Describes a private, early (birth to four) therapeutic intervention center in Italy that provides short-term intensive treatment to children with severe visual impairments and possible additional disabilities. The residential program emphasizes maximum use of residual vision, vision stimulation and training, psychological counseling for parents,…

Focuses on the use of different learning modalities in elementary music classes. Describes four learning modalities (aural, kinesthetic, tactile, and visual) and discusses how these modalities can aid in children's conceptual understanding. Discusses the benefits of this approach and includes a lesson plan using the learning modalities. (CMK)

Traces the changes in the visuals used in U.S. history textbooks since the 1900s, concentrating on contemporary texts. Provides questions educators can use in assessing the educational value of textbook visuals. Critiques current textbook visuals, and suggests ways that they enhance understanding of educational information. (RW)

Discusses links between visual literacy and print literacy in the following areas: graphic organizers; propaganda; video technologies; computer use; and children's drawing and writing. Describes a semiotic-theory model, depicting relationships among not only linguistic signs and visual signs, but other signs (musical, gestural, etc.) in…

Study of (n=101) eighth-grade physical science students learning principles of plane mirrors using mirrors and Miras found that males scored significantly higher than females on a chapter test but that all students benefited when both Miras and mirrors were used throughout the learning process. (18 references) (Author/MKR)

This paper reviews research indicating that children use images to improve comprehension and production of text; argues that images and sounds can effectively bring children's cultures into the classroom; and studies how eight elementary children used a multimedia composing environment, focusing on the nature of their preferred symbol systems and…

The revival of exhibitions has been occasioned in part by a wave of renovations taking place in libraries across the country. Exhibitions of library materials promote awareness and use of library collections and can serve as a "hook" to stimulate reading. Public response to library exhibition programs in major cities is enthusiastic. (SD)

Examines one aspect of the cognitive development of preservice education students, the ability to utilize different modes of mental representation. Finds associations between the level of mathematics experience and both the ability to utilize three different modes of mental representation (enactive, visual, and verbal) and the overall use of…

Investigated the perceptual learning style preferences (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile) and preferences for group and individual learning of Southeast Asian students compared to white students. Surveys indicated significant differences in learning style preferences between Southeast Asian and white students and between the diverse…

Offers a perspective on talking about the arts to kids. States that the meaning of an art work is a negotiated transaction between the work and the viewer. Argues that students must be taught how to "see," understand, and value arts experiences that open up a new language system and new ways of understanding themselves and their world. (CR)

Discusses several philosophies of linguistics and semiotics that debate the importance of words and their relationship to signs, language as the primary modeling system, and the historical primacy of verbal versus visual communication. Describes human communication as both language-based and nonverbal, both aspects inviting arbitrary and abstract…

This case study describes Jason, a child with an autism spectrum disorder and hyperlexia. Hyperlexia is a condition characterized by precocious single-word recognition skills and weaker comprehension skills. Jason demonstrated advanced writing skills and a strong general preference for learning materials presented visually rather than orally. His…

Theorem acquisition and deductive proof have always been core elements in the study and teaching of Euclidean geometry. The introduction of dynamic geometry environments, DGE (e.g., Cabri-Geometre, Geometer's Sketchpad), into classrooms in the past decade has posed a challenge to this praxis. Students can experiment through different dragging…

Today's "out-of-school learning" is dominated by PC games, videos, and TV. These media provide children with optimal conditions for nurturing their visuospatial intelligence. In "chemistry" and biochemistry, over the past 125 years, thinking has shifted from the "logical-mathematical" to the "logical-visuospatial." In chemistry visuospatial…

Student success in solving physics problems is related to the representational format of the problem. We study student representational competence in two large-lecture algebra-based introductory university physics courses with approximately 600 participants total. We examined student performance on homework problems given in four different…