Grounded in a review of existing theories and research on problem solving, the theoretical base and new instrument development efforts discussed in this publication have been sounded against the needs of an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum project called Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES). It is the work on new…

Contrasts two models for bringing about school improvements: the Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement (DESSI) model, and the school-based, problem solving approach, and notes that each recommends an implementation plan, ongoing staff development, and a focus on academic goals and instruction. (JC)

This discussion of how to design a training program to teach professional judgment and performance focuses on a model for training police officers. Open job skills are explained, appropriate choices and actions are described, and the components and objectives of open job skill instruction are presented. (LRW)

Presents thinking-aloud protocols from secondary pupils solving arithmetic story and geometrical problems and analyzes their protocols by using interpretation models founded on a general problem-solving model. A word problem solving simulation is also used to further explicate processes pupils use to solve mathematical tasks. (Author/MBR)

With caseloads often exceeding 500 students, counselors cannot afford to spend countless hours on traditional approaches to individual problems. Solution-Focused Brief Counseling (SFBC) offers counselors an effective approach that leads to rapid, observable change in students. This guidebook combines step-by-step instructions with vivid case…

Making connections becomes increasingly important as students proceed through middle school and high school. This book shows ways of embedding connective processes in instruction in grades 9-12. Problems invite mathematical modeling, unify diverse content, call for different representations, and encourage students to look back at their work to…

The Interdisciplinary Assessment Model was created out of the need for improved assessment of learning, especially the assessment of critical thinking and problem solving. Development of the model required establishing a common language for library media specialists to cover various curriculum areas, a comparison of current state standards for…

Modeling in all its forms (two-dimensional, three-dimensional, mathematical, and computer) is an essential feature of designing and making. This paper describes how 10 untutored technology education students in grade 7 used three-dimensional modeling while designing and making a solution to a technological problem. This paper is part of a larger…

This book about using the Big6 information problem solving process model in elementary schools is organized into two parts. Providing an overview of the Big6 approach, Part 1 includes the following chapters: "Introduction: The Need," including the information problem, the Big6 and other process models, and teaching/learning the Big6;…

This paper focuses on the purposes, theoretical model, and functionality of the SMILE (Solution Mapping Intelligent Learning Environment) Maker--a World Wide Web-based problem-solving tool. From an instructional design point of view, an attempt to establish a balance between constructivism/instructivism, content-treatment…

This paper describes one model of school reconstruction, which includes a professional development school, being implemented at Celebration School in Celebration, Florida. The description highlights the educational practices and daily learning experiences of students at Celebration. The narrative provides a picture of the philosophical foundation…

This article discusses a project that investigated a student-based problem-solving model for reducing crime in the nation's schools. A quasi-experimental research design was employed that captured data in three waves from more than 450 students attending 11th grade social studies classes in two schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Public Schools…

Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) began almost 40 years ago as the first national parent-training program to teach parents how to communicate more effectively with their children and to offer step-by-step advice to resolving family conflicts. This book, a revised and updated edition, presents the PET model for parent training, including the…

Reports investigation of the first phase of problem solving, i.e., the awareness of mental operations, which uses cognitive process instruction to focus student attention on their thinking processes. Evaluation of students' ability to recall componential operations involved in familiar tasks indicates improvement in problem solving is an…

Provides a model of the rhetorical problem, based on the study of writing as a problem-solving cognitive process; describes three major differences between good and poor writers revealed by a protocol analysis study. (DD)