This paper advances a model for the use of parents in the implementation of cooperative learning strategies in the home, so that parents can join with teachers in providing a quality education for their children. The main principles of the model include teaching parents how to: (1) encourage their children by providing adequate opportunities for…

This document summarizes the curriculum at the University of Tulsa School for Gifted Children in Oklahoma. The curriculum is based on enaction theory which postulates that thinking is a matter of running a simulation in one's head and involves three steps: (1) creating a mental model; (2) manipulating that model; and (3) developing a strategy for…

Materials from a training session on assessing teaching effectiveness via a clinical supervision model are presented. The historical development of classroom observations and instruments is summarized, and the five-step method of clinical supervision (Goldhammer, 1969) is detailed. One step toward the improvement of classroom instruction through…

Implications of using authentic activity as a model for appropriate learning activity are discussed, particularly in regard to the design of computer-based simulations and project-based learning activities. Mere provision of computer-based simulations and reality-centered projects does not ensure that a student will derive the benefits of…

An ITS (Intelligent Tutoring System) is a teaching-learning medium that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology for instruction. Roberts and Park (1983) defines AI as the attempt to get computers to perform tasks that if performed by a human-being, intelligence would be required to perform the task. The design of an ITS comprises two distinct…

Discrete mathematics, the mathematics of decision making for finite settings, is a topic of great interest in mathematics education at all levels. Attention is being focused on resolving the diversity of opinion concerning the exact nature of the subject, what content the curriculum should contain, who should study that material, and how that…

This guide provides activities based on 13 Mathnet cases that are part of the television program Square One TV. Mathnet is a detective serial which ends each program. Each Mathnet activity consists of a case summary, two short activities, and one longer step-by-step activity, with a reproducible student activity page. Topics include geometry,…

A partnership project to develop and demonstrate a model for interagency cooperation between school districts and city governments operated for slightly over a year in Emeryville (California). Successful results of the project included collection of needs assessment data, completion of a social services resource guide, reopening of school…

Because demographic and social changes in rural communities also affect small and rural school environments, schools must consider the impact of community change and plan accordingly. Rural school administrators, who are visible and respected, know how to work with groups, and understand the local community, are well qualified to provide their…

Research and theories by psychologists Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Robert Selman on problem solving, decision making, moral development, and critical-thinking skills are reviewed. These theories and research are combined with the author's theories to develop an original decision-making model, namely, the socio-scientific model. The model…

Uses two studies to examine developmental and task effects in estimation problems. Results are discussed in terms of student and task characteristics and the implications of such variables on information processing model of learning. Implications for science teaching, learning problem diagnostics, and science curricula are also discussed. (TW)

The problem-solving process has contributed greatly to the field of technology education and can be used to assist persons with disabilities. One problem-solving design that can help in working with persons with disabilities is the "Engineering for Success" design. This model groups technology education students with teachers of special education…

A longitudinal study followed Brian from grade five through grade seven to examine his representation and development of mathematical knowledge. Some observations over the four years were that Brian liked to figure things out, responded poorly to suggestions not fitting the representation he constructed, and changed attitudes from purposeful and…

An exploratory study assessed the degree to which 13- and 14-year olds (n=100) adjusted assumptions of direct proportionality suggested by surface structure of word problems. Virtually no errors were made on "straightforward" items, but many students showed no adjustment for realistic constraints on complex items. (Contains 21…

Project-based learning (PBL), which is increasingly supported by information technologies (IT), contributes to fostering student-directed scientific inquiry of problems in a real-world setting. This study investigated the integration of PBL in an IT environment into three undergraduate chemistry courses, each including both experimental and…