Outlines Piaget's late ideas on categories and morphisms and the impact of these ideas on the comprehension of the inclusion relationship and the solution of arithmetic problems. Reports a study in which fourth through sixth graders were given arithmetic problems involving two known quantities associated with changes rather than states. Identified…

Discusses models for information skills that include inquiry-oriented activities. Highlights include WebQuest, which uses Internet resources supplemented with videoconferencing; Minnesota's Inquiry Process based on the Big Six model for information problem-solving; Indiana's Student Inquiry Model; constructivist learning models for inquiry; and…

To improve student's reading scores on the Test of Achievement and Proficiency, a rural Georgia high school initiated an improvement program based on Deming's continuous-improvement model in fall 1995. This model allows those closest to the problem to resolve it. By working continuously to improve students' testing environment, test-taking…

Reviews evidence that children use diverse cognitive strategies; discusses the adaptive value of using diverse strategies; describes models of strategy choice based on rational calculations; and presents an overview of the distributions of associations model of children's strategy choice. (RH)

Two views of clinical problem solving (CPS) are compared. When research on teachers' cognitions was initiated in 1974, the concept of CPS was invoked primarily in terms of diagnosing and treating dysfunction. Presently, educators have reached a different, hierarchical view. This shift brings teaching closer to art and farther from science. (SLD)

Discusses the role of instructional design in the development of learning theory. Topics discussed include the acquisition of knowledge and skills; models of teaching; the teaching and acquisition of concepts; influences on retention; and the integration of procedures, principles, and concepts for solving problems. (20 references) (LRW)

This article discusses problem solving and how science educators can integrate problem solving into their instruction. The Search, Solve, Create, and Share (SSCS) model was developed based on the findings of problem solving research. (YP)

Presents a model for facilitators of adventure-education group initiatives, group problem-solving tasks requiring cooperation and trust. Discusses initial observation and assessment of individual and group behaviors, setting objectives, preparation, group orientation, structuring the task toward objectives, implementation, guided reflection,…

Distinguishing between motivation and cognition in goal-directed activity is discussed; goal and energy are assessed from motivational and cognitive viewpoints. Motivation is a broader concept than cognition. If a problem or goal-solving activity is ego-involving or self-challenging and affects the individual's personal standards, the term…

Reports on a small-scale study of 13 dyads working at number tasks that found "sidework," a modified form of associative interaction, gave rise to more high order talk and to more posttest learning than did collaboration. Suggests sidework may have greater potential to enhance students' learning than the collaborative mode. (TJQ)

Describes a paradigm for generating a variety of problem situations in middle school mathematics, ranging from combining a single mathematical concept or process with a single context, to combining multiple concepts or processes with multiple contexts. Offers several illustrative examples. (SR)

A more fragmented approach to assessment of global ability concepts than is generally advocated is suggested, based on the assumption that decomposing a complex ability into cognitive components and tracking performance across multiple measures will yield valid and instructionally useful information. Specifications are suggested for designing…

Presents case study exemplifying use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in educational decision making. CBM is portrayed as more than just set of brief fluency tests with strong conceptual ties to three related assessment models (behavioral, ecological, and problem-solving assessment). Delineates key elements of each model. Case study shows how…

A six-step method is presented for using problem-solving activities to promote language acquisition in hearing-impaired students. The method emphasizes the communicative uses of language rather than the structure of language. A list of sample problem-solving activities is included. (JDD)

The drawn ideas of inventors Edison and Bell are analyzed in a systematic way to help understand the inventive process and how inventors think. By storing sketches on a computer the researchers have been able to recreate the probable lines of reasoning used by the inventors. (KR)