This book addresses different types of thinking, including critical, creative, and analytical, and presents a variety of problem-solving strategies, along with specific ways they can be taught to students. The main emphases of the book are thinking and mathematics, problem solving, and the application of computational skills. The problem-solving…

Teachers can help students become better problem solvers when they introduce several problem solving strategies. Activities for classroom use are offered. (DF)

Describes a philosophical community of inquiry as a controlled, communal form of wondering that focuses on the larger meaning of human experience. Suggests that, using familiar stories as texts, and facilitated by a leader sensitive to young children's philosophical preoccupations and ways of thinking and talking, young children are both…

Presents students' various solutions to a word problem. (KHR)

Tests an adaptation to case-based learning that facilitates abstracting problem-solving schemas from examples and using them to solve further problems: analogical encoding, or learning by drawing a comparison across examples. In 3 studies, the authors examined schema abstraction and transfer among novices learning negotiation strategies. (Contains…

Discusses specific learning strategy tactics for acquiring verbal knowledge basic to certain disciplines, procedural skills (reading, using language, and problem solving), and self-motivation techniques applicable to all types of learning situations. All three tactics are necessary for creating a well-structured knowledge base. Includes 21…

Presents an overview of how a number of cognitive factors are involved in solving quantitative problems by secondary-school students categorized as skilled and less-skilled. Gives illustrations for the solving of basic and complex composite problems in chemistry. Suggests directions for enhancing instruction in problem solving based in this…

Considers the circumstances surrounding instances where help is sought and/or provided in a collaborative problem-solving situation. Analyzed videotaped observations of nine groups of three grade 5-6 students working over three 45-minute periods on an open-ended task. Defines hierarchical levels for questions, answers, and outcomes. Indicates some…

Investiges the mathematical behavior of graduate students and the experiences that contributed to their mathematical development and success. Students reported that a mentor facilitated the development of their problem solving abilities and continued mathematical study. When confronted with an unfamiliar task, students exhibited exceptional…

Since the publication of the Standards for Technological Literacy in 2000 (ITEA), there have been a number of new programs developed that are designed to teach pre-engineering. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is one such program. Project Lead the Way boasts serving over 1250 schools in 44 states and teaching over 160,000 students. Another program is…

This study examined social participation and strategic problem solving behavior of boys diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when collaborating on a planning task with a trained peer partner. Twenty-four 9- to 13-year-old boys with ADHD who were receiving a medication intervention, were individually pre-tested to assess…

When students are engaged in learning environments that allow for the practice of problem-solving skills, they are able to connect the classroom to the real world. Students with disabilities need to develop the skills of problem solving, and they need to know how to identify a problem, find the answer, and evaluate their choice. This article…

This study identified 10 savants with developmental disabilities and an exceptional ability to calculate calendar dates. These "calendar calculators" were asked to demonstrate their abilities, and their strategies were analyzed. The study found that the ability to calculate dates into the past or future varied widely among these…

Recent research has demonstrated that knowledge about specific instances may be of more relevance to reasoning than has previously been assumed. Students can rely on principles they have learned, or they can recall something similar previously experienced, and base the new prediction on it in an instance-based approach. Instance-based (or…

In this study a distinction is made between routine, semiroutine, and nonroutine problems based on the problem solver's knowledge. Routine problems are solved by applying a known procedure, semiroutine problems require planning that uses functional knowledge, and nonroutine problems require generation of new functional knowledge. Nonroutine…