This paper describes part of a course for college freshmen entitled "Computation, Reasoning, and Problem Solving," which uses the LOGO programming language to integrate computer programming skills, collaborative problem solving skills, and writing skills. Discussion of the computer programming component includes two of the LOGO problem…

The problem of finding the area of a regular polygon is presented as a good example of a mathematical discovery that leads to a significant generalization. The problem of finding the number of sides which will maximize the area under certain conditions leads to several interesting results. (LS)

Summary of Author's Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Nebraska, 1969

A series of 13 questions is offered for sequencing student writing activities according to a problem solving model of the composing process. The questions are organized in a cyclical framework for approaching any problem solving task that writing students may face. The questions fall into four progressively developed categories, including…

This paper describes an approach to task analysis which seeks to identify potential sources of difficulty in the self-discovery of improved procedures by students who have been taught simpler procedures. The approach considers novices' procedures in terms of the changes needed to produce an expert procedure; the knowledge required to make those…

Discussed in this report is a technique used in cross-cultural research for measuring cognitive processes in children and youth. The research strategy aims at evaluating the subject's performances on problem solving tasks by having subjects become active agents in the discovery process while experimenters remain as passive and neutral as possible.…

This is the sixth in a series of ten self-contained units designed for use by students in ninth grade general mathematics classes. This unit is divided into eight sections dealing with different types of mathematical thinking. Some topics presented include functions, permutations and combinations, symmetry, inductive thinking, and logic. Though…

Using mathematics as an example, the nature of the confusion between "knowledge" and "coming to know" is elucidated. The range of curriculum choices available to structuralists once the distinction is clarified is larger, and teaching a body of knowledge and teaching by discovery are compatible. (Author/MLF)

The use of trial-and-error strategies to solve problems is endorsed. Types of problems with which trial and error is effective are discussed, with examples of how it is used, and teaching considerations are briefly considered. A computer program for one problem is included. (MNS)

Science educators are encouraged to adopt teaching techniques to help children learn to solve problems through inquiry or discovery. Included are several sample problems and method for finding other appropriate science related problems. (SL)

The author discusses a film which demonstrates the problem-solving approach to learning in practice; he takes the theory further, suggesting that the intellectual process underlying discovery learning--whether concerned with practical skills or literary criticism--is the capacity of adults to choose between alternatives. (Author/AJ)

Outlines a guided discovery activity for ascertaining the conditions which allow for the correct tracing of networks. (JP)

Flexibility in the application of instructional methods is the best approach to a teaching situation. Insofar as possible, a combination of traditional learning methods with heuristic (problem solving) and programed ones should be used. (CK)