The purpose of this study was to describe a process of preparing technology education teachers to teach engineering design concepts in the context of technology education. This process was identified through a study of professional development activities that were organized and conducted by technology teacher education partner universities of the…

Cooperative learning allows individuals with varying abilities to work alongside their peers. Students are placed into achievement levels based on placement test scores. The Regular College Preparatory (RCP) level is a score of 59% or lower and Academic College Preparatory (ACP) level is a score of 60-92% on the placement test. The purpose of this…

This study integrates the purposes of communication, i.e. in-class and on-line discussions, with problem solving skills in the process of learning professional knowledge of pre-service teachers. It attempts to foster both comprehension of professional knowledge and the attitude of contextualizing knowledge with situational factors. More…

This paper will explore a problem finding task the authors developed as one component of the Mission to Mars curriculum, an inquiry-based science unit developed by Petrosino & The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (CTGV). The paper also attempts to address evolving conceptions of the problem generation task, primarily from that of…

The use of a visual representation in learning about proportional relations was studied, examining students' understandings of the invariance of a multiplicative relation on both sides of a proportion equation and the invariance of the structural relations that exist in different semantic types of proportion problems. Subjects were 49 high-ability…

Designed by classroom teachers who, through repeated experimentation, identified activities that proved successful in developing students' understanding of citizenship, this unit contains 12 lessons that focus on the multicultural dimensions of citizenship. Each lesson includes objectives, procedures, and materials designed to involve students…

In this book, 10 strategies that are widely used in problem-solving both in mathematics and real-life situations are examined. Approximately 200 problems are selected to illustrate these strategies. Chapters include: (1) Introduction To Problem-Solving Strategies; (2) Working Backwards; (3) Finding a Pattern; (4) Adopting a Different Point of…

A conditions-based approach to the development of microlevel organizational strategies for instruction is explored. The conditions model reflects the idea that differences in learning tasks, primarily qualitative differences in the cognitive processing required of different learning tasks, can suggest different ways by which instruction can either…

This 5-section report summarizes the results of a project concerned with how novices learn to become creative educational computer users. Based on a cognitive analysis of elementary programming statements in BASIC and calculator language into conceptual units, the project builds on previous research on learning BASIC programming. A general…

Geometry students were randomly assigned to treatments in which they received (1) instruction in general problem solving procedures in addition to geometry or (2) regular geometry instruction. No significant differences attributable to treatments were found on a subsequent problem solving test. (SD)

The background, characteristics, and rationale for problem solving using "real" rather than academic problems are discussed. Criteria for choosing "real" problems, theories basic to problem solving, and the implementation of problem solving in the classroom are also covered. (JH)

Suggests problem solving to replace lecture on a broad scale to facilitate training in intellectual skills and abilities, and in the teaching of some important facts, ideas, and concepts. (GS)

Science teaching practices at the Long Island School for the Gifted emphasize hands-on experiments where children do the work and the teacher assists learning. This approach bypasses the reading/writing barrier that prevents some children from learning science. Many science experiments are described, including a first-grade lesson on using…

A discussion is provided of an instructional technique which has been used in a lower-division biology course to identify and clearly define critical thinking skills for students, model the skills, and give students frequent feedback by describing and evaluating what they are doing. Section I considers the links between the critical thinking and…

The process approach to teaching writing can be a useful tool to develop important skills in emotionally disturbed/behavior disordered students. Skills such as self-exploration, self-expression, problem solving, risk taking, and interaction with others can be improved through the writing process. An enhanced self-concept is another product of this…