In a recent attempt to infuse her instructional design course at Penn State with the problem-based approach, the author began using real-world cases as the centerpiece for the class. This article describes the course requirements, how cases work, and probably pitfalls to this approach. Two sidebars include an Occupational Hearing Conservation…

This article summarizes goals for mathematics achievement for all students and proposes a key model for teaching math to students at-risk of failure. The six teeth of the key are labeled: meaningful, explicit, informal, (de)situational, social, and teacher-specific. The lock pins are engagement, foundations, institutions, transfer, cultural…

Presents innovative, multiple intelligence math practices that can boost student learning and promote fun in the classroom. Suggestions include doing picture book math, working on open-ended problems, doing math all day and everywhere, and working on cooperative group math. (SM)

Uses a traditional approach with problem solving, a concrete approach with manipulatives, and a visual approach with computer spreadsheets to teach the arithmetic mean to 22 children in grades 4-6 in three multiage groups. Differences among pretest, posttest, and interview performances suggest some advantage to the use of a visual instructional…

Creativity requires application and balancing of three abilities--the synthetic, the analytic, and the practical. Teachers should serve as creativity role models, encourage questioning of assumptions, allow mistakes, encourage sensible risk taking, design creative assignments and assessments, let students define problems, and reward creative ideas…

Asserts that traditional strategies of problem-solving are inadequate and that a new method is needed. Suggests four ways to redirect attention in problem solving: overcoming an instant or linear perception of time, interacting between the problem's components and its whole, searching for the meaning or sense of a problem, and studying the…

Studied the impact of a seminar on environmental problem solving among 39 alumni who took the course between 1980 and 1997. Respondents' reflections on how the course and its service learning activities affected their later activities are used to make recommendations for maximizing the benefits and minimizing the frustrations of seminar…

Examines 17 national standards documents from 12 key subject areas, to identify six critical thinking and reasoning skill areas that cut across core subject areas. Discusses to what extent different subject areas place different emphasis on the various thinking and reasoning skills. Discusses how thinking and reasoning should be taught. (SR)

An appreciation of the relationship between novice and expert knowledge frameworks may help develop an understanding of the process of transition from one to the other. Recommends the use of concept mapping. (DDR)

Applies Benson's think-pair-share and Mazur's peer instruction techniques to enhance student involvement during the respiratory component of the medical physiology class. Investigates changes in students' level of understanding and ability to synthesize and integrate material. Includes 15 references. (Author/YDS)

High school agriculture students were taught using either a problem-solving (n=60) or subject-matter (n=52) approach. There were no differences in short- or long-term retention using either method across different learning styles. A moderate correlation was found between field independence and higher normal curve equivalent scores. (SK)

Describes a teaching approach that can make the deriving of the volume of a right circular cone a valuable problem-solving activity for upper secondary students. (ASK)

Describes how teachers can support the learning of the most able elementary students in science in normal classroom situations. (Author)

Describes the experimental intelligent computer algebra system STRAMS which can solve problems using a set of methods and techniques traditionally taught, learn new mathematical problem solving methods, and generate different kinds of explanations. Analyzes these features of STRAMS to give reasons for its potential applicability in building…

Advocates the need for pupils to practice significant aspects of scientific work such as the making of epistemic (related to the nature and construction of knowledge) and methodological decisions. This requires that they work on problems and activities presented in a more open way than usual. Describes a case study. (Contains 11 references.)…