This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem solving. It consists of five parts. Chapter 1 presents a psychological perspective on problem solving and its implications for teaching problem solving skills in an interdisciplinary arena. Chapter 2 presents four approaches to developing environmental problem…

In introductory psychology courses, the desire to cover content can conflict with the desire to acquaint students with psychological thinking processes. The IDEAL method is a group problem solving quiz technique which addresses both of these goals. In the process, instructors choose key concepts from a given reading and divide the class into…

The traditional format of mathematics instruction has not succeeded in providing the skills students need to work cooperatively to solve problems in industry. New models of instruction have been proposed to resolve this deficiency. Schoenfeld has used a technique that incorporates coaching, modeling, and fading strategies with college-level…

This book is the second of a three-volume series on conflict resolution for educational administrators. Following the introduction, the first three chapters discuss the following communication skills critical to communication--building rapport, listening and pacing, and chunking and problem solving. Chapter 4 provides a generic problem-solving…

This paper focuses on reflection and reflective thinking as a means of developing expertise in instructional designers. The need for the reflective instructional designer is discussed, and reflective thinking is examined from several perspectives, i.e., controlled thinking, tacit knowledge, epistemic assumption, abductive reasoning, willingness to…

This paper proposes a theory that can account for differences between everyday and formal mathematics knowledge and a set of processes by which informal knowledge is transformed into formal mathematics. After an introduction, the paper is developed in five sections. The first section lays out the nature of informal, everyday mathematics knowledge.…

This research investigates comprehension monitoring by studying the relation between the perception of comprehension during reading and detection of comprehension failures. Two groups of four college students (good and poor learners) defined by a post-hoc median split learned a physics chapter while rating their comprehension on a four-point scale…

This package of materials is designed to provide schools with information, suggestions, and activities that can increase awareness of the nature of conflicts, conflict-resolution strategies, and the management of conflict and crisis situations. It focuses on developing a positive school climate that enhances intergroup relationships, encourages…

Learncycle is a project of the National Diffusion Network which has trained hundreds of teachers and other school staff nationwide in a wide array of skills to improve the mainstreaming process and the education of the high-risk student. The project uses the "Learncycle Behavior Analysis Mainstreaming Model," which works to achieve a fit…

Eighth-grade students (n=42) were observed during five different life science problem-solving activities. Student interactions and thinking skills were recorded in relation to the problem-solving steps. A causal model was hypothesized and tested using path analysis procedures. The hypothesized causal model was adjusted based on path coefficients…

Kamehameha Schools (Honolulu, Hawaii), a privately funded program with approximately 2,000 students and 175 teachers grades 7-12, is implementing a school-wide curriculum evaluation program. As part of this program, the departments of mathematics, science, social studies, counseling, human relations, speech and English collaborated in the…

Diagnostic score reports linking assessment outcomes to instructional interventions are one of the most requested features of assessment products. There is a body of interesting work done in the last 20 years including Tatsuoka's rule space method (Tatsuoka, 1983), Haertal and Wiley's binary skills model (Haertal, 1984; Haertal & Wiley, 1993),…

The project's purpose was to revise the introductory biology material in a freshman course for biology majors so that it is based on Piagetian learning theory and incorporates the three phases of the learning cycle teaching strategy: (1) exploration; (2) concept formation; and (3) concept application. The approach presented concepts structured so…

Scientific advancements in cognitive science and instructional technology extend the behaviorally-oriented learning paradigm of instructional design and management in three major areas: (1) analysis of information-to-be-learned; (2) means of evaluating learners; and (3) linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The two basic types…

This two-year project demonstrated a model for preventing the removal of children from their homes, with the aim of reducing both the number of children entering foster care and the number of families recycled through the child protective services system. The project was a joint effort by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) Region 11…