Reported are some research findings that have stimulated interest in non-competitive learning, and a classroom experience in which concepts of non-competitive learning were implemented and tested. The evidence indicates that competitiveness tends to hamper the learning process, while a non-competitive situation reduces anxiety and increases…

Introduces the range of computer software currently available to aid in developing children's basic skills in reading, including programs for reading readiness, word recognition, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and learning motivation. Additional information on software and computer use is provided in sidebars by Gwen Solomon and…

Adapting teaching materials and strategies to the learning preferences of each child can make a difference in how well and how much students learn. Steps in introducing strategies based on learning styles into an elementary school are described, and recommendations are provided for initiating a learning styles program. (TE)

To better appreciate the role computer-assisted video instruction serves in education, this article examines the major features of the individual component technologies--computer assisted instruction, film, videotape, and videodisc; discusses potential effects and pitfalls of computer-assisted video instruction; and reviews research on its…

Advocates motivating chemistry students while maintaining high academic standards. The curriculum, materials, and motivation techniques used are discussed. The latter includes presenting magic shows to elementary students, decorating rooms, celebrating chemists' birthdays, performing unusual/exciting demonstrations, and others. (JM)

Research on factors affecting the aging learner, including intelligence, memory, motivation, loss of speed, and physical health is reviewed, refuting the belief that learning ability declines with age. Strategies and techniques for the education of older adults are recommended. (SK)

By exploring languages other than their own, children can learn important concepts about the nature of language. The center described here was designed to help a class of sixth graders understand that within their own structure languages assign meanings to symbols arbitrarily and to stimulate interest in the way languages operate. (Author)

A review of research on college student motivation and its relationship to learning looks at popular views of motivation, extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation, the effects of extrinsic rewards, similarities to learning orientation and grading orientation, evaluation methods, and the power structure in the classroom. (MSE)

The Inmate Editor of "The ECHO," a newspaper for 50,000 inmates in the Texas Prison System, describes teaching an illiterate young prisoner to read and write; states that the majority of inmates are barely literate; and urges teachers never to discount their own impact as role models and to infect children with the desire to know. (MLF)

A discussion of mathematics anxiety and learned helplessness in mathematics focuses on student failure and avoidance in college mathematics learning. It explores possible causes and suggests classroom activities to foster students' interest and success. (MSE)

Suggests the use of key historical antisocial acts to teach social studies concepts as a means of arousing the interest of adolescents. Recommends overcoming initial sensationalism by shifting emphasis to more appropriate interests. Includes discussion of the Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy assassinations and the Rosenberg spy case. Suggests…

Presents classroom activities using banknotes to teach history and social studies. Suggests that students' interest in money can be utilized to teach about geography, national heroes, symbolism, and the image a nation wishes to present to its citizens and the rest of the world. Lists sources for obtaining banknotes and directories to help identify…

Out of 92 New South Wales pupils identified as talented in primary schools, 3 left school before the end of year 11, and 15 failed to place in the top 25 percent on Australian Higher School Certificate tests. Affective patterns leading to inappropriate study habits and lack of motivation were gleaned from questionnaire responses. (Author/PB)

Designed for teachers of kindergarten through grade 6, this book contains practical and innovative ideas on fostering literacy generated from discussions with teachers from the United States and Canada, visits to their classrooms, and observations of their interactions with students. The book addresses all levels of learner-centered literacy…

A classroom technique for helping elementary and secondary school students of English as a second language (ESL) integrate language skills into the language arts curriculum is described. The activity, shadow play, is used as a culminating experience in a unit on the solar system, and consists of the development of dramatic scripts based on folk…