Throughout history, people have moved themselves and cargo across water in boats and other types of vessels. Most vessels are developed using a technological design process, which typically involves problem solving and a series of steps. The designer documents each step to provide an accurate record of accomplishments and information to guide…

This article reports findings from a study that investigated math achievement differences between English language learners (ELLs) and fully English proficient (FEP) students on a literacy-based performance assessment (LBPA). It has been assumed that LBPAs are superior to standardized multiple-choice assessments, but it has not been determined if…

Science and social studies have much to offer to all learners--including those with disabilities. However, instruction in these subjects has often been overlooked in the quest to better understand and improve leaning in English/language arts and mathematics. As we demonstrate in this paper, science and social studies help students attain skills,…

Even the youngest readers and writers in today's classrooms can benefit enormously from engagement with a wide range of traditional and nontraditional texts. This teacher-friendly handbook is packed with creative strategies for introducing K-3 students to fiction, poetry, and plays; informational texts; graphic novels; digital storytelling;…

This study investigates the effects of computer-aided videodisc-based anchored instruction on promoting elementary school students' problem-solving skills in Taiwan. Anchored instruction combines theories such as situated cognition, cognitive apprenticeship, cooperative learning, and constructivist theories. With the help of interactive videodisc…

The purpose of this inquiry was to determine the perceptions of certain secondary students in the Greater Cincinnati (Ohio) area who experienced an integrated curriculum that combined the subjects of geometry and visual art. A mathematics teacher and a visual arts teacher collaborated to facilitate student discovery by implementing creative…

Most restructuring efforts focus on changing the "how" of education. The articles in this book argue that redesign of the curriculum--the "what" of education--should be the main component of school revisioning. The book proposes a new framework for learning communities that views life as an intellectual and personal quest for knowledge and…

"Nature at Your Doorstep" is an outgrowth of a successful environmental education program offered as a school field trip at a Nature Discovery Center. It was developed and used with thousands of students throughout Bellaire, Texas and the surrounding Houston metroplex. The purpose of this program is to kindle students' curiosity and…

Ontario's College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC) devised a plan to enhance three dimensions of college education: general education, generic skills; and vocational or professional education. The CSAC designates generic skills as practical life skills essential for both personal and career success, defining these practical, portable…

Eighty ninth graders who solved an algebra problem in groups of four showed status effects at the individual level. The students had filled out preactivity questionnaires about mathematical status and social status and a postactivity leadership questionnaire. Hierarchical regressions and path analyses show that, at the group level, solution score…

The hypothesis that when true group tasks feature ill-structured problems, interaction will predict learning that involves higher-order thinking skills was tested with middle school students with a strategy called complex instruction. Complex instruction is designed for heterogeneous classrooms in which teaching objectives are conceptual and…

A 3-year project in the University of Arkansas' vocational teacher education program used a problem-solving approach to help vocational teachers develop innovative methods to teach vocational content. The project had four goals: (1) to design inservice teacher workshops for high technology internship programs; (2) to identify and select…

The articles in this volume are written primarily by classroom teachers who share their experiences and offer practical examples of cooperative learning activities. Lesson and unit plans, games, group projects, samples of student work, worksheets, and evaluation forms are included, as well as cooperative learning activities for several grade…

The ways in which sensory information, music in particular, is managed by the mental processing system of differentially gifted students were studied. A total of 138 right-handed adolescents and young adults (aged 14 to 22 years), who were gifted in music, mathematics, or dance, were tested on two tasks of music and one task of speech perception.…

Through the Problem Solving and Reasoning Skills Cognitive Development Model for Severely Disadvantaged Puerto Rican College Students, the Ana G. Mendez Educational Foundation developed a model for cognitive skills development for disadvantaged, low-achieving Hispanics. The program incorporates cognitive skills into existing remedial courses in…