Assessment is a crucial factor in the implementation of curriculum reform. Little is known, however, on how curriculum changes can be reflected adequately in assessment, particularly if the reform concerns process skills. This issue was investigated for the case of assessing mathematical thinking in a mathematics curriculum reform for…

Despite several years of successfully applying problem-based learning at Maastricht University, the Faculty of Medicine observed a slow erosion of problem-based practices and "PBL fatigue" among themselves and students. In response to this fatigue and new research into the development of the young adult brain, Active Self-Directed…

Modelling is an important subject in the Bachelor curriculum of Applied Mathematics at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Students not only learn how to apply their knowledge to solve mathematical problems posed in non-mathematical language, but also they learn to look actively for, or even construct, mathematical knowledge…

This publication discusses curriculum development in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. The book's purpose is to make available to those interested in the process of curriculum development information on how it is handled in other countries, enabling them to see to what…

Efforts to develop a mathematics curriculum that meets the needs of a modern society are reflected in reform recommendations across the developed world. A common requirement is for students to understand the calculation procedures they are taught and to develop "number sense". This paper will analyse students' strategies for calculating…

Describes a study that evaluated implementation of curriculum materials for secondary social studies in the Netherlands. The evaluation focused on individual teachers' actual use of these materials in their classrooms. A large discrepancy emerged between the curriculum developers' original intentions and the observed instructional processes.…

Criteria for placement tests on math skills of adult basic education (ABE) students are needed to develop tests that are not too "school-like" because the ABE students are often blocked by math anxiety due to past negative school experiences, students may encounter language problems that affect their math skills, simple math problems do…

An analysis of computer literacy curricula around the middle of the 1980s shows a remarkable overall shift away from teaching computing to teaching applications, information handling, and problem-solving. Computer use is no longer viewed as a goal in itself, but is introduced as a powerful means of fulfilling information needs and of facilitating…

This paper examines possible explanations for the fact that evaluation results are rarely used. Most explanatory factors for use of results in decision making mentioned in the literature have been clustered in three categories of variables. They concern: (1) the making of decisions about the practical problem; (2) the way in which evaluation is…

This paper discusses the incongruity among education's multiplicity of conflicting actors, theories, and values that affect curriculum decision-making. This discussion is divided into three major concerns: sociopolitical, professional, and student. Sociopolitical concerns include the impact of peace, war, human sexuality, environment, work and…

This study of physics problem-solving identifies reasoning mechanisms that enable the problem-solver to achieve the transformation to a physics structure of the problem situation. Elaboration is explored as a mechanism in fulfilling this transformation by providing beginning problem-solvers with elaborations that they failed to infer. A card…

Discussion of differences in elementary and secondary school mathematics instruction between the United States and The Netherlands focuses on a Dutch project brought to the United States that uses print materials and software products. Topics addressed include integrating technology into the curriculum; cultural differences; designing assessment;…

An approach to teaching problem-solving based on using the computer software Mathematica is applied to the study of electrostatics and is compared with the normal approach to the module. Learning outcomes for both approaches were not significantly different. The experimental course successfully addressed a number of misconceptions. Students in the…

In problem-based learning, an instrument is needed to measure students' actual learning activities. Mapping the domain of learning activities undertaken by students and improving problems is especially important in a problem-based curriculum because students choose their own learning objectives. Such an instrument, the Topic Evaluation…