The movement-exploration activities described in this book are designed to appeal to primary-level children's natural instinct toward imaginative play and discovery and offer opportunities to develop physical skills in a familiar environment. The discovery of the physical self involves body-part and body-surface identification, isolated movements…

Three concerns investigated were: (1) the effect of two methods of teaching reading comprehension skills in a content area upon students' problem-solving performance on first-year algebra word problems; (2) the effects of three achievement levels of each assigned factor--reading comprehension, computational mathematics, and mathematical…

Leadership training materials, to be used by both students and teachers, are organized in the following sections: (1) self-awareness; (2) what leadership is; (3) goal setting, the foundation of success; (4) communication, key to leadership; (5) organization, putting all the pieces together; (6) group process, working together; (7) problem solving,…

This guidebook focuses on the problems facing teachers in small group teaching. It is organized in three parts, each dealing with a specific common problem. Part One deals with clarifying instructional goals for the group. Part Two concerns interaction within the group and between the students and the teacher. Part Three encompasses the…

The project's purpose was to revise the introductory biology material in a freshman course for biology majors so that it is based on Piagetian learning theory and incorporates the three phases of the learning cycle teaching strategy: (1) exploration; (2) concept formation; and (3) concept application. The approach presented concepts structured so…

This practicum addressed the importance of the development of problem solving skills in primary age children. Students need to practice recognizing the problem, deciding what steps are necessary in solving the problem, evaluating the solution, and revising the steps, when necessary. Summer camp computer students who were entering second grade…

Scientific advancements in cognitive science and instructional technology extend the behaviorally-oriented learning paradigm of instructional design and management in three major areas: (1) analysis of information-to-be-learned; (2) means of evaluating learners; and (3) linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The two basic types…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the private speech of 40 kindergarten children involved in a problem-solving task differed according to gender, socioeconomic status, sociability, and academic ability. The introductory chapter provides a brief summary of the theoretical views of Piaget and Vygotsky concerning private speech.…

The development and implementation of a 6-month pilot electronic problem-solving network for principals is described. Twenty-four school leaders in Ontario and the Northwest Territories made up the membership of the network. Included in this report is information on user recruitment, operating procedures, technical arrangements, user perceptions…

Four experiments were conducted to explore issues in the development and modification of both moral choices and judgments of achievement using concepts and data from a social judgment perspective. In the first experiment, college students functioning at different reasoning levels indicated on a 20-point scale their strength of belief that an…

In this project, a plan for solving word problems based on the students' level of development was developed. A 10-week implementation of a plan for solving word problems at the concrete level of development included the use of a flow chart or plan to map out and solve word problems. Students then used the flow chart and manipulatives to develop…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students from different academic settings differ in their usage of metacognitive strategies in mathematical problem solving, and if they do, what the differences are. A questionnaire was administered to students at various levels from academic tracks and academic streams requiring them to…

Over an 8-month period, a preschool teacher's aide designed and implemented a practicum study intended to improve the social skills of preschoolers in a private day care center. Lesson plans for teaching seven social skills through problem solving were created. Skills were related to entering and exiting activities without disrupting them;…

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of a self-study project which required explicit self-monitoring as a tool for initiating reflection in a group of novice teachers during their student teaching experience. The study was structured to encourage student teachers to bring to a conscious level of awareness a problem within their…

Critical reflection plays an integral part in independent problem-solving and self-regulated learning. Metacognition, which is knowledge of a task and of the thinker's own cognitive processes, and monitoring, the ability to assess and adapt thinking when problems become apparent, are elements of reflective thinking. Research shows that experienced…