Agricultural educators must return to using problem solving as the way to teach, or as a profession they must be willing to accept that the program is well on its way to becoming nonvocational. (Author)

Advocates communicating the conventional wisdom about teaching to researchers so we can reduce the amount of trivial research that is conducted. (HOD)

Describes a problem-solving technique used in a speech course that challenges the students to work on a problem directly connected with the college itself. (HOD)

Demonstrates what it might mean to engage students in problem posing and how teachers might begin to create classroom environments that encourage, develop, and foster mathematical curiosity. (Author/NB)

Discusses two controversies regarding instruction in critical-thinking: (1) definitions of critical-thinking skills; and (2) the design of instructional delivery systems that promote the generalized use of these skills. Suggests that teachers select specific skills to teach and define those skills with clear, objective descriptions based on overt…

Describes a business data generator to assist instructors in generating realistic business data in great volume for teaching and learning activities. Illustrates how the software application allows instructors to manipulate parameters to customize the data to reflect problem situation. (Contains 40 references.) (JOW)

Effective collaboration in computer-mediated settings among spatially distributed people is a precondition for success in many new learning and working contexts but it is hard to achieve. We have developed two instructional approaches to improve collaboration in such settings by promoting people's capabilities to collaborate in a fruitful way and…

This article presents a summary of research, development, and applications of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in educational settings and, more specifically, in gifted education. The CPS framework is widely known and applied as one important goal in contemporary gifted education, as well as in relation to initiatives for "teaching thinking" in the…

This article addresses how to help students develop an aptitude for seeing relationships between elements and puzzling out new forms in doing so. Four different approaches are presented. Each illustrates a way that industrial designers work in considering the form of a product. A classroom activity is included.

Mathematical language and chemical knowledge are complementary to each other and only productive use of the two enables using numbers to gain solutions rather than just answers. It is believed to be important in the understanding of science that students feel free to speak mathematics and only a few of them are willing to connect and use their…

The greatest benefit of including leap year in the calculation is not to increase precision, but to show students that a problem can be solved without such presumption. A birthday problem is analyzed showing that calculating a leap-year birthday probability is not a frivolous computation.

Mathematical problems when solved with different approaches deepen the understanding of topics learned. It is reported that weighted average is commonly used in applications and the relationship between all the ratios involved in the problem emphasized could be learned from Farey sum of two fractions.

A dynamic program for geometry called Cabri Geometry II is used to examine properties of figures like triangles and make connections with other mathematical ideas like ellipse. The technology tip includes directions for creating such a problem with technology and suggestions for exploring it.

Teachers should not assume a problem is difficult for the students just because it appears difficult. A teacher solves one such difficult mathematical problem, an egg dilemma problem.

The application of knowledge in authentic learning situations involves steps like finding and focusing on the problem, gathering information, critically analyzing and effectively communicating the results. The change in the teacher's approach and encouraging use of enrichment clusters system among the students is discussed.