Discusses problems public schools will encounter as a result of the decline in school enrollment and suggests some practical strategies and techniques that will help school administrators solve these problems. (Author/MLF)

The study compared the performance of severe and mild learning disabled children to normal children on a problem-solving task. The three types of children were assessed on the Matching Familiar Figures task. Results indicated that on the MFF, LD children, as a group, were more impulsive than normal children. (Author)

Itinerant teachers (N=31) of the visually impaired in rural Texas identified shortcomings of the job (e.g., driving, communication with school personnel) and suggested problem-solving strategies (e.g., improving efficiency, establishing team relationships, adapting expectations). Among implications is the need to inform prospective teachers of the…

A thinking aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) procedure--two students work cooperatively on a collection of short problems--is outlined, and reading comprehension exercises and sample student thought process protocols are presented. (Author/MLW)

A few medical schools have introduced a significant innovation--the problem-based curriculum. Students meet in small tutorials and consider biomedical problems that they cannot solve without acquiring new information and skills. This experiment at Harvard gives "respectability" to the curriculum. (MLW)

Develops a general understanding of four categories of thinking skill components and their increasing importance: (1) problem solving; (2) decision making; (3) critical thinking; and (4) creative thinking. Methods of incorporating audiovisual media into thinking skills instruction are suggested. Twenty-one references are listed. (MES)

A study investigated the incremental value of a medical reasoning aptitude test to predict students' overall medical school performance and knowledge and clinical reasoning during preclinical years and clerkship performance. (MSE)

A model of qualities of mathematical activity was developed within a framework of learning goals. A clinical application of the model is described, in which ninth-grade students were given assignment projects. A hierarchy of effective guidance was established, permitting diagnostic evaluation and progressive development of mathematical activity.…

Children's (ages 8-12) interactive social responses to computers were examined. Results showed that students had not considered the social implications of using another's data. When infringements of their rights to privacy took place, students demanded penalties. Students showed preference for group problem-solving strategies. (RM)

This article illustrates the flexibility and appropriateness of computer networks as an instructional resource for developing basic economic education programs for students with varying characteristics (e.g., public school students, home-bound adults, university-based students, and other adults, etc.). (CT)

Mediation, in which a neutral third party helps two people come up with their own solutions, is being used to settle faculty and staff grievances. Experiences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Duke University, Emory University, and the University of Cincinnati are described. (MLW)

Reviews studies related to problem solving in science education. Discusses findings in the areas of investigative methods, improvement of problem-solving abilities, task variables (puzzles, problems), and subject variables (cognitive structures, developmental factors, disposition). (ML)

This discussion of the need for learning activities which promote critical thinking skills, creativity, and affective growth in children uses Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide for designing such activities based on children's literature. Several examples of projects based on specific children's books are provided. (CLB)

Analyzes three major approaches to the use of computers in education: (1) drill and practice; (2) tutorial, and (3) simulation and programing. Courseware for each approach is discussed, educational philosophy and types of knowledge are described, the effect of computers on learning processes is examined, and 114 references are provided. (LRW)

Reviews approaches taken in meeting the design requirements in engineering programs. Highlights the value and applications of student involvement in design projects. Explains the features of an engineering case and advocates their use as an alternative or supplement to design projects. (ML)