Discusses a computer database which includes optical properties of 142 minerals. Uses fuzzy logic to identify minerals from incomplete and imprecise information. Written in Turbo PASCAL for MS-DOS with 128K. (MVL)

The main advantage of using these concepts lies in the reduction of algebraic work involved in solving certain dynamics problems. A brief analytical treatment of the acceleration center and a description of a virtual work principle for equipollent systems in the kinetics of rigid bodies are provided. (MVL)

Presents a project-based curriculum, Foundations of Science (FOS), that integrates the physical and biological sciences. Consists of three years of integrated science based on: integrating science disciplines, project-based science, inclusion of authentic problems, and routine uses of technology. (nine references) (JRH)

Specific recommendations are made to implement education in science/technology/environment/society (STES) issues in Canadian schools. Functional STES literacy will enable students to take positions on issues based on their cognitive analyses and value systems. Contemporary science teaching neglects the problem solving that real STES education will…

Compares performances of students on gas-law problems that require two distinct approaches, either the algorithmic technique or the conceptual gestalt. Indicates that student effectiveness is considerably different utilizing each approach and that training or experience with the algorithm process should not be expected to facilitate the…

Science activities of the 14 science textbooks most commonly used in middle and junior high school were analyzed and coded to determine the level of the thinking skills emphasized in comparison to supplemental guide activities. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant difference in the quantity but not quality of the thinking…

Illustrated are five classroom projects about the relationship between weight and size in animals. Background information and procedures are provided. Ten extension activities are suggested. (CW)

Describes an innovative approach used to help high school students develop critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills while learning about indoor air quality. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/WRM)

Closed laboratories are becoming an increasingly popular approach to teaching introductory computer science courses, as they facilitate structured problem-solving and cooperation. However, most closed laboratories have been designed and implemented without embedded instructional research components for constant evaluation of the laboratories'…

Science is at heart a rational activity. Reasoning, being an important component of critical thinking has been successfully taught using Socratic methods. As an approach, the instructor or designer of instruction models an inquiring and probing mind focusing on providing questions and not answers. The main aim has been to allow learners to…

Covering everything from day-to-day learning activities to schoolwide goals, this engaging book reviews key topics in literacy instruction for grades 5-12 and provides research-based recommendations for practice. Leading scholars present culturally responsive strategies for motivating adolescents; using multiple texts and digital media;…

During the summer of 1986 a conference funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) was organized to assess the current state of cognitive research on the psychology of physics problem solving, and to examine the needs of physics instructors and instructional designers that must be addressed by a psychological theory of physics problem solving.…

The seventh in a series, this report reviews microcomputer software authorized by the Alberta (Canada) Department of Education from January 1987 through December 1987. This edition provides detailed evaluations of 23 authorized programs for teaching business education, mathematics, the sciences, language arts, music, problem solving, and French.…

Thirty-four authors have joined to produce this book. Among them are natural and physical scientists, psychologists, historians, writers, scholars of curriculum and instruction, teacher educators, and teachers of the young. The contributors probe many methodologies including the place of unified concepts and processes; the interaction of the…

One aim of this study was to identify, in a group of unsuccessful college level problem solvers, the status and use of their declarative knowledge as revealed by students' attempts to solve novel problems in a pencil-and-paper setting. It was hypothesized that for some unsuccessful problem solvers, their problem representation could be improved by…