As a distinct mode of mathematical representation and communication, geometry diagrams are both signs that represent abstract geometric concepts and visual images that offer graphical-spatial properties. Dynamic geometly environment offers a wide range of tools for its users to create and interact with geometry diagrams. In this paper, I propose a…

The typical trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus student might not agree that logarithms are hot stuff, but we drew motivation from chili peppers to help students get a better taste for logarithms. The Scoville scale, which ranges from 0 to 16,000,000, has been the sole quantitative metric to measure the pungency (spiciness) of peppers since its…

Ariadne is a touch-based program for the learning of homotopies of paths, without the use of formalism, by building mental models. Using Ariadne, the user can construct points, paths by dragging points and homotopies by dragging paths as well as compute winding numbers of paths, all on a variety of surfaces, through touch gestures. Ariadne…

In this paper, we will discuss a type of activity that lets the mathematics classroom become a place where students can learn more than mathematical content. Specifically, students can learn interdisciplinary skills in the area of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) and debate skills that are often taught in communication or English…

Art therapy can be particularly successful in addressing the specific needs of individuals struggling with anorexia nervosa (AN) through the use of the creative process. This article provides an understanding of the effect of malnourishment on the brain for individuals with AN and discusses how their unique needs can be met through the application…

We describe an important elaboration of our multiscale/multiresolution model for solving the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Our previous model emulated the non-uniform distribution of receptors on the human retina and the shifts of visual attention. This model produced near-optimal solutions of TSP in linear time by performing hierarchical…

Studying physics for nonphysics majors at college level is usually a process of learning new problem-solving skills and sometimes seems a frustrating experience. In an attempt to provide students with more learning resources, online homework was required to supplement the instruction. This study reveals the role of the online homework assignments…

Teachers of gifted students often are challenged to find ways to stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. School chess clubs are one way of meeting that challenge. This article poses how games such as chess affect learning and gifted students. Two detailed strategies for teaching chess to students beginning in kindergarten are…

This article, the second of a two-part series, features 11 teaching innovations presented at the 2014 Association for Business Communication annual conference. These 11 assignments included leadership and other-focused communication--detecting communication style, adaptive communication, personality type, delivering feedback, problem solving, and…

A case is described of the development of a lesson plan for 10th grade (age range 15-16) chemistry classes on the chemistry of shower gels. The lesson plan follows a socio-critical and problem-oriented approach to chemistry teaching. This means that, aside from learning about the basic chemistry of the components making up modern shower gels in…

This article uses diagrams that help the observer see how solutions of the wave equation and heat conduction equation are obtained. The analytical approach cannot necessarily show the mechanisms of the key to the solution without transforming the differential equation into a more convenient form by separation of variables. The visual clues based…

Every day physicians make judgments about patient management and diagnosis based on less than perfect information from many different sources. Judgment and decision-making research has taught us a great deal about such decisions, but these insights rarely find their way into the medical curriculum. One productive line of investigation in the study…

As one high school teacher found, allowing students to use preferred learning modalities can increase their enthusiasm, raise their achievement levels, and foster growth in other intelligences. This article shows how two students demonstrated their mastery of nuclear and organic chemistry by using kinesthetic and spatial problem-solving…

In this paper, we describe an innovative approach to promoting effective classroom-based groupwork and the development of children's speaking and listening at Key Stage 1. This approach, known as Thinking Together, was initially developed for use with Key Stage 2 children. The work reported here explains how this approach has now been applied to…

An overview of Jung's theory of psychological type, a problem-solving model, types of students in different college majors, predictions about teaching problem solving to students, practical applications of the theory to the teaching of problem solving, and strategies that develop skills in perception and judgment are presented. (MLW)