Reviews research on the purpose and effectiveness of laboratory activities. Discusses epistemology, problem solving, cooperative learning, student involvement, assessment, and teachers as researchers. (YP)

Describes the Philosophy for Children program in critical thinking, its pedagogical approach involving the community of inquiry, and the sociocognitive learning theories upon which it is based. Suggests it can be used as a pedagogical model for developing collaborative learning approaches in art education, especially aesthetics. (KM)

Solves the problem of defining a smooth piecewise linear approximation to a given function. Discusses some alternative approaches to the problem. (YP)

Provided is a list of the needs of gifted and talented children. Delineates the concomitant relationship with science instruction and the stages in the model that are instrumental in meeting these needs. (RT)

Describes opportunities for inquiry-based science learning which can be found in a picture, a set of comparative data, a table, an article, or a phenomenon that illustrates a space/time relationship. Provides a general model of inquiry. (RT)

A course at the University of Georgia is described that helps students acquire problem-solving skills so that ultimately the entire remedial program would be improved, giving students with major deficiencies in basic skills a better chance to succeed in their regular university courses. (MLW)

Outlines a method for modifying the current social studies curriculum so it can be taught from an issue-centered approach. States that conventional courses in history and geography would be organized around the study of a select number of important issues and illustrates the way these classes would be taught using this approach. (SLM)

Describes the evolution of the Rochester Institute of Technology's course on reading and thinking in science and technology for hearing-impaired students, featuring instructional enrichment and problem-solving components that reinforce students' application of problem-solving approaches beyond the course. (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on…

Discussion of the use of computers in education focuses on a graphics-based system for teaching the Pascal programing language for problem solving. Topics discussed include user interface; notification based systems; communication processes; object oriented programing; workstations; graphics architecture; and flowcharts. (18 references) (LRW)

Discusses computer simulations for chemistry courses. Reviews a simulation program, "Evaluation of Bonding Theory: The Werner Jorgensen Controversy," and provides information regarding hardware requirements for the program. Presents the idea of an expert system including simulation modules and counselor modules. Describes some chemical examples, a…

Summarizes research that contrasts the approaches and attitudes of successful and unsuccessful problem solvers. Supplies a categorized list of problem solver characteristics. (RT)

Describes an artificial intelligence system known as SOAR that approximates a theory of human cognition. Discusses cognition as problem solving, working memory, long term memory, autonomy and adaptability, and learning from experience as they relate to artificial intelligence generally and to SOAR specifically. Highlights the status of the…

Answers a student's question about the emission of a positron from a nucleus. Discusses the problem from the aspects of the uncertainty principle, beta decay, the Fermi Theory, and modern physics. (YP)

Reforming Japanese higher education will not be easy. Stagnant budgets, rigid seniority systems, and a conservative bureaucracy that fears losing control all stand in the way of change. A series of changes proposed by the former Prime Minister are discussed. (MLW)

Describes a process used by the Downtown Alternative School, Toronto, Canada, to resolve conflicts among the students there. Offers the perspectives of the teachers, students, parents, and observers on the effectiveness of the approach. (TB)