Lopez Island Middle and High School has integrated science and technology courses into an activity-oriented curriculum. Teaching the design process and systems approach demystifies technology and fosters critical thinking and problem solving. (SK)

Discusses research into problem-solving skills that have caused the theoretical methods of teaching and learning problem solving to evolve rapidly. Presents issues and questions that still need to be explored. (PR)

Describes an elementary school project--a "leprechaun trap"--that included elements of technology, science, language arts, and problem solving. Discusses how technology education is helping the Taos Pueblo community build bridges between its past and modern technologies. (JOW)

Focuses on problem-based learning (PBL). Explains ill-defined problems of PBL and compares PBL with the typical problem solving approach. Lists 10 steps to involve students in constructing understanding for use with PBL. (YDS)

Presents a rear-end car accident scenario to teach about forces and kinetic energy in a problem-based learning format. Includes four parts: (1) "A Bad Day for Sandy Dayton"; (2) "The Emergency Room"; (3) "The Facts of the Case"; and (4) "Judgement Day". Discusses the major issues of the questions, introduces scientific concepts, and initiates…

Introduces an activity in which students prove that milliliters and cubic centimeters are equal. Assigns students in groups for the activity and starts with a realistic story to increase student interest. (YDS)

Uses a constructivist framework in conjunction with an interpretive methodology to investigate the effect of an intervention using the metaphor "learning is constructing" on students' metacognition and learning process. Believes that contextual factors are key determinants of students' propensity towards enhancing their metacognition and…

Proposes the concept of cultural validity as a form of test validity in science assessment. Contends that current approaches to handling student diversity in assessment are limited. Discusses ways in which adopting cultural validity as a criterion for test validity makes it necessary to shift assessment paradigms and adopt new procedures for…

Focuses on 181 school children's (aged 5-13) responses to an Awareness of Technology Survey question intended to explore their conceptual knowledge of structural strength. Explores how the framework of the program and professional development opportunities did not help teachers implement the program. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/YDS)

Reports the results of a pilot study in a senior paper science and engineering class of an innovative instructional method designed to foster student problem solving and in-depth learning of material, namely student peer teaching. Reviews literature focusing on active learning methods and describes the method for student peer teaching. (Author/SAH)

Focuses on student capacity to develop and assess arguments during a high school genetics instructional sequence, and on the location distinction in argumentation discourse between "doing science" vs. "doing school" or "doing the lesson". (Contains 37 references.) (Author/YDS)

Introduces an organic chemistry course using the cooperative learning method and investigates this teaching method's effects on student learning with the participation of (n=16) super-qualified freshman who achieved a grade of 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examination. (YDS)

Examined the outcomes of academic support programs designed to enhance mathematical and scientific problem solving skills among African American pre-engineering college students. Interventions included weekly scientific reasoning and mathematical critical thinking and problem solving workshops, mentoring by upper-class students, and an interactive…

Reports on the attempt of a project called "Science: Parents, Activities, and Literature" to get parents productively involved in their children's hands-on science program. Illustrates that (a) parents will become involved and they find their involvement a positive experience; (b) teachers appreciate parents' contributions as an instructional…

Discusses Newton's long struggle with the concepts of inertia and centrifugal force as an example of high-grade scientific thinking. Discusses the role of textbooks and how they largely emphasize memorization. Suggests that the historical approach can be more time-consuming than textbook-based teaching and that it requires a good understanding of…