Describes a partnership between business, public schools, and a university to empower high school math and science teachers to use multimedia workstations and other technology to improve their curricula. Improvements included more student-centered classrooms, as well as better feedback, problem solving, creativity, and motivation. Teachers were…

Focuses on student organization, preparation, and presentation of simple foods (beverage, brownies, sloppy-joe sandwiches) as a way to apply various mathematical concepts, with problem-solving techniques being central to almost all the activities. Includes reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

Describes an experience with Do-It-Yourself Placement (DIYP), a procedure to cope with problems arising from a combination of large classes and an emphasis on analytic grammar skills to the neglect of reading and writing skills relevant to the context of study. Obstacles to change in approaches to second-language teaching are discussed. (13…

Analysis of response strategies employed by 261 undergraduate chemistry students when answering multiple-choice and stem-equivalent constructed-response questions revealed no significant differences in types of solution strategies or types of errors across test format. However, analysis of student oral reports revealed a higher frequency of…

Examined patterns of giving and receiving explanations in three mixed-ability student groups (grades 7-10) working on problem-solving tasks. Groups were modeled after the cooperative learning approach, Student-Teams Achievement Divisions. Students infrequently sought explanations or received inadequate explanations, and explanation givers did not…

A survey of 114 U.S. and Canadian medical schools gathered information about the content, organization, and teaching methods of microanatomy courses. Results suggest the courses are relatively conventional, with development of computer-assisted instruction being impeded by availability of other, less-expensive self-instructional tools.…

Presents an activity through which students develop mathematical concepts connected to area and perimeter in a rich, real-life setting and use tables, graphs, diagrams, and spreadsheets to explore the problem, see relationships, and make and test conjectures about those relationships. Encourages algebraic thinking. (SYB)

The theory behind the concept of the teacher as a model is surveyed and illustrated with actual events and techniques from college classrooms, including taking advantage of classroom mistakes to model thinking and problem-solving skills. Student evaluation results indicate that instructor credibility is unaffected by the use of these techniques.…

Describes the use of a modified version of the I-Search writing process for a high school freshman English research paper. Topics include collaboration between the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian, student journals, research strategies, problem solving, recognizing bias and opinions in sources, student assessments, and teacher…

Preservice teachers' written case analyses were examined to determine how students reasoned about four dilemmas. Examination of the analyses suggested that the developmental nature of learning to teach was reflected in students' analyses of events embedded in cases. The case method provided opportunities to further encourage development of…

Asserts that technology and telecommunications have become integral parts of daily life. Discusses three roles that technology plays in improving the problem-solving process. Contends that students must learn to select from a variety of information sources. (CFR)

Describes the application of the problem method, or case study approach, to teach undergraduate research methods. Maintains that the approach is particularly applicable because research design is a classic ill-defined task. Reports that students find the method challenging and interesting. (CFR)

The application of middle school and high school curriculum-based management (CBM) to critical thinking in content areas is discussed. The article outlines essential features of critical thinking assessments, development of CBM problem-solving prompts, and examples of scoring systems. An example involving a student with learning disabilities is…

Presents the science demonstration assessment as an authentic- assessment technique to assess whether students understand basic science concepts and can use them to solve problems. Uses rubrics to prepare students for the assessment and to assign final grades. Provides examples of science demonstration assessments and the scoring of rubrics in the…

Presented are assessment techniques to help improve instruction. Included are the formative assessment techniques observation and questioning, diagnostic interviews, and problem-solving-based investigations and the summative assessment technique of performance-based tasks. Examples of these methods are provided together with at-home activities…