Improved teaching performance, changes in teaching methods, and changes in staff/faculty development are discussed. For each "sample of experience" emphasis is placed on student learning, assessment of student performance, and the learning experience of the individual student. Improved teaching performance requires institutional policies and their…

This study guide is designed to help students learn to use science skills to solve biological problems, learn to apply knowledge about biology in their own lives, and learn to communicate with others about biology. The activities in this guide use information related to each chapter in the 1987 BSCS Green Version textbook. Students can use the…

This curriculum support document, developed by a committee of teachers in Manitoba, contains information and practical applications dealing with key concepts of problem solving in mathematics for grades 7, 8, and 9. Contained in the handbook are: (1) an introduction that establishes the background and identifies the goal and objectives of the…

Several empirical and theoretical analyses related to scientific problem-solving are reviewed, including: detailed studies of individuals at different levels of expertise, and computer models simulating some aspects of human information processing during problem solving. Analysis of these studies has revealed many facets about the nature of the…

Ninety-two learning-disabled children, aged 5-13, participated in an evaluation of the efficacy of a television-based social problem-solving curriculum. The 52 children in the curriculum group viewed 10 episodes from the "Inside/Out" series and participated in teacher-led discussions. The episodes dealt with expressing feelings, making…

The first report of an ongoing case study examining the impact of using a laboratory of microcomputers as a tool for teaching science and social science courses in a high school, this paper reports on a sociological investigation of the organizational change in the structure and functioning of the school brought about by the introduction of the…

Research was conducted to compare the effects of three different methods of teaching LOGO to fifth graders with a broad range of academic ability. The first method, based on Papert's idea of discovery learning, involved teacher presentation of LOGO instruction and student control of pace of learning. The second method involved the use of…

The 13 articles in this information packet are intended to assist individuals involved in developing plans to improve student thinking within a school or a school district. The topics discussed include (1) the need to improve student thinking, (2) obstacles that stand in the way of teaching thinking skills, (3) practical approaches to improving…

Discussed is use of pictorial aids to develop word problem skills for addition and subtraction of handicapped children. (MC)

An instructional unit, "Coping in the World of Work: Practice in Problem Solving," designed to assist 11th and 12th grade high school students in developing the ability to solve vocational adjustment problems was developed and evaluated. Instructional goals of the unit included the following: (1) To become acquainted with the range of job…

Guided Design is an approach to course design aimed at developing a student's decision-making skills as well as teaching specific principles and concepts. A seven-point hierarchy of educational needs is defined, including: (1) self-preservation, (2) safety, (3) belonging, (4) respect, (5) knowledge, (6) sensitivity-sensibility, and (7)…

Award winning projects in K-12 and college level economics are described in this publication. There are two major sections. Section I describes winning projects for 1979-80. A senior research seminar in economics offered undergraduate students a chance to build inexpensive, simplified forecasting models of the U.S. economy. Each student develops…

Presented are ways to teach pupils the concept of "sphere" with a methodology far removed from memorization of a formal definition of the concept. The material illustrates an approach to teaching that focuses on open exploration of ideas with children. Many experiments and starting points for exploration are suggested. This document has…

This paper reported the results of a study designed to determine whether certain instructional strategies are superior to others in teaching problem solving to high school chemistry students. The effectiveness of four instructional strategies for teaching problem solving to students of various proportional reasoning ability, verbal and visual…

This document is written for middle school teachers of grades five through nine who do not have specialized backgrounds in geometry. It is arranged in three parts. The first part provides a brief overview of the geometry curriculum of the middle school that includes the present state of affairs, a rationale for inclusion of geometry in the…