Describes the reconstruction of a conventional thermodynamics curriculum using the Galperin theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and Landa's description of the "through" systematization of knowledge, and discusses the generalizability of the procedures followed in developing the plan for instruction. A 33-item…

This paper suggests that present-day curriculum, based on Newtonian thought, has been rendered obsolete by the holistic and interactive "post-modern" world view based on quantum physics, nonlinear mathematics, general systems theory, and Ilya Prigogine's nonequilibrium thermodynamics. The Newtonian world view, which is linear and…

One of the difficulties encountered by novice problem solvers in introductory physics is in the area of problem solving. It has been shown in other studies that poor problem solvers are affected by the surface aspects of the problem in contrast with more efficient problem solvers who are capable of constructing a mental model of the physical…