This collection of 58 articles from the recently-published third edition of the International Encyclopedia of Education focuses on learning, memory, attention, problem solving, concept formation, and language. Learning and cognition is the foundation of cognitive psychology and encompasses many topics including attention, memory, categorization,…

There is a growing national recognition that teachers and teaching are at the heart of successful educational reform. However, few tools exist for measuring classroom instruction. The primary purpose of this article is to describe methods we developed to measure and study teaching, specifically while teachers were using a multimedia intervention…

An understanding-based approach to teaching arithmetic word problems is used in the Training Arithmetic Problem Solving Skills (TAPS) research project, for which four semantic schemas or problem representations have been revised and adopted: Combine, Compare, Change, and Vary. It is hypothesized that a good problem solver identifies the schema of…

A training procedure was developed to improve (or to encourage) the construction of a meaningful problem representation by mentally retarded and learning disabled children. Children are taught to use an external visual representation for arithmetic word problems, in which the meaning of the problem is reflected. The construction of this visual…

This report presents a summary of research being conducted at the University of Minnesota in which new technologies are being applied to development of cognition in hearing impaired learners. The study involved an application of concept analysis, information-processing theories, and group-based interactive technology in the teaching of…

This investigation focuses upon the question of: (1) how naive subjects organize and represent knowledge when solving problems; (2) how previous experience of a novice is used in solving a problem; (3) what kinds of information and knowledge are sought as well as overlooked by novices when solving problems; (4) what kinds of strategies novices…

A change of emphasis in mathematics education may be needed from a mechanical and computational focus to a problem-solving approach. A first step in facilitating this goal is to place children in situations emphasizing problem-solving skills, requiring them to develop and apply their own logic structures. This paper describes a microcomputer based…

This discussion of teaching science as a design activity emphasizes open-ended problem solving. Highlights include the relationship between teachers and students; hypotheses as solutions; and descriptions of four microworlds, or computer simulations, in chemistry, geography, physiology, and genetics which use graphic interfaces. (LRW)

Reports on research designed to systematically examine how the use of personalized word problems as practice examples would affect learning and attitudes. A computer program was used to generate the problems. It was concluded that presenting problems in familiar contexts made materials more interesting and understandable for students. (PK)

This publication is an abstracted compilation of 15 investigations selected from other journals. The information includes purpose, rationale, research design and procedures, findings, interpretations, abstractor's comments, and references. This journal includes the following reports: (1) "A Constructivist Approach to Numeration in Primary…

This report describes a computer-based instructional system, the Story Problem Solver (SPS). SPS provides students with instruction about the semantic structure of story problems. It was developed to test a specific schema theory of knowledge organization in long-term memory. For this reason SPS depends explicitly upon a theory of the relationship…

Describes an advice-giving computer system being developed for genetics education called MENDEL that is based on research in learning, genetics problem solving, and expert systems. The value of MENDEL as a design tool and the tutorial function are stressed. Hypothesis testing, graphics, and experiential learning are also discussed. (Author/LRW)

Four- and 5-year-olds' understanding of basic turtle graphics commands was examined before and after a hands-on, interactive problem-solving experience. Children (n=32) saw display screen events consisting of an initial turtle state, a command transformation, and the resulting turtle state. They were asked to give the command executed in each…

Issues and procedures for applying computers to the study of learning from text are discussed in this paper, which notes the advantages and disadvantages of using authoring aids to develop instructional programs, and examines the implications of schema theory for designing effective computer screen displays based on research on text learning.…

This summary reports the highlights of a survey on microcomputer usage in institutions of higher education which was sponsored in part by EDUCOM. Software issues are emphasized, including assistance in evaluation, integrating software into the curriculum, and policy and procedures concerning illegal access and duplication. (LRW)