This paper identifies several areas of database modeling and design that have been problematic for students and even are likely to confuse faculty. Major contributing factors are the lack of clarity and inaccuracies that persist in the presentation of some basic database concepts in textbooks. The paper analyzes the problems and discusses ways to…

Can a rich problem-solving task challenge a diverse range of students? How would students across various grade levels, from elementary school to secondary school, respond to the same task? These were the questions five different teachers in different schools wanted to explore in their respective classes, ranging from first grade through ninth…

One of the challenges of science education is for students to develop scientific knowledge that is personally meaningful and applicable to real-life issues. This article describes a middle-school science intervention fostering adolescents' critical reasoning in the context of HIV by strengthening their conceptual understanding of HIV biology. The…

We present the results of a literature review of studies on teaching strategies for moral education in secondary schools (1995-2003). The majority of the studies focus on the "what" and "why", i.e. the objectives, of curriculum-oriented moral education. Attention to the instructional formats for enhancing the prosocial and moral development of…

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of two different elementary mathematics programs on student learning. The subjects, third-grade students in two schools, were matched by socio-economic background and teacher experience. Students in each school were exposed to a different mathematics program since kindergarten--a skills…

This book is designed to provide individuals with practical assistance in introducing and using critical reflection strategies. It is intended for workshop facilitators whose aim is to assist committees, organizations, and various groups in solving problems. The book explains procedures for Critical Reflection Strategies using Teams (CReST), a…

This book is designed to provide middle-grade mathematics teachers with ideas for enlivening instruction to help students acquire a sense about numbers. Guided classroom discussions for writing opportunities centered on the theme of problem solving are provided. Following an introduction, chapters include the following: Counterintuitive Problems;…

This book contains a classroom-tested approach to the teaching of problem solving to all students in Grades 4-6, regardless of ability. Information on problem solving in general is provided, then mathematical problems on logic, whole numbers, number theory, fractions, decimals, geometry, ratio, proportion, percent, probability, sets, and…

In this study, a researcher-teacher examined seventh-graders' experiences with a problem-centered curriculum and pedagogy. Analyses of interviews, surveys, teaching journal entries, and audio recordings focused on differences between lower- and higher-socioeconomic status (SES) students' reactions to learning mathematics through problem solving.…

An action of an individual or a societal action that has an impact on other societies constitutes a "global issue." Global climate change, airborne toxins, ozone depletion, and solid waste management are a few of the global issues concerning the environment. This digest discusses methods by which students learn about global issues and…

Subjects taught by a model performed better on interpretation of programs and on problems requiring looping, while nonmodel subjects excelled on straightforward generation of programs. The model used was especially helpful for low ability subjects. Practice in interpretation helped nonmodel subjects most and practice in writing simple programs…

This article describes an innovative method of conflict resolution both within the community and as a classroom simulation exercise. For journal availability see SO 504 278. (DE)

In their desire to improve the seventh-grade curriculum at the art department of Candlewood Junior High School, Dix Hills, New York, an experiment using an open studio was attempted. (Author/RK)

Investigations which employ a search for a number pattern as an approach to solving a geometry problem are discussed. Four problems are presented, with suggestions for testing simple cases, discussion questions, organizing information, and conclusions to be drawn. (MNS)

A problem-solving exercise based on the principle of cooperative learning and designed for use in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom is described and demonstrated. The problem-posing method, which uses students' lives and problems as a focus of discussion in the second language classroom, is outlined. By using carefully selected…