Discusses the role of teacher questioning in the development of a child's concepts of and about mathematics. Proposes the development of mathematical concepts and procedures in problem-solving situations through questioning that engages student thinking and decision making. (MDH)

Reviews the place of creativity in the two major orientations of art education: (1) creative self-expression; and (2) discipline-based art education (DBAE). Asserts that critics of DBAE argue that it is dry and does not allow for creative expression. Rejects this notion and claims that properly implemented DBAE produces intellectual and emotional…

Asserts that stereotypes about Native Americans may override more accurate information presented by teachers or found in textbooks. Recommends the use of children's literature to achieve recognized social studies goals. Includes a lesson plan with three tables, teaching instructions, and suggested children's literature. (CFR)

This paper describes a method of reflective practice called "critical incident" which was used to examine teacher trainees' educational assumptions. A qualitative case study of one fifth-year teaching intern (Amy) at the University of Tennessee represents the experience of seven other master's level students already practicing within the…

To suggest that activity in the classroom shift from a focus on memorizing procedures to using mathematical reasoning is to suggest a shift in the classroom environment accompanied by shifts in teacher talk. The task of this report was to introduce the idea of teachers' orienting behaviors aimed at facilitating student cognition, and to suggest…

Prior research on learning has been linked to instruction by the derivation of general principles of instructional design from learning theories. However, such design principles are often difficult to apply to particular instructional issues. A new method for relating research on learning to instructional design is proposed: Different ways of…

Elementary students (N=160, grades 2-3 and 5-6) were evaluated in a battery of four information-processing tasks, including: Inspection Time, Reaction Time, Coincidence Timing, and Mental Counters (Working Memory). Half of the children were certified as gifted in a case study analysis; the other half were selected from non-gifted programs of the…

The teacher's role in directing science activities is examined in this book. Suggestions are offered on what teachers might do with the activities and advice is given on how the activities could be used. Each of the eight chapters contains a brief summary at the beginning, a detailed review at its close, and a list of specific guidelines for…

A study investigated the reason for the high performance of bilingual children on a syllogistic reasoning task. Thirty-nine Puerto Rican Spanish-English bilingual children in grades 3 through 6 were asked to solve problems in both languages. Response times were recorded, and the subjects were asked to justify their answers to assess to what extent…

Writing and reading can be viewed as processes in which meaning is gradually constructed, and this description extends to the visual arts as well. Certain process-oriented thinking skills are inherent in both, including comprehending and composing, regenerating ideas, the application of language learning and processing. Five characteristics of…

This book presents a philosophical and pragmatic approach to the teacher's active role in fostering a developing understanding of painting in 1-11 year-old children. Cognitive processes behind children's painting are explored; each phase of imagery is seen as emerging from and building on the thought processes of the previous phase. Tasks are…

A study was designed to assess the effect of text format on the decoding and comprehension proficiency of third and fifth grade students. Subjects were 36 students at each grade level who completed a battery of comprehension and decoding measures and then read a set of four stories that had been especially constructed for the study. Each story…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 26 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) a structured and an unstructured approach to kindergarten instruction and their effects on reading readiness for the first grade; (2) effects of exposure to…

A detailed description is provided of the variable, constructivism versus behaviorism (CVSB), which is part of the analysis in phase I of the Evaluation of Practices in Individualized Schooling. The variable is defined; the questionnaires on which the variable is based are listed; the procedures used to scale the variable are explained; the…

The "cognitive clarity theory of reading" represents a resolution of the controversies about the relation between speech, writing, and reading. The work of M.A.K. Halliday suggests that learning to read and write is a natural extension of the "mathetic" speech functions, which consist of speech related to children's attempts to understand…