This article discusses tools developed to aid the systems analysis process (program evaluation and review technique, Gantt charts, organizational charts, decision tables, flowcharts, hierarchy plus input-process-output). Similarities and differences among techniques, library applications of analysis, structured systems analysis, and the data flow…

Some examples are given of geometric exploration and problem solving in which Logo is the primary tool and turtle graphics is the mathematical environment. Students can explore and develop important patterns while building visual intuition. (MNS)

The authors state that to ensure an organization's financial solvency, its administrators and faculty members must work cooperatively to solve problems and make decisions. They discuss perceptual blocks; building faculty participation; and producing income and reducing costs via personnel mix, student-faculty ratio, and raising tuition and fees or…

Provides a listing of recently published books on problem solving and life skills. Reviews articles and ideas related to the teaching of problem solving. Discusses the instructional implications of research in cognitive psychology. (ML)

Presents a case study analysis which attempts to illuminate the difference between knowledge accumulation and ability to deal with problem solving in stoichiometry. Competence is presented as ability to properly represent, solve, and verify solutions. Discusses rule or algorithm based vs. heuristic based problem solving. (JM)

Develops a classification scheme for mathematical problem-solving activities. Presents problems generated in solid and plane geometry and fractions. (JM)

Research on teachers' question-asking practices indicates that strategy utilizing both initial and follow-up questions helps students develop the ability to reason for themselves. Five types of follow-up questions discussed are questions seeking: (1) clarification; (2) evidence; (3) greater specificity; (4) a more appropriate focus; and (5)…

Empirical and theoretical evidence is presented to support the conclusion that improvement of learning ability is an important and viable educational goal. The improvement of learning ability necessitates development not only of specific learning skills, but also an executive control mechanism that automatically accesses and combines learning…

Consideration of a wide variety of options in maximizing income and controlling expenditures is recommended for Australian universities. Although marketing, fund raising, investment, and other income-producers are possibilities, tight control of expenditures is seen as the most effective retrenchment strategy. (MSE)

Discusses the need for researchers to determine what should be tested and how when evaluating educational computing programs, describes efforts of Educational Testing Service's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to measure the impact of computers on achievement, and concludes that it will not be easy to evaluate computers' effects.…

Examines the findings of 53 studies of sex differences in propositional logic, combinatorial reasoning, and proportional reasoning tasks. Finds sex differences for the latter two tasks to be vulnerable to Rosenthal's "file drawer" problem and effect size to be small for all tasks. Discusses possible explanations for sex differences in…

A previous article examined the amount of fuel that could constantly burn each second and achieve a safe landing. This article investigates some ways to burn variable amounts of fuel according to some mathematical function (such as an arithmetic progression). Several assumptions (such as a massless fuel) are made. (JN)

Discusses the content, advantages, and disadvantages of a syllabus designed to teach English as a second language in a number of primary school classes in South India. The syllabus is based on the assumption that "form is best learned when the learner's attention is on meaning." (SED)

Discusses reasons for the failure of the post-Sputnik science curricula and offers criteria for selecting relevant curriculum content, suggesting that these curricula focus on problem-solving. Lists seven problem areas (technological, environmental, empirical, historical, aesthetic, philosophical, and futuristic) with recommended topics for each…

This activity consists of two problem situations, each illustrating how a computer can be used as a tool to assist students in solving mathematical problems. In one, numerous calculations are performed by the computer; the second uses a Monte Carlo model to simulate a physical action. (MNS)