Mediated learning based on Vygotsky and other cognitive theorists can be used by occupational therapists to teach children to solve problems. A cognitive, top-down approach helps focus on tasks the child wants to perform and aids the child's awareness, selection, and application of cognitive strategies. (SK)

Poor performance in technical/statistical courses may reflect ineffective problem-solving strategies. Experts approach problem solving with tacit strategies such as chunking, emergence, fundamental questioning, attention to process, and self-monitoring. These concepts can be presented in ways that enable students to practice expert behaviors.…

Offers a progressive series of eight lessons designed to guide students in generating questions, creating investigations, and finding answers. (AIM)

Describes a fourth-generation ISD (instructional systems development) model, an integrative problem solving system that dynamically adjusts the authoring activities of instructional development by direct reference to a specific learning problem or need. Includes case studies that illustrate the three model components: situational evaluation,…

Focuses on the use of different strategies for solving sequences of interrelated problems. Discusses some useful techniques a teacher could employ to design problem chains. (Contains 20 references.) (ASK)

This paper reviews the literature related to the learning and teaching of debugging computer programs. Debugging is an important skill that continues to be both difficult for novice programmers to learn and challenging for computer science educators to teach. These challenges persist despite a wealth of important research on the subject dating…

Problem solving lies at the heart of mathematical learning. Children need opportunities to write, discuss, and solve problems on a regular basis. The problems must incorporate grade-appropriate content and be "accessible and engaging to the students, building on what they know and can do." Teachers also play a key role in establishing a classroom…

The present study focuses on the use of thinking types as a possible way to structure university students' discourse in asynchronous discussion groups and consequently promote their learning. More specifically, the aim of the study is to determine how requiring students to label their contributions by means of De Bono's (1991) thinking hats…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching technique that uses problem-solving as the basis for student learning. The technique is student-centred with teachers taking the role of a facilitator. Its general aims are to construct a knowledge base, develop problem-solving skills, teach effective collaboration and provide the skills necessary to be a…

This article describes how the promotion of purposeful mathematical discussions can enhance young mathematicians' construction of knowledge and their explanation of strategy use.

Since the publication of the Standards for Technological Literacy in 2000 (ITEA), there have been a number of new programs developed that are designed to teach pre-engineering. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is one such program. Project Lead the Way boasts serving over 1250 schools in 44 states and teaching over 160,000 students. Another program is…

This study examined social participation and strategic problem solving behavior of boys diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when collaborating on a planning task with a trained peer partner. Twenty-four 9- to 13-year-old boys with ADHD who were receiving a medication intervention, were individually pre-tested to assess…

This book addresses different types of thinking, including critical, creative, and analytical, and presents a variety of problem-solving strategies, along with specific ways they can be taught to students. The main emphases of the book are thinking and mathematics, problem solving, and the application of computational skills. The problem-solving…

Teachers can help students become better problem solvers when they introduce several problem solving strategies. Activities for classroom use are offered. (DF)

Describes a philosophical community of inquiry as a controlled, communal form of wondering that focuses on the larger meaning of human experience. Suggests that, using familiar stories as texts, and facilitated by a leader sensitive to young children's philosophical preoccupations and ways of thinking and talking, young children are both…