Describes the theory behind tapered resistors and liquid crystals and their use in the Duracell battery test strip. Presents related electrical problems for students. (JRH)

A study of 107 15- and 17-year olds examined the relationship between adolescents' general coping styles (problem focused, emotion focused, or cognitive) and their perceptions of parental child-rearing practices (authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, or neglectful). Findings were consistent with the view that parents' child-rearing techniques…

Describes a paradigm for generating a variety of problem situations in middle school mathematics, ranging from combining a single mathematical concept or process with a single context, to combining multiple concepts or processes with multiple contexts. Offers several illustrative examples. (SR)

While businesses have been building electronic highways, education is traveling an electronic dirt road. There are 10 reasons for using technology in classrooms. Students learn and develop at different rates. Graduates must be globally aware, proficient at accessing, evaluating, and communicating information, and adept at solving complex problems.…

This study compared the regulation of cognitive activity in 30 children (ages 15 to 95 months) with autism or mental retardation matched for global, verbal, and nonverbal developmental ages. Testing on tasks of object permanence indicated that the autistic children had a pervasive difficulty in maintenance set, made more perseverative errors, and…

Examined the effects of tutoring on college students' ability to learn a computer programming language in order to characterize effective tutor behaviors. Found that successful tutors took a very active role in leading problem-solving by offering confirmatory feedback and additional guidance while students were on profitable paths and error…

Discusses a well-known optical refraction problem where the depth of an object in a liquid is determined. Proposes that many texts incorrectly solve the problem. Provides theory, equations, and diagrams. (MVL)

Presents John Collier's "Problem-Solving Loop" as a structure for finding the most acceptable solution to any problem. Describes a project that uses the problem-solving loop to analyze some problems outside the classroom related to kinematics and dynamics. (JRH)

Measured children's (n=182) competence at syllogistic reasoning and in solving a series of problems requiring inductive reasoning. Reports that syllogistic reasoning and inductive reasoning were significantly correlated with both simultaneous and successive synthesis. Provides a basis for understanding the roles of spatial and verbal-logical…

Proposes that the writing of proofs in geometry class can be a vehicle for attaining the goals of problem solving, reasoning, and communication in the mathematics classroom. Presents a student-teacher dialogue illustrating this process. (11 references) (MKR)

A more fragmented approach to assessment of global ability concepts than is generally advocated is suggested, based on the assumption that decomposing a complex ability into cognitive components and tracking performance across multiple measures will yield valid and instructionally useful information. Specifications are suggested for designing…

Children aged four through six years were given identical addition and subtraction calculations presented in three problem-type formats: nonverbal problems, story problems, and number-fact problems. Results suggest that children's earliest calculation ability is based on experiences combining and separating sets of objects. Contains 34 references.…

It is proposed that schools of social work typically respond reactively and defensively when workload demands increase relative to available resources. Strategic planning is offered as a tool for increasing faculty's and administrators' sense of vitality and empowerment. Conditions, tasks, outcomes, and pitfalls of successful strategic planning…

Addresses the following issues related to employee problem resolution: confronting rather than ignoring problems; preparing for confrontation and resolution of problems; the role of administration and middle management; character and trust as leadership factors; and management and supervisory training. (six references) (MES)

Presents a checklist of core behaviors for use in assessing students' strengths, weaknesses, and changes in thinking skills. Lists persistence, decreased impulsivity, flexibility, metacognition, checking for accuracy, problem posing, drawing on past knowledge and experience, transfer of skills to new situations, precision of language, and…