Students (n=105) enrolled in a college remedial mathematics course participated in a one-semester experiment to determine whether cooperative learning would help students increase their problem-solving skills in mathematics. Results indicated significant differences in favor of students using cooperative learning in solving word problems in…

Argues that teaching about gender relations as a means of structuring social institutions and the division of space and behavior remains marginal in geographical teaching. Describes the role of gender in (1) urban geography; (2) locality studies; (3) development studies; (4) theory and method; (5) culture and environment; and (6) political…

Cites results of studies showing that students' language skills are not deteriorating. Suggests using class time for writing workshops to give students feedback on work-in-progress. Considers that difficulty with concepts and subject content may come across as poor writing. Notes that additional writing can be helpful without being graded. (DK)

Emphasizes writing a dissertation in undergraduate geography study as a means of giving the student some control over subject matter. Offers criteria for selecting a topic including originality, topicality, feasibility, and likelihood of sustaining student interest. Warns that choices by academic supervisors may be made with regard to grant money…

Describes the structure and organization of a research and training program focusing on urban poverty and social welfare policy. Explains that the program trains undergraduates in the theory and empirical analysis of issues in poverty research. Notes that students must develop and present a plan of service to a local social service agency in an…

Presents a case study using a novel to teach of racial, gender, and class bias. Urges use of fiction in teaching geography as a way of introducing students to the ambiance of time and place. Stresses ability of fiction to hold students' interest. Explains that small groups of students research the geography of the novels. (DK)

Describes development of an enterprise education program at the University of Lancaster. Includes the development of business/enterprise awareness, acquisition of transferable personal skills useful in subsequent employment, and completion of a project in a working environment. Concludes that success of the program will depend on how it is…

Discusses use of student-led seminars as tool for developing leadership skills when assessed as part of grade for urban geography course. Emphasizes instruction and student dissatisfaction with seminars that are not assessed. Concludes that such seminars increase students' confidence in oral communication and enhance credentials on job…

Offers a theory of how commonsense reasoning about motion may develop. Takes as fundamental the basic categories: action, object, space, cause, time, and movement. Suggests that very primitive elements could combine to provide schemes of motion recognizable in psychological accounts of infancy and generate prototypes of and rules for motion. (DK)

Presents results of longitudinal study of secondary school students. Focuses on the relationship between students' cognitive development and the understanding of dynamics. Shows that majority of younger pupils show little or no cognitive progress during three-year period whereas older pupils make reasonable progress. Concludes that different…

Presents two studies investigating whether peer interaction can advance the physics understanding of primary schoolchildren. Concerns understanding of floating and sinking. Focuses on the relevant properties of objects and fluids. Finds progress in children interacting with peers having varied views whether the variation was a result of different…

Reports results of two studies using physics materials to determine the parameters of pictorial analogies in combination with expository text. Shows that pictorial analogies can improve learning significantly if they are designed properly and used together with the text. Concludes that the analogies should have high structural similarity between…

Discusses the artificial-intelligence-based microworld DiBi and MULEDS, a multilevel diagnosis system. Developed to adapt tutoring style to the individual learner. Explains that DiBi sets up a learning environment, and simulates elastic impacts as a subtopic of classical mechanics, and supporting reasoning on different levels of mental domain…

Aims to show that children have a "functional use of drawing" which contrasts with the mechanistic stages model of drawing development. Observes that young children's images often show extended time sequences. Argues that, when considered from this viewpoint, children's drawing abilities develop gradually from a high to a low variety of use. (KM)

Addresses the question of whether the social studies should be abandoned. Discusses Kieran Egan's analysis of the importance of storytelling and Egan's proposal to abandon the social studies curriculum in favor of a pedagogy more consistent with the way children think. Critiques Egan's view and examines implications for educators. (SG)