Proposes a variety of conversational training that maximizes learner autonomy and focuses on sociocultural competence in speaking. Students recorded role-plays that required good sociolinguistic knowledge and then compared the discourse generated with native speaker equivalents. The future of conversational training at third level is discussed in…

Asserts that the debate about competency-based teacher education is in its early stages and is hampered by lack of conceptual clarity. Discusses the importance of considering competence within a framework that includes higher order thinking. Describes competence as a state where behavior, cognition, and feeling are balanced. (CFR)

Used observations and home visits to examine sex differences in language ability of 54 disadvantaged children at risk for poor language outcomes. Found that language difficulties increased over time, boys were at a constant disadvantage to girls in language development, and sex difference in language ability appeared even when families had similar…

Defines and discusses a definition of critical thinking. Maintains that college students improve their learning effectiveness when they are engaged actively and invested personally. Describes student evaluation techniques used to enhance thinking skills. (CFR)

An analysis of a 10-minute episode in which 7-year-old students (n=3) engage in collaborative small group activity is presented to explore the relationship between individual learning and group development. Students learned as they interactively constituted situations for justification or validation, yielding an institutionalized solution method.…

Results in 487 reports were integrated by meta-analysis to study characteristics of problem solvers, conditions for harder and easier problems, effects of different instructional methods on problem-solving performance, and effects of classroom-related conditions on problem-solving performance. Problem solving related positively to measures of…

An age-dependent answer-selection sequence of answers on multiple-choice tests suggested by previous studies was supported using statistical rather than clinical means. Results with 2,810 students aged 88 months through 241 months given a reading comprehension test twice during a 5-month interval support the systematically connected age-dependent…

Reports on a study of the nature of higher order thinking skills employed by high school students as they use information for writing a research paper. The study's objectives, theoretical frameworks, methodology, analysis and findings, and the implications for teaching and librarianship are discussed. (seven references) (KRN)

Examines how cognitive modeling and self-efficacy affected preservice teachers' learning of teaching strategies. Two groups of students viewed videotaped training sessions with direct instruction or cognitive modeling. They then viewed either self-efficacy or task-oriented commentaries. Results indicated significant effects favoring cognitive…

Chess experts remember meaningful knowledge in the form of networks or patterns. Applied to mathematics instruction, effective classroom approaches can use investigation to identify patterns or rules. Described are a class activity and a small-group activity to investigate addition of signed numbers and linear relationships. (MDH)

Reports on a study of two secondary teachers who used the practical reasoning or practical argument approach to classroom management. Finds that practical argument techniques can benefit teachers by providing opportunities to question and revise their theories of learning and teaching. Recommends that teacher education programs employ the…

Reviews study that found, through use of a "performance instruction" model, a significant misalignment between the cognitive complexity levels of planned course content and that which is tested. (32 citations) (YKH)

Gifted children in the preschool and primary grades may demonstrate advanced abilities in the verbal areas in several different ways. Many gifted children show precocious oral language ability by talking early and with greater complexity and manipulation of language than their age peers. Some gifted children also demonstrate precocious reading…

This study examined three groups of postsecondary students using the "Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory" (LDDI). Reasoning scale to determine if there were significant differences in their self-reported reasoning behaviors. The results indicated that none of the students self-reported a "Likely" intrinsic processing deficit. However, some…

Presently, the importance of culture and context is becoming a significant feature of research in the field of learning strategies. To date, there has been little research into learning strategies utilized for reading and writing in Asian EAP (English for Academic Purposes) contexts, and in particular in the Thai context. With this in mind, this…