One of the major goals of the social studies is to help students gain and refine skills in the area of value clarification. Value sheets, carefully planned activities designed to elicit value clarifying patterns of language from students, are one way of securing value clarification. Sheets, planned in conjunction with ongoing units of instruction,…

A review is presented of the role of algorithms in learning and instruction. The paper first describes an algorithm as a procedure guaranteed to produce a correct result and lists its features as: 1) having a reasonably finite number of unambiguously defined operations; 2) having zero or more inputs from a specified domain; 3) having outputs with…

The need for planning in educational systems may be interpreted as the need to identify, prepare, and devise new or revised procedures through which explicit systemic goals may be realized. Usually such efforts have a specific time orientation. Planning is further related to policy in the sense that policy is a legitimized procedure or course of…

The two objectives of this study were to compare the results of the teaching of written composition to high school students, using a problem-solving approach, with the results obtained using a traditional approach, and to determine if a problem-solving approach produces a significant difference in reflective thinking skills. Three null hypotheses…

Abstracts of 36 research reports are provided. The reports were prepared by investigators for presentation at the 55th annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A broad range of topics related to mathematics education is covered. Nine reports deal with problem solving, eight are concerned with instructional methods, five…

A problem-solving model for teaching industrial technology values and value judgments in industrial arts classes is presented, with an example of a curriculum plan format to include the values level in teaching graphic arts. Values clarification techniques are intended to help students in solving life problems. (MF)

Describes 10 key elements of generic teaching strategies for developing student thinking and provides a rationale for the participation of school library media specialists in developing student thinking skills. The role of media specialists within the school and the importance of information-based decision making in a free society are discussed.…

Argues that construction of knowledge bases is an instructional tool that encourages students' critical thinking in problem solving situations through metacognitive experiences. A study is described in which college students created expert systems to test the effectiveness of this method of instruction, and benefits for students and teachers are…

Differentiates between problems, exercises and algorithms. Discusses the role of algorithms in solving problems and exercises in chemistry. Suggests that very real differences exist between solving problems and exercises, and that problem solving steps can be and should be taught in chemistry education. (TW)

Describes an ongoing project involving 23 second grade teachers who are teaching all mathematics, including computation, through small-group problem solving and whole class discussion. The authors suggest that teachers are generally successful in creating a "problem-solving atmosphere" and consequently the children persist in attempting…

Examines various types of problems that researchers have used to demonstrate problem solving. Focuses on genetics problems. Discusses classes of learning outcomes, conceptual knowledge gains, content-independent heuristics, content-specific procedures, understanding the nature of science and a typology of genetics problems. (CW)

The article provides step-by-step procedures for teaching learning-disabled students how to ask for teacher help. Procedures involve role playing a classroom situation as it had occurred, modeling a situation for problem resolution, role playing again, analyzing and synthesizing the modeling situation, and applying these steps to other classroom…

This study identified and examined the validity of a Brunerian theory-based, aptitude-enhancing, standardized educational simulation by assessing spatial visualization ability of students assigned to simulation and non-simulation treatment groups. Results indicate the simulation increased high aptitude learners' efficiency (and initially…

This study investigated the degree to which seventh- and eighth-grade students of different abilities acquired strategic planning knowledge from a problem-solving computer game called Wumpus. Regression analysis was used to determine the influences of individual differences and either activating or modeling instruction, and to assess transfer of…

Describes a teaching game designed to train clinicians about effective management practices and strategies. Provides the goals and objectives of the same, along with the specific instructions for participants involved in this simulated operation of an imaginary health center. (TW)