This article describes the factors to which the classroom teacher needs to attend to enhance the mathematical problem-solving abilities of students. Emphasis is placed upon the means necessary to develop the attribute of being a problem solver, rather than focusing on the goal of becoming a problem solver. (JJK)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an experiential form of learning centered around the collaborative investigation and resolution of "messy, real-world" problems. This book offers opportunities to learn about problem-based learning from the perspectives of teachers, students, parents, administrators, and curriculum developers. Chapter 1 tells…

This document is intended as a resource and guide to help teachers integrate a problem-centered approach into their curricula. It outlines the typical components of problem-centered mathematics and science activities, and offers practical suggestions, examples, and resources to assist this endeavor. The first section of this document, "What is…

Presents: (1) a list of ideas for teaching problem-solving; (2) a review of a problem-solving book used in medical education; and (3) a discussion of an approach called problem-based learning. (DH)

This book illustrates how problem-based learning (PBL) can enliven curriculum and lesson planning by encouraging students to play a more central role in their own learning process. It provides a framework for efficiently and effectively teaching problem-solving skills, tapping children's interests and previous knowledge, and making the curriculum…

This guide contains 12 practical tools to help educators link instruction in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with today's focus on authentic assessment. It offers a variety of practical, reproducible instruments and checklists for use in evaluating students' knowledge of CPS concepts and tools, assessing students' attitudes about CPS and their…

A study compared results of 2 teaching methods, traditional Socratic method (22 students) and a problem-based curriculum (35 students) in a University of Kentucky medical school surgery clerkship. Results showed the problem-based method resulted in similar knowledge level but improved clinical problem-solving skills. (Author/MSE)

This interpretive case study of a teacher aims to provide an account of the difficulties and rewards of putting innovative teaching into practice. Detailed descriptions of classroom life are used to explore one teacher's attempts to make technology-enhanced, open-ended inquiry a successful mode of teaching science in the secondary school…

A law professor explains how he came to view legal problem solving as the driving concept in law school curriculum design and draws on personal experience and a survey of students concerning teaching methods in a commercial law course. He outlines six curriculum design principles for teaching legal problem solving. (MSE)

Review of experimental evidence concerning the effectiveness of problem-based learning suggests that the approach may not improve content-free problem solving; may initially reduce learning levels but fosters long-term retention; may enhance transfer of concepts and integration of concepts into clinical problems; enhances intrinsic interest of…

A study investigated differences in National Board of Medical Examiners Part I scores for students at the College of Human Medicine (Michigan) in two preclinical medicine curricula, one problem based and one traditional, during four distinct periods. Results illustrate the difficulty of comparing the curricula, given revisions over time. (MSE)

The problem-centered learning model for gifted students is described and applied to development of learning experiences that are organized around exploration of past, present, and future perspectives of trends, problems, events, and phenomena in the social sciences. Ways to use problem-centered learning in regular classrooms, special programs for…

Five problem-based learning activities tested by fourth-grade gifted students are suggested. Each open-ended problem is intended to be worked on by a small group for 30 minutes. Student reactions are quoted and analyzed, noting that students became more willing to take risks, test the properties and limits of their materials, and learn from their…

Described is a study of second grade classes that participated in a year-long project in which instruction was generally compatible with a socioconstructivist theory of knowledge and recent recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Methods, results, and implications for mathematics instruction are discussed. (CW)

In an instructional exercise at the University of Newcastle (Australia), social work students, staff, and organizations role-play in a simulated city to solve complex problems in a realistic but safe learning context. Experience suggests the extended simulation technique is effective. (MSE)