synthesizes findings from 36 studies that validated the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning-Style Preferences. Questions are raised regarding the validity of the model, the nature of the literature base, the interpretation of the meta-analytic findings, and the conclusions. The article concludes that the model has not been adequately validated.…

A study investigated the learning style preferences of 214 students (ages 10-17) with visual impairments and their sighted peers. Students with visual impairments more frequently preferred practical, thinking, or organized styles. Boys with visual impairments tended to prefer extroverted styles and girls with visual impairments tended to prefer…

Examined multiple modalities of nonspoken forms of representation-specifically gestures, pictures, objects, and writing-used by three teachers in three years of first grade math lessons. Students must attend to visual as well as vocal means of expressing information to gain access to all information presented in mathematics lessons. (BF)

Reviews 11 articles on education, including: (1) "A Strategy for Helping Students Learn How to Learn," by M. McClanaghan; (2) "What Works in School Improvement?" by A. Harris; (3) "Just a Matter of Time," by F. Smith; and (4) "Selected Pre-Writing Treatments," by Brodney, Reeves, and Kazelskis. (NB)

The "visual world paradigm" typically involves presenting participants with a visual scene and recording eye movements as they either hear an instruction to manipulate objects in the scene or as they listen to a description of what may happen to those objects. In this study, participants heard each target sentence only after the corresponding…

This paper discusses the enormous impact distance learning has had on traditional higher education and addresses emerging leadership roles. The writer will address and discuss qualities that are necessary for leaders and the success of their distance education initiatives. Topics discussed include critical issues relating to the evolution and…

Biology students in their first year at university have difficulty understanding the abstract concepts of photosynthesis. The traditional didactic lecture followed by practical exercises that show various macroscopic aspects of photosynthesis often do not help the students visualise or understand the submicroscopic (molecular-level) reactions that…

Purpose: This paper seeks to present final results from an exploratory research project that aimed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of different delivery modes (especially online as opposed to face-to-face) when developing leadership skills in established managers. Design/methodology/approach: This study sought to identify whether…