Concepedia

Abstract

S ummary . This review of European research in cognition and instruction aims to categorise current trends in the teaching of thinking and problem solving. A diversity of theoretical orientations sustains research and practice in this field: Vygotskian, neo‐Piagetian, phenomenographic, information‐processing. Research‐driven intervention studies and across‐the‐curriculum reforms are reviewed. Promising lines of development include the concepts of metacognition (or self‐regulation), mediation by peers and adults, and computer tutoring. Cognitive psychology now has a sharper focus on classroom learning; and the boundaries between cognitive, affective and social aspects of learning are being eroded.