Through a study of teachers resolving classroom dilemmas, a way of characterizing teachers' beliefs for fuller understanding of their practices is suggested. Examining a teacher's perspective as a dynamic complex of beliefs and assumptions demonstrates that successful change efforts must consider the perspective in its entirety. (CJH)

Reports on a study of faculty perceptions of critical thinking instruction in 6 disciplines in 39 higher education institutions. Finds that graduate programs in economics teach a different form of problem solving. Recommends that critical thinking skills be given priority in academic programs. (CFR)

The results of questionnaires given designed to provide information on the effect of student teaching on the attitudes and career interests of secondary mathematics preservice teachers are presented. The recommendations/suggestions obtained from the questionnaires concerning the secondary mathematics and middle school methods courses and a copy of…

In spite of the continued focus on problem solving, American elementary and middle grades schoolchildren are perceived to be ineffective problem solvers. This paper reports the results of a survey of (n=744) kindergarten through eighth grade teachers and interviews and observations of a primary and an intermediate master teacher designed to answer…

Solutions Unlimited is a computer/video project developed by the Agency for Instructional Television (AIT) in collaboration with a consortium of state, provincial, and local education agencies. The goal of the project is to improve the problem-solving skills of students in grades 6 through 8 through the use of brief instructional television…

This report summarizes two case studies conducted in 1979-1980 in a combined fifth-sixth grade special class for talented and gifted pupils in a large Oregon school district and a sixth grade self-contained classroom in a small school district, both of which were using ThinkAbout, a series of 60 15-minute instructional television programs designed…

Highlights the major areas of research in mathematics education in 1983 (including problem-solving, sex and minority-group differences related to mathematics, and the school mathematics curriculum). Indicates that additional emphasis needs to be placed on technology, problem-solving, teachers' conceptions, and the teaching of algebra. (JN)

The general nature of collaborative work among peers in classrooms is discussed. This framework is applied to the interpretation of a 2-year study which examined how pairs of children in two classrooms (8- and 9-year-olds; 11- and 12-year-olds) worked together to solve computer programming problems in the LOGO language. It was found that students…

Presents a replication study to determine the effects of an innovative activity-centered biology program on attitudes toward science teaching among 159 prospective elementary teachers. Concludes that the course was influential in promoting positive teacher attitudes toward science and science teaching and recommends that the course be incorporated…

The Search for Solutions (SFS) film series has been a popular and important component of many school science programs ranging from elementary to college level. Phillips Petroleum Corporation, funding agent for the SFS, reported that by 1984 some 26,000 schools, 83 percent of all public and private schools, had used the series. In addition, some 84…

This volume is the first of 5 constituting the final research project report on the introduction, use, and impact of ThinkAbout, a series of 60 15-minute instructional television programs for fifth and sixth graders designed to strengthen reasoning skills and to review and to reinforce language arts, mathematics, and study skills. Background…

Reports case studies using personal construct psychology and the logic of fuzzy sets to elucidate the content and organization of two elementary school teachers' knowledge of fractions and mathematical pedagogy. Results identified four personal constructions that affected classroom events; knowledge of fractions, general pedagogical knowledge,…

This paper discusses the use of guided design with white student nurses at the Medical College of Virginia Nursing School to help them develop an awareness of and reduce stereotypic responses when they are providing nursing care to black patients. The need for this type of training for both faculty and students is discussed, a series of seminars…

The problem-solving mode of teaching science implies change for teachers, administrators, state education departments, and other individuals charged with implementing educational innovation. This study provides a descriptive record and interpretation of the words and actions of an elementary school teacher beginning to learn about teaching science…

Designed to help understand the cognitive and social effects of children's classroom experiences with LOGO and computers, this study presents an account of the ways in which two elementary school teachers thought about, grappled with, and practiced LOGO in their classrooms over a 2-year period. The account is organized chronologically, first…