Most principals admit that despite the huge changes that have taken place in the world over the last 50 years, the education that students receive in today's high schools is remarkably similar to the education that was offered their parents. Educators recognize that changes should occur, but the reality of creating change can be overwhelming.…

There is a growing obsession in education with generating solutions. Educators should make sure that they know what the problems before them are; that the problems are developed at a manageable level; and that causes for the problems are identified and proven. (Author/MLF)

Describes the IDEATE (identify, define, explore, assess, try, evaluate) Model, a problem-solving technique that includes four components: a problem-solving statement, research and development, testing of solutions, and evaluation. It fits with scientific and engineering principles present in a technology education classroom. (Author/JOW)

In recent years, teachers have noticed a drop in student effort on complex problems in math and science. The purpose of this study was to determine if incorporating cooperative learning and self-recording strategies had an impact upon student effort on complex problems. A total of 38 9th through 11th grade math and science students at two…

This document presents the proceedings of the 20th Annual Research Forum held June 25, 2015, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included are the following 21 action research papers: (1) History Lives! The Use of Simulations in a High School Social Studies Classroom (Lydia Adkins); (2) Using Francophone Music in the High…

Reports on a study conducted to identify cognitive factors associated with differences in predicting problem-solving success among high school biology students. Results indicate that successful prediction depends on several factors, including a subject's procedural and declarative knowledge, stage of cognitive development, and experience in…

Presents a problem that serves as an analogy for teaching combustion analysis. (JRH)

Through the use of creative problem-solving skills, students will be able to develop solutions to future societal problems. Technology education teachers must use and incorporate the teaching of these skills into their curriculum. (JOW)

A robotics contest encouraged research into robotics and gave students an opportunity to share their work and to build a robot with practical application for use in the home. (JOW)

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment that measures the performance of 15-year-olds in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. Coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of 34 member countries, PISA was…

Suggests ways in which secondary social studies teachers can help students develop skills in problem solving. (RM)

Students use tables of anthropometric data, their own measurements, underlying principles of physics, and math to solve a problem. The problem is to determine the height of a wall mirror, and where to mount it, so that 90% of the clientele can view their entire length without stretching or bending. (Author)

Reports on the responses obtained when the same mathematical modeling problem was presented to approximately 300 students with similar backgrounds and mathematical experiences. Findings indicate a variety of approaches and a tendency to consistently underestimate the solution to the problem. (JRH)

Discusses the appropriateness of teaching problem-solving skills to vocational education students at the secondary level. Includes a discussion of the place of problem solving in the scheme of basic mathematics skills. (45 references) (JOW)