This teacher's guide presents a unit on acid rain and introduces hands-on activities for sixth through eighth grade students. In each unit, students act as real scientists and gather evidence by using science process skills such as observing, measuring and recording data, classifying, role playing, problem solving, critical thinking, synthesizing…

The purpose of this research was to document the relationship among student development, science achievement, and self-efficacy among middle school students. A novel survey was created to determine the self-efficacy levels of the middle school students. The middle school students were also administered two novel content quizzes in the area of…

This publication features articles that illustrate how several Northwest teachers are using problem solving to achieve rigorous and imaginative learning in their classrooms. Articles include: (1) "Open-Ended Problem Solving: Weaving a Web of Ideas" (Denise Jarrett); (2) "Teenager or Tyke, Students Learn Best by Tackling Challenging Math" (Suzie…

In the framework of a long term teaching experiment we present an Educational approach based on the use of a dynamic geometry software and a symbolic manipulator. Here we present the general ideas of the followed approach focusing on how meanings can originate from phenomenological experience and evolve under the guidance of the teacher. In…

This paper provides materials for a teacher workshop on the application of scientific processes across the curriculum. The approach is based on Taba's Inductive Model, and these materials contain sections on the purposes of Taba's model, teaching strategies used in Taba's model, the concept formation process, interpretation of data, application of…

The internal/external (I/E) frames of reference model proposed by H. Marsh (1986, 1990) points to the relativistic nature of academic self-concept formation. It argues that students compare their own academic ability to that of their peers in an external comparison, and they compare their own verbal skills to their mathematics skills in an…

The phrase "information on demand" is often used to describe situations in which digital electronic information can be delivered to particular points of need at times and in ways that are determined by the specific requirements of individual consumers or client groups. The advent of "mobile" computing equipment now makes the…

This paper shows examples of thought-provoking picture and chapter books that can be used as springboards for discussing, analyzing, and solving authentic problems by pre-school through middle-level children in diverse settings. The paper begins with a description of a conference presentation which introduced participants to the notion of using…

This paper further develops an instructional method called here "process-object linking and embedding". The idea is to link the familiar mathematical processes to objects in a familiar situation, then re-embed the new link through mathematical symbols into their mathematical construction. It makes use of children's extra-mathematical,…

The Cognitive Approaches to School Leadership (CASL) Project builds on cognitive-science theories of how people think about problems, with special reference to related studies of administrative practice in general and educational administration in particular. This paper is the second of two papers that reports findings from clinical studies of…

This research report describes strategies that can be used to enable students to appropriately use the scientific method to solve problems during labs and activities. The targeted population consists of middle school science students in a growing middle class suburban area. Evidence of their lack of understanding and application of the scientific…

A discussion of a particular problem in an individual teacher's second language classroom leads to a definition of "action research", examines the issues to be addressed before undertaking it, and results in suggestions for designing and implementing the study. Action research is defined as a process designed to improve teaching and facilitate…

This document analyzes the responses to a survey conducted in 1997 on the role of the Ombuds Office in higher education, and also considers the characteristics of professional neutrality needed for successful conflict resolution. Of 178 institutions surveyed, 109 responses include 54 institutions with ombudsmen, 7 without such a position but with…

This paper explores the dynamics of managing collective problem solving and decision making, and the application of tools and strategies to deal with the emergent complexity of systems in which educators work. Schools and educational programs are complex adaptive systems that respond to changes in internal and external environments. Functioning…

This paper discusses the differences between spatial and sequential learning, characteristics of individuals who exhibit stronger visual-spatial learning, and strategies for teaching children with visual-spatial strengths. Techniques include: (1) using visual aids, such as overhead projectors, and visual imagery in lectures; (2) using manipulative…