Reviews approaches taken in meeting the design requirements in engineering programs. Highlights the value and applications of student involvement in design projects. Explains the features of an engineering case and advocates their use as an alternative or supplement to design projects. (ML)

Studies questions elementary and secondary students ask in mathematics and language arts classes and determines the extent to which subject matter and gender are associated with question type and frequency. Findings indicate that students ask more questions during mathematics than language arts instruction. (RJC)

Educators have shown great interest in teaching thinking in the last five years. This overview introduces thinking skills instruction as the theme of this issue of "Educational Leadership" and distinguishes three different approaches: teaching for thinking, teaching about thinking, and teaching of thinking. (TE)

Discusses the development of inquiry skills as a legitimate goal for education and possible ways of using technology to support the inquiry process in classrooms. Three elements of inquiry are examined--how inquiry can be motivated, the centrality of questioning, and metacognitive aspects--and examples of classroom projects are given. (EM)

Presents: (1) a list of ideas for teaching problem-solving; (2) a review of a problem-solving book used in medical education; and (3) a discussion of an approach called problem-based learning. (DH)

Promotes the use of the microcomputer in mathematics instruction, reviewing approaches to teaching nonlinear equations. Examples of computer diagrams are illustrated and compared to textbook samples. An example of a problem-solving program is included. (ML)

Presents a classification scheme applicable to systematic instructional design, which partitions the cognitive domain into the four levels of knowledge, understanding, mental processes, and strategies, each of which encompasses specific instructional objectives. Guidelines are offered to assist in the design and construction of these instructional…

Investigated methods science and nonscience majors use to make predictions about five situations involving the conservation of mechanical energy. Two findings, among others, show that subjects did not employ identifiable strategies in over 97 percent of the cases and show differences in the way majors and nonmajors worked the problems given.…

Compared pairs of five- to seven-year-old children working collectively on spatial perceptive problems to control subjects working individually on the same problems. Although children working in dyads did not do significantly better than children working alone, there were several critical features in the frequency and quality of social interaction…

Outlines leadership capabilities that effective principals can exert to improve the teaching of higher level thinking skills to students. An important initial step is to make the development of student thinking skills a building priority at the school. (MD)

Discomfort in learning environments forces individuals to change and develop new skills to solve problems. This helps learners attain their highest states of growth and productivity. Solutions for correcting marginality are offered. (DF)

This paper studies the modes of thought that occur during the act of solving problems in mathematics. It examines the two main instantiations of mathematical knowledge, the conceptual and the structural, and their role in the act. It claims that awareness of mathematical structure is the lever that educes mathematical knowledge existing in the…

This paper proposes a model for teaching and learning complex thinking skills developed from a synthesis of theories and research. The model functions like a concept map or a graphic organizer with five major components, each discussed in this paper: (1) presence of complex authentic life situations within a context; (2) activation and execution…

This report describes a program for improving the transfer of the learning of different techniques used in computer applications. The targeted population consisted of sophomores and juniors in a suburban high school in a middle class community. The problem was documented through teacher surveys, student surveys, anecdotal records and behavioral…

The case-based study, which presents students with a dilemma that encourages exploration, is becoming a popular method for teaching biology. This Web-based report offers one such case study that asks readers to solve problems and make decisions based on information gathered as they engage with characters or situations in the story. The basis for…