The application of recent advances in the understanding of problem solving to the classroom is reviewed. Current research findings are described, and the instructional validity of these findings is illustrated by a research study of an instructional strategy called novice knowledge engineering. How various instructional strategies serve as…

This study investigated the effects of constraining freshmen physics students to follow an expert-like approach in analyzing mechanics problems. A computer-based, problem analysis environment was constructed that allowed novices to actively engage in performing a qualitative analysis of problems according to a hierarchy which combined declarative…

This document submits that the existence of objective knowledge and the possibility of communicating it by means of language have traditionally been taken for granted by educators. This paper presents a brief outline of an alternative theory of knowing that takes into account the thinking organism's cognitive isolation from "reality."…

Intended to be a practical guide to prereading activities applicable in the classroom, this book emphasizes students' independence by shifting the focus of instruction to student-centered applications. Chapters of the book cover such topics as: (1) preparing students to read in the content areas; (2) asking and answering questions before reading;…

Six strategies for teaching handwriting skills to learning disabled elementary students are presented, along with a rationale and illustrated step-by-step teaching procedures for each. Skills addressed include the following: (1) improving eye-hand coordination through dot-to-dot alphabet letter tracing; (2) teaching basic strokes in manuscript…

This manual is designed to be used as a staff development instrument for educators to help them discover their personal cognitive and behavioral style and to aid them in using this understanding to become more effective teachers and administrators. Four personal styles are identified: (1) autonomy: solving problems, making decisions, getting…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--designed to investigate the teaching and learning of science in New Zealand primary schools, arises from the work of the original Learning in Science Project (LISP). This paper is an attempt to clarify the direction of LISP(P) as it moves toward the central phase of the research. The ideas…

The stand taken in the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--is that primary school science should be centrally concerned with children's present interaction with their world rather than their future science education. Further, it has been decided that one of the LISP(P) foci should be on questions that children ask and how these…

One area explored in the Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--was children's questions about and explanations of phenomena. Data were obtained from work with classes of children, interviews with children, informal discussions with teachers, and observations of two teachers using an alternative teaching model (outlined in an appendix)…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--was designed to investigate the teaching and learning of science in the primary school. This paper summarizes the work undertaken and the findings obtained during the first 9 months of the project. During the first 6 months, an exploratory phase, similar to the original Learning in Science…

This paper, designed to be used in conjunction with a video-tape developed by the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--shows excerpts from some of the interview schedules used to examine children's ideas about floating and sinking. These interviews involved the use of "interview-about-instances" (IAI) cards (included in an…

This study investigated the meanings and ideas held and questions asked by children (ages 7-14) about floating and sinking (in water). Data were collected from interviews using "interview-about-instances" (IAI) cards (included in an appendix) and 10 objects which either floated or sank. Additional data were collected from classroom…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--investigated the ideas and interests children have about flowering plants (in particular whether these plants have a life cycle). Data were obtained from: individual interviews with children, ages 7- to 14-year-old (10 students for each age level), using the "interview-about-instances"…

Prepared as part of a series to help college students improve their use of study time and learning materials, this booklet presents a seven-step method for improving reading skills. Each section of the booklet discusses a separate step in the method--(1) evaluating reading habits, (2) providing the right atmosphere for reading, (3) using the eyes…

A study was conducted: (1) to determine the proportion of average 6th-grade students who, when given prompts, could produce an incipient form of dialectical reasoning; and (2) to test a unit of instruction developed to teach dialectical reasoning as an appropriate learning strategy for exploring public controversies. It was hypothesized that if…