To become responsible citizens, students need to assume a global perspective. Activities to initiate a sense of world-mindedness include having students participate in a Model United Nations Program or in the 1,000 Cranes Club, arranging overnight visits between students from different schools and cultural backgrounds, and establishing pen pal…

Describes a preliminary definition of engineering method as well as a definition and examples of engineering heuristics. After discussing some alternative definitions of the engineering method, a simplified definition of the engineering method is suggested. (YP)

The Palos Heights School District, Illinois, eliminated neighborhood elementary schools in favor of a primary (K-2), intermediate (3-5), and middle school (6-8) configuration. Details the strategies for handling public opposition. (MLF)

A one-day program of the Ventura, California, school system attempts to develop leadership, organizational, resourcefulness, and communication skills in gifted students by solving problems in a primitive setting possibly faced by the original Jamestown settlers. (DB)

A Holt, Michigan, high school's recent shift toward conceptual understanding and demonstrated performance inspired one math teacher to develop a panel performance-assessment process. For their midsemester and semester exams, students in algebra II and precalculus discuss before a panel of judges the solutions to complex problems. Panel assessment…

Provides suggestions for organizing online educational projects. Topics include choosing curriculum-based goals; choosing an activity structure, including interpersonal exchanges, information collections, and problem-solving projects; exploring examples of other online projects; determining details; inviting telecollaborators; effective online…

A solution-focused therapeutic approach to processing adventure experiences shifts the focus of debriefing sessions from problem to solution, helps clients recognize exceptions to their problem behavior, and sensitizes clients to seeking positive behaviors versus avoiding negative ones. Techniques include clients' rating of their own abilities on…

Using data from a longitudinal case study, the paper explores how an experienced teacher changed schools and grappled with mainstreaming, writing instruction, and the extended learning program. The story illustrates how, even for experienced teachers, the development of expertise is very uneven and a product of complex person-place interaction.…

This paper addresses methods of training special educators in the skill of reflective thinking during immediacy situations in the context of a structured intervention at Haifa University (Israel). Discussion considers D. Schon's reflection-in-action model of decision-making and problem-solving modes and R. Eisikovitis's Ethnographic model.…

A definition of giftedness is proposed based on the constructs of intelligence, creativity, and problem solving. Research on relationships among intelligence domains and problem-solving processes is summarized, with specific findings concerning problem-solving processes used by children versus adults, by gifted versus average individuals, and…

This article describes the use of problem-based learning (PBL) with gifted students, in which the focus of the curriculum is "ill-structured" problems. Particular advantages of PBL with these students include effectiveness in teaching the art of problem finding and solving, active learning, higher order thinking skills, and using interdisciplinary…

Describes problems that are presented in the form of experiments. The philosophy, method of solution, and several examples of mechanics experiment problems are described. (LZ)

The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico is connecting its 14 high schools to Internet. Three UNAM institutions designed a foreign-languages instruction model based on international cultural and scientific exchanges via computer networks. Mexican students studying English are interacting with English-speaking people, solving real problems, and…

Presents guidelines for helping students produce effective multimedia presentations. Topics include modeling presentations from other successful examples; evaluation criteria; solving relevant, real-life problems; purpose statements; identifying the intended audience; preparing storyboards; the use of multimedia resources; interactivity; student…

Offers advice on how to obtain grant money for libraries. Highlights include outcome-based goals; finding funding sources; and parts of the proposal, including the need or problem statement, objectives, methods, evaluation, budget, and program continuation. A sidebar lists 10 tips for winning grants. (LRW)