While increasing teachers' scientific knowledge base has been identified as a challenge for teacher education (e.g., NCES, 1996), the skills used to identify a need for knowledge and the skills necessary to search for that knowledge have been less discussed. Yet, the ability to learn for oneself is really the goal of lifelong teacher education. In…

This document explains the importance of problem solving in the high school physics curriculum and points out the lack of opportunities in textbooks for students to practice their problem solving skills. The necessity of having introductory-level work texts cannot be ignored and having a work-text book would be beneficial from the teachers' point…

This paper outlines major trends affecting both the nature of urban problems and the shape of much public interest problem-solving in the urban United States. Trends affecting cities and regions include the continued suburbanization of jobs, wealth, and political power; the evolution of a skill-intensive and networked global economy in which…

This book shows students how to increase their power to analyze problems and comprehend what they read. First it outlines and illustrates methods that good problem solvers use in attacking complex ideas, then it provides practice in applying these methods to a variety of comprehension and reasoning questions. The "Whimbey Method" of teaching…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to compare three experts and three novices in a Web-based problem solving context. The task was to search and evaluate Web sources for writing a research paper on a topic (inquiry based instruction, or IBI) that was unfamiliar to the users. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What type…

This paper discusses techniques and resources to use to stimulate creativity through a web site for several "generations" of gifted and talented learners. To organize a web site to stimulate creativity, two categories of development issues must be considered: intrinsic person variables, and process variables such as thinking skills,…

Today's highly technical information society is marked by constant change. To be competent, functional, and prepared to deal with the future, students need to be able to analyze, question, and evaluate information critically. Therefore, the educational community has renewed interest in teaching critical thinking. Unfortunately, educational…

This document is a guide for teaching and learning concerning inquiry education. It identifies scientific inquiry in correlation with the National Science Education Standards and discusses the various functions and strategies for assessment. Contents include: (1) Inquiry in Science and in Classrooms; (2) Inquiry in the National Science Education…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects and the effectiveness of the use of an on-line community to support preservice teacher and new teacher interaction and development. Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MaSTech) was designed to connect middle grade mathematics preservice teachers and beginning teachers with their peers as well…

This book features a set of problems assembled to reflect the criteria of the mathematics portion of the North Carolina High School Comprehensive Test. The problems are not necessarily suited to timed situations but rather are intended for classroom use by teachers to review high school mathematics and build upon concepts and skills developed in…

The purpose of this project was to examine the levels of achievement and metacognition in expressing mathematics understanding and problem solving processes by students in a second grade classroom when the students used writing in daily mathematics learning according to their scores on a mathematical problem solving assessment and individual…

Beginning with more than 60 mathematics problems commonly taught in middle and high school, this book shares the excitement and mystery of mathematics, shows students how 60 mathematicians discovered mathematical solutions, and demonstrates how these discoveries can be applied to everyday situations. Each chapter presents the historical background…

This paper describes an assessment and evaluation effort occurring in the context of a middle school science curriculum development effort known as Learning by Design (LBD). The LBD approach builds on a body of cognitive science and professional education research that emphasizes learning from problem-solving experience. The assessment and…

This Achiever contains a brief summary on the results of two major international studies: (1) 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS); and (2) 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). In the 2003 TIMSS, American fourth- and eighth-graders significantly outperformed many of their international peers. In…

This study investigated whether it was more beneficial to provide the learners in computer-based learning environments access to on demand (self-regulated) help after they committed an error in problem solving or for the learning environment to externally regulate the presentation of instructional help. Furthermore, two different resentational…