Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) is a reality-oriented approach to teaching emphasizing activities in which students define and solve their own problems. Examples of problems and activities found in schools using USMES guides are presented as well as a brief history of the project. (JP)

Experiments by Russian educators on teaching algebra in elementary grades are summarized by the author. The algebra taught consisted of generalized solutions to concrete problems that are usually presented with fixed numerical values. (JP)

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

To explore the utility of decision seminars as instructional tools in educational administration training, researchers observed two one-quarter graduate courses in educational administration at Ohio State University. In the courses--one with 13 students, the other with 18--the decision seminar was used as an instructional framework within which…

It is noted that helping children learn how to solve problems has become a major goal for school mathematics. However, many children are not very successful at deciding what operation is appropriate for solving a given problem, and teachers often have difficulty describing or explaining how to identify the key features of a particular problem that…

Problem solving approaches often find a path from the givens to the unknown or from the unknown to the givens. This study explores those approaches using written protocols of Navy subjects while solving for the numerical value of an unknown from several knowns and a system of equations. For a subset of the items, solutions require subjects to…

Described in this paper is a project utilizing the linkage concept in the implementation of a diffused team planning process in six elementary schools undergoing desegregation. Strategies employed in designing the project are reviewed. These reviews include a retrospective analysis of the first two years of the project, a review of the minutes of…

This program adapts the Think Aloud method, originally designed to assist young aggressive boys in achieving greater self-control, to improve problem-solving skills among first and second graders. Modeling of self-instructional verbalizations is used to teach children a systematic approach to analyzing a problem, planning an attack and evaluating…

A program for prospective elementary and secondary teachers emphasizing inquiry and problem solving techniques for use in the classroom is described. In the conceptual framework of this program, a situation is defined as a set of circumstances that teachers commonly encounter, and an issue is a theoretical, ethical, or methodological question. A…

Simulation--a teaching strategy which enables students to vicariously test both their powers of observation and decision making abilities--is suggested as a device to prepare students for the rapid changes they are likely to encounter as adults. Guidelines are offered for developing classroom simulations in this paper. Social and cultural topics…

This study attempted to gather empirical evidence to guide educators in their teaching of linear measurement to primary school children. It attempted to answer the question "What modes of instruction are most effective for teaching linear measurement concepts to conservers and nonconservers of length?" (as defined by Jean Piaget), using a…

IN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE EDUCATION, CONCEPTS ARE BUILT FROM EXPERIENCE, NOT MEMORIZED FROM PRINTED MATERIAL. TEACHERS SHOULD BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES TO SET UP OR CALL ATTENTION TO SITUATIONS PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE USE OF PROBLEM-SOLVING TECHNIQUES. THE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT WILL PROMOTE AND STIMULATE PROBLEM-SOLVING SITUATIONS AND HELP TO…

This paper explores research on problem solving and suggests a problem-solving approach to elementary school social studies, using a culture study of the ancient Egyptians and King Tut as a sample unit. The premise is that problem solving is particularly effective in dealing with problems which do not have one simple and correct answer but rather…

Thirteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and critiqued in this publication. The topics of the research include counting, addition, subtraction, ratio, proportion, geometry, problem solving, and teaching strategies. Also included is an editorial comment by T. Kieren on mathematics education research. Research…