The field of anatomy is often seen by nonanatomists as concerned primarily with the tasks of locating, naming, and describing structures; these tasks, in turn, are often assumed to require only lower-order cognitive skills (LOCSs), i.e., the Knowledge or Comprehension levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Many nonanatomists may thus believe that studying…

The need for changing how science is taught and the expansion of undergraduate research experiences is essential to foster critical thinking in the Natural Sciences. Most faculty research programs only involve a small number of upper-level undergraduate students each semester. The course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) model enables…

Despite the rigorous debate around the purposes of higher education and the associated concept of graduate attributes, science education at the tertiary level has remained largely impervious to engaging with these ideas. This may be due to the emphasis on the knowledge base of the hard science as opposed to the emphasis on the knower in the…

Helping students set up equations is one of the major goals of teaching a course in physics that contains elements of problem solving. Students must take the stories we present, interpret them, and turn them into physics; from there, they must turn that physical, idealized story into mathematics. How they do so and what problems lie along the way…

To understand the issues of inquiry-based education, I adopted John Dewey's theory of inquiry as the analytical framework to examine science learning activities, students' interactions, and education standards. Educators have tried to engage students in meaningful learning, but the analysis revealed that the meaning of inquiry was diverse:…

To develop meaningful instructional programs for technology education, goals need to be in place to direct the outcomes of curriculum development and teaching. Goals are program terminal outcomes that focus curriculum writers or teachers who structure content for learners. Goals provide direction so content can be delivered for long-term impact to…

This descriptive study identifies the thinking and learning skills--such as good decision-making strategies and monitoring one's own learning progress--that students should acquire, as described in standards documents from state departments of education, from national subject-area organizations, and from organizations concerned about adequate…

The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reflects on two fundamental principles of liberal education, that liberal education allows us to: (1) understand ourselves; and (2) act. He observes that problem solving is becoming more interdisciplinary, thus creating a greater need for liberal education. (DB)

Examines the processes involved in problem solving and provides twelve problems that may be used to illustrate these processes. (JR)

Suggests that teachers encourage student participation and self-evaluation by having the students follow a learning contract. (LS)

Reviews several sources of published materials which contain learning objectives for general problem solving as well as problem solving in mathematics, science, and computer science. Lists of objectives are included where appropriate. (JN)

Author stresses that social changes are coming to developing countries in Asia, that this will lead to economic changes, and it is the job of adult educators to give direction to these changes. (Author/RK)

Discusses reasons for the failure of the post-Sputnik science curricula and offers criteria for selecting relevant curriculum content, suggesting that these curricula focus on problem-solving. Lists seven problem areas (technological, environmental, empirical, historical, aesthetic, philosophical, and futuristic) with recommended topics for each…

Identified are reasons for discrepancies between desired states and actual practice of problem solving and reflective thinking. Issues discussed include describing the development of problem solving, using problem solving methods in instruction, outcome of developing students' problem solving abilities, and reasonable expectations of attaining the…