Number sequences are useful complements to traditional drill and practice. Described is an activity in which the basic rule, add the tens digit to five times the ones digit, is used to generate a sequence of numbers. The dialogue between teacher and student discussing characteristics of emerging patterns is given. (MDH)

Outlines some tools and tactics for the knowledge-elicitation process in multimedia design by facilitating communication between the designer and subject matter expert (SME). Defines multimedia SME and exploratory multimedia, and discusses the role of the SME, stages of SME consultation, as well as problems and tips to optimize SME consultations.…

Discusses why the Japanese term "otaku" (an obsession with the information exchanged via computers) is preferable to the American term "geek." Discusses a set of pedagogical beliefs and practices that geeks and otaku have in common, which are the antithesis of those of the typical U.S. high school. (SR)

Challenges the belief that high stakes tests are the keystone of students' educational attainment, describing a series of exploratory workshops, developed in reaction to this issue, in which teachers (as essential preparation for developing students' curiosity) deepened their understanding of the principles of physics by playing with light. Such…

The analysis and simulation of spiral growth in plants integrates algebra and trigonometry in a botanical setting. When the ideas presented here are used in a mathematics classroom/computer lab, students can better understand how basic assumptions about plant growth lead to the golden ratio and how the use of circular functions leads to accurate…

In an increasing number of schools and school systems, active, hands-on science is gaining momentum and realizing remarkable gains in students' science, literacy, and mathematics standardized test achievement. Two recent major research projects have documented significant improvements in objective test results, which are supported by extensive…

The relative effectiveness of explicit instruction, guided discovery, and discovery learning techniques in enhancing anticipation skill in young, intermediate-level tennis players was examined. Performance was assessed pre- and postintervention, during acquisition, and under transfer conditions designed to elicit anxiety through the use of…

This book shows how and why the computer is so well suited to producing discovery learning environments. An examination of the literature outlines four basic modes of instruction: didactic, Socratic, inquiry, and discovery. Research from the fields of education, psychology, and physiology is presented to demonstrate the many strengths of…

This book represents a compilation of the views and ideas of the late Hans Freudenthal, representing his last major contribution to the field of mathematics education. Rather than a presentation of new views, Freudenthal selected and streamlined old ideas, many gathered from his lectures in China, and formed a review of questions and issues in…

This paper is a how-to manual for doing poetic mini-dramas (PMD) with elementary school students. It describes the possibilities for discovery learning through the dramatization of poetry, lists initial suggestions for the teacher and the actual steps in the process, and reports the attitudes and vocabulary growth of second and third graders after…

A five-step method of conflict analysis can help students generate accurate and complex theme statements about literature without teacher intervention. The conflict analysis involves (1) identifying the characters who are in conflict as a series of pairs and determining if the protagonist has an inner conflict; (2) determining the major conflict,…

In one university, bibliographic labs were developed to help students retrieve and evaluate sources in the disciplines of history and literature. The labs were designed not only to provide training in the skills necessary for preparing a research presentation and paper, but to build on the foundation of faculty-librarian-student collaboration to…

Secondary school and college students can learn how to shape thought through shaping language by using tagmemic heuristics. To approach writing as a thinking process, students apply three heuristics: one for identifying and stating problems, one for exploring problems, and one for evaluating hypotheses or solutions. Guided by a series of…

The interaction between fluid aptitude and two levels of instructional method (expository and discovery) was investigated. The methods differed in the completeness of the support provided for cognitive processing of procedural knowledge. Four performance outcomes were measured--immediate and delayed recall, and near and far transfer of the…

Results indicated that discovery subjects took significantly longer than verbal reception subjects in the first-, third-, and sixth-grades to reach the original learning criterion. Verbal reception subjects generally demonstrated performance which was superior to discovery subjects on all measures of retention and transfer. (Author/BJG)