Elaborating to Learn and Learning to Elaborate

Abstract

Two types of elaboration are reviewed as potent strategies for the learning disabled and for poor child learners in general. Both elaborative strategy teaching and elaborate materials modifications are discussed. In addition, a model of autonomous and flexible strategy use is presented with an emphasis on how strategy instruction can be conducted to promote efficient strategy application.

Memory Development Between 2 and 20

“…Such transformationa mnemonic strategies have proven useful for learning more ~ological\y valid materials than paired associates. There is an enormous Iiterature supporting the ..._. case that transfonnational mnemonics can be engiDeered to facilitate learning of vocabulary definitions (e.g., Pressley, Levin, & Delaney, 1982), with this claim extending across a number of populations, including mentally handicapperl children (e.g., Mastropieri, Scruggs, & Levin, 1987;Pressley, Johnson, & Symons, 1987; Thmure & Lane, 1987). Acquisition ofbasic social studies facts (e.g., countries and their capitals, states and their products, presidents and their accomplishments) can be facilitated by rnnemonic elaborative techniques, as can memorization of many pieces of scientific information (e.g., cbemical reactions, parts of the skeletal and nervous systems, and mathematical equations).…”

A primer of research on cognitive strategy instruction: The important issues and how to address them

“…Special educators are very interested in strategy instruction since lowerfunctioning students do not routinely use many sophisticated cognitive processes and strategies, even though at least some strategic processes can be taught to them profitably (e.g., Campione et al, 1982;Pressley et aL, 1987b;Pressley et al, 1989b). One concern is whether handicapped students can be taught to use a strategy to improve performance.…”

Michael Pressley's Educational Legacy and Directions He Identified for Future Research in Reading Instruction

“…To summarize, Mike's early work on students' abilities to learn sentences, memory, imagery, and cognitive strategies were precursors to his insistence that reading comprehension instruction must include elaborations, direct teacher instruction, and think alouds at the exact points in a text in which specific strategies were needed so that readers could comprehend that text deeply and personally (Pressley, Johnson, et al, 1987;Pressley & Levin, 1987;Pressley, McDaniel, Turner, Wood & Ahmad, 1987). Similarly, Mike's early studies of multiple-choice comprehension tests illuminated his later work in comprehension assessment (Hunter-Blanks et al, 1988;.…”