The manual considers practical issues involved in building and maintaining the effectiveness of school based support teams, interdisciplinary problem solving groups designed to respond to staff needs through crisis intervention, short or long term consultation, and continuous support. Separate sections address the following topics (sample…

Total Quality Management (TQM) is "a system of continuous improvement employing participative management and centered on the needs of customers." Key components of TQM are employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and recognition that the system, not people, produces…

This digest describes an integrated approach to teaching computer skills in K-12 schools. The introductory section discusses the importance of integrating information skills into the curriculum. "Technology Skills for Information Problem Solving: A Curriculum Based on the Big6 Skills Approach" (Michael B. Eisenberg, Doug Johnson, and…

The educational excellence movement has made an academic curriculum a high priority for all high school students, including the 40 percent who do not go on to college. The joint efforts approach to incorporating basic skills into the vocational curriculum is based on the following assumptions: (1) academic skills are embedded in vocational…

Constructivism suggests a way to restructure the learning environment to make the transfer of learning from school to work settings more effective. The theory rests on the notion that learners actively construct knowledge by integrating new information and experiences into what they have previously come to understand. Using a constructivist…

Problem solving is often identified as a goal of science education. What is considered problem solving varies from teacher to teacher. The ultimate goal of problem-solving education has been identified as a means of helping students develop higher-order thinking skills. This ERIC digest focuses on problem solving in secondary school science as…

Instructional technology is defined as a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the total process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on research in human learning and communication and employing a combination of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instruction. The main question…

This bibliography contains 23 annotations of resources in the ERIC database (ranging from 1985 to 1989) on helping students develop higher level and analytical skills, such as critical reading and thinking. The citations include instructional strategies for teaching visual literacy, religion, spelling, reading, semiotics, problem solving,…

Chapter 12 in a volume on school leadership, this chapter cites the work of several authorities concerning problem-solving or decision-making techniques based on the belief that group problem-solving effort is preferable to individual effort. The first technique, force-field analysis, is described as a means of dissecting complex problems into…

Provides an overview of recent research on problem solving in speech communication. Discusses relevant documents under three categories: (1) conceptual developments, (2) social and affective correlates, and (3) potential teaching methods. (NKA)

Seven job-related basic skills identified as skills employers want are as follows: (1) learning to learn; (2) reading, writing, and computation; (3) oral communication and listening; (4) creative thinking and problem solving; (5) personal management, including self-esteem, goal setting, motivation, and personal and career development; (6) group…

An action of an individual or a societal action that has an impact on other societies constitutes a "global issue." Global climate change, airborne toxins, ozone depletion, and solid waste management are a few of the global issues concerning the environment. This digest discusses methods by which students learn about global issues and…

In this brief review of current literature on developing critical thinking skills in prospective teachers, the focus is on how critical thinking can be taught and how emphasis on critical thinking will affect teacher education. Some programs are cited that promote critical thinking and references are included. (JD)

Abstracts of most of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions presented at the 60th conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) are provided. Subject areas addressed include: videodisc technology; problem solving; cognitive learning; attitudes toward science; teaching strategies; science, technology, society;…

The relationship between cognitive development and problem-solving skills is discussed. One approach for improving students' problem-solving skills rests in the application of cognitive development theories to instruction. Instructional strategies that facilitate cognitive development can be categorized into two groups: instruction that challenges…