Case-based reasoning posits that learners can use their prior experience to solve new problems. This theory is cited to explain the benefits of problem-based learning (PBL), especially as it relates to knowledge structure development. However, critics argue that learners lack the relevant knowledge structures to simultaneously learn new content…

The paper covers a diverse range of topics, the areas of interest for this particular paper include (a) knowledge structures and mental models, (b) problem solving processes, (c) metacognition, (d) skill acquisition, (e) individual learning styles, and (f) transfer of learning. The following brief synopsis of the paper serves to illustrate the…

The purpose of this paper is to examine some mathemagenic activities that would transform the internal representations of learners' cognitive structure. The paper pointed out that understanding scientific concept involves the learner's role in translating instructive information into internal representation through the use of some mathemagenic…

Problem solving skills and abilities are critical in life and more specifically in the engineering field. Unfortunately, significant numbers of South African students who are accessing higher education lack problem solving skills and this results in poor academic performance jeopardizing their progress especially from first to second year. On the…

The professional expertise of educational leaders has been defined through the lens of problem-solving processes. Problem-based learning has therefore become an increasingly popular instructional approach in principal preparatory programs. As such, this study represents an initial attempt to explore learning from success (i.e., success-based…

Recent research suggests that knowledge is stored in the learner's head as a network of concepts or constructs. Children's mathematical problem-solving strategies become increasingly abstract as they are able to engage in more abstract thinking. An experimental study using an alternative Cognitively Guided Instruction approach is described.…

In an experiment using a conditional logic task, subjects were given a set of cards defining a particular conditional relationship. The subjects were required to determine the rule and predict the outcomes of the rule. Rule structure was varied by providing subjects with either a suggested rule, a partial rule, or no rule for each set of cards.…

This paper presented various issues about pedagogical and cognitive aspects of problem solving and explored ways to lessen the heavy cognitive load of a problem solving task. It established a problem type schema for students at different levels. It recognizes the role of modern technology as a cognitive tool that promotes learning mathematics with…

Teaching/learning trends include (1) incremental (information explosion); (2) stationary (biology of cognitive processes); and (3) iterative (recurring debates over teaching methods). Effects are externalization of knowledge structures, the importance of "importance," and instructional "enabling," failure of teachers and students to confront real…

A mathematician who has been teaching for 58 years discusses 3 types of knowledge that are subjects for teaching or learning (what, how, and why) and why teaching must include problem solving or the use of the Socratic, Moore, or discovery method. (MKR)

Information-processing students solving problems in the 1960s and 1970s accepted the tradition of early experimental psychology in concentrating primarily on the study of "knowledge-lean" tasks in which competence can usually be acquired over short periods of learning and experience. In recent years, experts have examined knowledge-rich…

Traditional assessment methods are not always suitable for diagnosing learners' knowledge structures at different levels of their expertise. This paper describes an alternative schema-based rapid assessment technique and its application in the area of arithmetic word problem solving. The technique is based on an assessment of the extent to which…

Evidence from video tapes of experts thinking aloud and using analogies in scientific problem solving is presented. Four processes appear to be important in using an analogy: (1) generating the analogy; (2) establishing confidence in the validity of the analogy relation; (3) understanding the analogous case; and (4) applying findings to the…

Collected qualitative data through interviews and triad elicitation with 5-year-olds in London to determine children's current knowledge and understanding of their "making" activity and of Lego construction kit components. Data provided triangulation for another study that found that young children could achieve a great deal with…

Explores the utility of mental models as learning outcomes in using complex and situated learning environments. Describes two studies: one aimed at eliciting mental models in the heads of novice refrigeration technicians, and the other an ethnographic study eliciting knowledge and models within the community of experienced refrigeration…