Lecturers are responsible for guiding their students outside the classroom. However, many students who can solve their problems independently often still seek lecturers' guidance, resulting in negative externalities. This paper examines the lecturer's attempts to minimize the negative effects of unnecessary guidance, focusing on the optimal time…

Defines program implementation and discusses its implications. Describes eight components of effective program implementation which fall under four broad categories: (1) communication; (2) involvement; (3) evaluation; (4) commitment. Shows how these components can be linked directly to the six steps of traditional analytic problem-solving. (AEF)

Describes a classroom problem of probability as follows: How many people do you need in a group to ensure that the probability of at least two of them having the same birthday is greater than one-half? Answer: 23. The probability principles needed are simple enough to be accessible to advanced high school students. (PVD)

Algebra, an important skill, provides a way to represent situations so they can be analyzed carefully. In the new algebra classroom, students will listen and talk to one another while learning to understand problems and devise solutions. Teachers will organize tasks (involving graphing, rating, and ranking techniques) to help students discover the…

Presents a collection of problem-solving tasks focusing on mathematical situations that often have surprising results. This hands-on investigation invokes problem solving and reasoning, requires communication skills, and encourages identification of connections among various mathematical concepts. A Heads-or-Tails Toss encourages children to…

Describes an NCTM Standards-based high school mathematics curriculum that involves application, technology, cooperative learning, and open-ended problem solving and compares student attitudes and achievement with a traditional class. Results indicate significant attitude improvement in the mathematical confidence of students in the experimental…

Explores the nature of how drama unfolds in the author's classroom around the historical events of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Describes how they explored the viewpoints of people involved in the historical events; recreated the setting and action through props, costumes, and scenery; understood the role of the teacher as actor; and problem…

Explores a variety of approaches to solving one geometry problem illustrating the work of teachers, the flow of their ideas, and the diverse areas of mathematics they applied. (KHR)

Uses a new set of 14 open-ended problems to gain some initial insights into the way pupils solve open-ended chemistry problems. Emphasizes how concepts and linkages between concepts influence success in solving such problems. Suggests that creating links between "islands" of knowledge is an important skill in problem solving. (Contains 37…

The dispositionist bias manifests itself when behavior is overattributed to dispositions, and when contextual factors are underused when predicting behavior. Psychological processes underlying the former bias have been most thoroughly examined. Three studies support the hypothesis that trait implications of past behavior function as heuristics…

Presents ways in which thematization can be used to control hortatory rhetoric, including varying the complexity of thematic structure and varying the amount of discourse participant themes. The article examines how different choices of thematic progression as text organizers can produce different effects and finds correlations with the…

Investigates the calculation strategies used by female students in Grades Two and Three to solve word problems. Findings indicate that students used three main intuitive models: (1) direct counting; (2) repeated addition; and (3) multiplicative operation. Concludes that children acquire an expanding repertoire of intuitive models and the model…

Examines classroom situations which allow for learning of rules of mathematical reasoning. Findings indicate that debate about mathematical rules can be generated amongst students ages 12 to 13 through the study of a mathematical problem. Argues that it is necessary for the teacher to conclude the debate. Contains 10 references. (JRH)

This study examines a collaboratively based problem-solving process in an elementary school in which 29 students with mild to profound disabilities were physically integrated. Teachers and students worked together to solve problems related to inclusion. Teachers judged collaborative problem-solving to be easily incorporated into existing practices…

Introduces the concept of designing World Wide Web pages that facilitate information seeking and problem solving; describes a model for information problem-solving and techniques for applying the model to Web page design; and lists Web page design guides, both online and print resources. (Author/LRW)