This report describes the instruction, assessment, and staff development of the Multicultural Reading and Thinking (McRAT) program and summarizes the results of a one-year study conducted in 1989-90. (McRAT is a nationally recognized staff development program designed to help teachers infuse higher order thinking skills and multicultural concepts…

In the introduction to this monograph on the workshop as an effective educational function for inservice teachers, the need for inservice education is discussed as well as the particular value of workshops in meeting that need. The historical background of workshops is outlined in the second chapter, including selected definitions of workshops and…

The curriculum for eleven-year old students in the United Kingdom, currently adopted by most schools, includes solving linear equations with the unknown on one side only before moving onto those with the unknown on both sides in later years. School textbooks struggle with the balance between developing algebraic understanding and training…

Recent years have seen widespread adoption of automatic grading of physics homework problems. Although first-generation homework management systems provide feedback and assign scores based only on the answers, problem-solving performance on exams seems to be no worse for students using these systems than for those who receive detailed comments…

Staff developers who have worked intensively with teachers to promote higher order thinking tend to emphasize similar types of training activities, especially involving teachers in higher order thinking and authentic problem solving in their subjects and translating ideas about the teaching of thinking into specific lessons for students.…

The introductory speech communication course can benefit from the use of simulation exercises. In one exercise, students negotiate on behalf of the imaginary governments of Franistan and Germania. Participants are furnished with statistical data and informed that the two countries are mutually dependent, that they share a border, and that the city…

The greater organizational complexity of libraries and information centers in recent years has given rise to more complex problems for managers. To facilitate solutions, operations research (OR) techniques have been developed that consider the quantitative dimensions of problems along with their political and organizational aspects. Eight standard…

One of a series, this booklet and related programs have been developed to help primary school teachers in England introduce problem solving and investigatory activities to their pupils. The theory of problem solving which underlies the views in this booklet is that of Professor Keith Jackson, director of the Bulmershe-Comino Problem Solving…

The role of artificial intelligence expert systems in administrative issues in special education is examined. Mandate Consultant (MC) is one such system designed to provide a second opinion on the consistency of school officials' actions in implementing the Individualized Education Program team process. MC employs rules based on the Education For…

Retreats, which have been used by churches and corporations for some time, are currently being looked into by college presidents and boards of trustees as a means of training and problem solving. While many types of retreats may not be appropriate for boards, a well-planned working retreat can be an effective way for trustees to: (1) really get to…

The mathematics curriculum in the first 2 years of college is a tool created to assist in solving problems. The current mathematics curriculum has changed little; the same topics, tied to the engineering and science curriculum, are taught as they were being taught in 1945. The problems that students need to solve have changed however. Both the…

The work of English cybernetician Gordon Pask on learning styles and strategies is presented. An attempt is made to describe the basic ideas of Conversation Theory, Pask's general theory of cognition. The learning strategies "holism" and "serialism," and the more general learning styles "comprehension learning" and…

Teachers frequently need assistance in meeting the needs of students with behavior and learning problems. Contacts with peers and other staff usually are informal and do not allow thorough analysis of the problem. The Building Support System model used in some North Dakota schools provides prompt, accessible support to teachers through peer…

The University of Tulsa (Oklahoma) School for Gifted Children is a full school program for able learners ages 3-12. The school is the only one in the nation to use a curriculum based on Enaction Theory which postulates that thinking is a matter of running a simulation in one's head and involves three steps: (1) creating a mental model, (2)…

Reuven Feuerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device and Instrumental Enrichment (LPAD/IE) system presents a valid approach to assessment, which moves from constructs, to pedagogical theory, to instruments, and to remedial strategies. This system uses standardized tests in a standard approach, but not for the purpose of the quantification of…