Principals who are reflective in daily practice, it is claimed, can deal with the common as well as the extraordinary problems faced by principals because they can capably analyze a situation before making competent decisions. Strategies that should allow school leaders to link reflection, theory, and practice are presented in this paper. It…

This book serves as a guide for educators who want to know about and use problem-based learning (PBL) in their schools. Chapter 1 provides anecdotal reports by teachers and students, including examples from universities as well as elementary and secondary education. Chapter 2 gives an overview of PBL for those who want to learn more about the…

This digest discusses promoting self-determination in students with disabilities. It begins by describing self-determination and explains why self-determination is important for these students. Teaching strategies are then provided for students at the elementary and secondary levels. For students in early elementary grades, educators are urged to…

This study examines the use of question prompts and peer interactions as scaffolding strategies to help undergraduate students with their problem-solving processes on an ill-structured task. The mixed research method, combining both experimental and comparative multiple-case studies, was used to study the outcomes as well as the processes of…

In this companion to the "NASA SCI Files[TM]" episode "The Case of the Physical Fitness Challenge," the tree house detectives learn about anatomy, fitness and nutrition in preparation for the President's Challenge. The guide is divided into four segments aimed at grades 3-5, each of which includes an overview, a set of objectives, vocabulary to be…

In this study, we examined 139 prospective elementary teachers' solution processes to additive word problems for which the solution is 1 more or 1 less than the answer produced by the straightforward application of the addition or subtraction of the two given numbers. For each problem, five aspects of their solution processes were examined: (a)…

A case study is presented on what is learned by a very advanced Math student in a ninth grade class (fifteen years old, approximately). This case was obtained from an exploratory study carried out in a classroom of eighteen students when the employment of certain cultural artifacts was introduced to approach the theme of basic geometrical…

For the past three years, we have been investigating the implications of testing on students in elementary mathematics classrooms throughout the state of NJ. Our research, and the work of others, indicates that the impact of testing depends on many factors, not the least of which involves how teachers prepare their students for the test. In this…

Many theoretical explanations for knowledge transfer or generalization assume that such processes are rooted in the acquisition of abstract rules, principles, or schemata applicable in context-independent ways. This case study is part of a larger research program examining how what often appears to be generalized knowledge or performance is, in…

Researches indicate that worked examples could effectively facilitate problem solving by reducing cognitive load during learning. However, there is no study using worked examples in a game-based environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of worked examples on problem solving in a game-based environment. In this study,…

This comprehensive guide explores Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an innovative approach to leadership training. PBL has been adapted from its original use in medical school training into a tool for administrator preparation. In PBL, a real-life scenario with an open-ended problem or question for which there is no single right solution is presented.…

This paper describes a program for minimizing students' inability to relate present day school mathematics to real-world experiences, including the high-tech communities around them. The targeted population consisted of second grade elementary students in a growing middle class community located in a suburb of a large metropolitan area in the…

The objective of this intervention guide is to prepare each student to be mathematically literate to survive in a world that is changing and growing as technological advances are creating new applications of geometry, measurement, statistics, and counting procedures. It accomplishes this goal by providing an intervention setting that includes…

Young children are interested in and capable of building a mathematics foundation at a very early age. Computer software allows children easy access to math. This software consists of seven activities for ages two to five years. These seven activities emphasize numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, patterns, problem solving, size, and…

A part of the Fuss Busters peer mediation program, this teacher's guide is designed to increase students' conflict resolution skills. Fuss Busters is intended to help elementary students resolve conflicts in a creative and cooperative manner through reflective listening, defusing anger, brainstorming, and mediation. The guide is designed to help…