Two studies are reported in which the relative difficulty of the utilization of two response strategies, matching and oddity, was assessed. Subjects for the first study were children ages 5-7, 8-10, and 11-13 years; in the second study, college adults were tested. Generally, subjects took more trials to learn matching problems than oddity…

Reports on a study into the relationship between a student's ability to solve problems in chemistry and his/her understanding of molecular concepts. Argues that teaching students to solve problems about chemistry is not equivalent to teaching about the nature of matter. (TW)

The article includes a brief description of the project "Reckoning with Mathematics." The project is grounded in the belief that reliance in American schools on "textbook as technology" is outdated and counterproductive. A sample student worksheet is included. (PK)

Provides information on (1) a general indication of change in the cognitive structure of students associated with chemical comprehension; (2) the comparison of clusters of concepts; and (3) a graphical representation of the links among concepts. Argues that constrained word associations serve as a useful tool for mapping aspects of cognitive…

Discusses how children's knowledge can be measured/described, knowledge patterns across diverse concepts, interaction of knowledge/learning, and ways children construct more advanced problem-solving rules to replace less adequate ones. Evidence, drawn from studies on children's acquisition of knowledge about balance beams, suggests that knowledge…

Article considered a new VD Teachers Guide designed to help the classroom teacher who is understandably reluctant to teach about VD. (Editor/RK)

This paper provides materials for a teacher workshop on the application of scientific processes across the curriculum. The approach is based on Taba's Inductive Model, and these materials contain sections on the purposes of Taba's model, teaching strategies used in Taba's model, the concept formation process, interpretation of data, application of…

Students (n=45) in an introductory course in hydrology used a Vee map to guide their laboratory investigation. The Vee mapping technique was utilized by groups of students working together during the investigation and was graded with a scoring rubric developed by the instructor. At the end of the investigation, students completed a survey…

This paper identifies five types of learning experiences which are relevant to understanding students' grasp of concepts and principles. These include exploring existing concepts, honing and clustering concepts, developing analytical and reasoning skills, developing problem solving skills, and structuring knowledge in memory. Each of these…

This document features the experiences of three science teachers who video and audiotaped classroom proceedings in order to go back over what was said in classroom events, to explore the intentions and ideas that were perhaps not fully understood at the time. Mary DiSchino, who teaches 3rd and 4th graders, teaches a science curriculum which she…

Describes an educational program that asks students to attempt to prove that the earth is spherical and that it rotates. Presents tips to pique student interest and charts related to sensing the spin, nonrotation notions, flat earth fallacies, evidence that the earth is spherical and rotates, and the role of watersheds in proving that the earth…

Describes an interdisciplinary project encompassing English, history, public speaking, and mathematics that allows students to experience success with integrating mathematics into real world experiences. (DDR)

To investigate whether problem-based learning leads to conceptual change, the cognitive and metacognitive processes of a group of medical students were studied during the problem analysis phase, and their verbal communication and thinking processes were analyzed. Stimulated recall of the thinking process during the discussion detected a conceptual…

Discusses the teaching of linear algebra with and without computer software. Considers class format with regard to computer usage, the effect of holding classes in the computer laboratory, homework, computer projects, and student responses. Appendices contain topic tutorials and sample computer projects. (DDR)