Research indicates that Hispanic technical students exhibit patterns of performance in problem solving tasks that are clearly distinct from those exhibited by Anglo students. This may be because problem solvers working problems in a nonnative language are in more danger of misinterpreting problems due to sentence construction, jargon, etc., than…

This manual is intended for individuals who are experiencing transitions that call for changes in relationships, routines, roles, or assumptions within the settings of work, school, family, health, or finances. It is intended to assist them in becoming aware that (1) transitions and change are inevitable and natural, (2) there are many resources…

This is the final test for students in the twelfth-grade course Mathematics 30, offered in schools in Alberta, Canada. It contains 52 multiple-choice questions and five written-response problems, with two-and-one-half hours allowed for completion. Approved calculators may be used. Scoring is done by the provincial education department. (RH)

An assessment of the status of environmental education and perspectives on its future direction are presented in this report of the Netherlands' Commission on Environmental Education (CEE). Viewpoints and analyses are offered for the purpose of stimulating discussions and providing recommendations for the development of environmental education.…

The need for mathematics teachers to incorporate instruction in problem-solving skills into the curriculum is discussed. Results of a study of problem-solving instruction in the classrooms of nine seventh grade teachers are briefly noted. There were significant differences between the teachers in how they planned, organized, and delivered lessons,…

The emphasis on promoting thinking skills in the classroom has fostered several trends, tendencies, and tensions. This movement has taken three directions: the teaching of thinking, teaching for thinking, and teaching about thinking. In the first, thinking is regarded as a process of developing a set amount of skills. The proponents of this…

Noting the lack of a dispute mechanism for determining whether an advertising practice is truly deceptive without generating the costs and negative publicity produced by traditional Federal Trade Commission (FTC) procedures, this paper proposes a model based upon early termination of the issues through jointly commissioned behavioral research. The…

The paper describes the use of expert systems technology in translating test and observational data into objectives for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with handicapped students. The Math Test Interpreter (MTI) is designed to combine student information, results from the Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test and additional program generated…

Designed to examine the structural differences in the representation of medical problems in subjects with varying degrees of medical expertise, this study uses an online, thinking-aloud technique to investigate the validity of Feltovich and Barrows' model of expert medical knowledge and illness scripts. Study methodology involved asking one…

This study, which was concerned with the ways in which actions can be elaborated and can influence children's awareness of actions, examined the relationship between action and awareness during childrens' performance on the Towers of Hanoi problem. A total of 94 children between the ages of 6 and 8 years were asked to solve a three-disc version of…

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of problem-solving groups, a study developed a model of group problem-solving behavior, and applied the resulting conceptual framework to 16 actual evaluations of quality circle programs (defined as a group of 3-15 persons from the same work area who meet for problem-solving). The model divides each of the…

The Community-Based Report provides students in business communications classes with an authentic context for thinking and writing. Students are required to investigate and produce written and oral solutions to a problem experienced by a local corporation, business, governmental or not-for-profit organization. Students develop their own cases,…

This study investigated the effects of solution-oriented and strategy-oriented feedback when using interactive computer-assisted instruction. The feedback confirmed problem solving strategies that were either similar to the learner's cognitive strategies (i.e., spatial strategies) or different from the learner's cognitive strategies (i.e.,…

The design and architecture of two user-controlled, computer-based problem analysis environments in classical mechanics are discussed. In the expert-like environment, the user analyzes problems according to a hierarchical concept schema consistent with how experts analyze novel problems in physics. In the second environment, the user searches a…

A variety of methods are presented for developing skills for critical thinking, which is described as reflecting on assumptions underlying actions and considering new ways of looking at and living in the world. Critical thinking is viewed as not just an academic exercise, but a productive process enabling people to be more effective and innovative…