Specifically designed for teachers, administrators, and other school decision-makers, this monograph outlines ways quality circles can be used to improve educational planning and decision-making. The first of four sections defines quality circles as a group of workers who identify, analyze, and propose solutions to problems within their scope of…

This monograph's purpose is to provide a basis for team development for quality circle groups involved in problem-solving and decision-making. Training group members in team building is a crucial factor for success in quality circles. The following are important needs for group members: a sense of belonging, a commitment to group goals, a sense of…

Artificial intelligence, or the study of ideas that enable computers to be intelligent, is discussed in terms of what it is, what it has done, what it can do, and how it may affect the teaching of tomorrow. An extensive overview of artificial intelligence examines its goals and applications and types of artificial intelligence including (1) expert…

A study attempting to disclose dilemmas encountered by university professors as a means of better understanding their inner world is discussed. The nature of these dilemmas is investigated via the thinking aloud technique. Twelve subjects were asked to think aloud about dilemmas they encountered in their work, and the flow of thoughts was…

This paper describes part of a course for college freshmen entitled "Computation, Reasoning, and Problem Solving," which uses the LOGO programming language to integrate computer programming skills, collaborative problem solving skills, and writing skills. Discussion of the computer programming component includes two of the LOGO problem…

Topics and issues which are central features of current secondary school economics curricula can be used to develop two aspects of students' thinking skills: (1) the development of problem-solving skills, and (2) the recognition of logical fallacies. The efficacy of economics instruction as a vehicle for developing student problem-solving skills…

Information-processing students solving problems in the 1960s and 1970s accepted the tradition of early experimental psychology in concentrating primarily on the study of "knowledge-lean" tasks in which competence can usually be acquired over short periods of learning and experience. In recent years, experts have examined knowledge-rich…

This document consists of a compilation of nine articles, on computer literacy, that have been extracted from the 1984-1985 issues of the journal "The Computing Teacher". The articles include: (1) "ICLEP (Individual Computer Literacy Education Plan): A Powerful Idea" (David Moursund); (2) "Computers, Kids, and Values"…

This paper considers the common association between marital problems and depression and describes the cognitive and behavioral factors which are common to these two problems. A set of cognitive behavioral interventions is presented, a treatment procedure which addresses cognitive and behavioral factors at the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels…

In preparing students for business writing, a technical writing class should foster (1) a sensitivity to audience and an understanding of the business or technical organizational audience, (2) analytical problem solving that precedes any but the simplest writing task, (3) understanding of the patterns of organization that make information clear to…

A problem that becomes increasingly obvious over time derives from purchasing and working with large scale, industrial type of manipulators. Primarily affected are higher level educational institutions, where manipulators are likely to be exposed to student projects that demand diversity in control strategies and various controlling software and…

Through a comparative analysis of nine urban school improvement projects, it illustrates the association between patterns of constituent collaboration in the design of intervention projects and problem solving strategies and the degree of mutual adaptation, incorporation, and sustained project effectiveness. Many of the barriers to school…

The High School Self-Renewal Program is a multiphase program designed to facilitate individual school improvement. This case study illustrates the use of the Renewal process by a school that had no existing Renewal resources, such as funds, or released time positions for the research, development or implementation of projects. Renewal activities…

Computers have the power to make drastic changes in modern life and in education particularly. It is uncertain, however, how smoothly computers can be integrated into society and into the schools. The speed of the growth of computer technology is often referred to as a revolution, with a constantly increasing ability to store and recall…

Within an inservice training program there is a functional interdependent relationship among problems, causes, and solutions. During a sequence of eight steps to ascertain program impact, a "continuity matrix", a management technique that assists in dealing with the problem/solution paradox is created. A successful training program must: (1) aim…