Argues that cookbook chemistry laboratory experiments do little to teach scientific inquiry. Suggests providing students with laboratory experiences that follow the introduction of a concept and challenge students to investigate that concept through an experiment involving very few initial instructions. Lists some such challenges used in chemistry…

Discussion of the use of computers and appropriate software for teaching learning disabled individuals focuses on improving problem solving, reading, writing, and speaking skills. Highlights include evaluation guidelines, teaching strategies, and reviews of 10 programs that have been used successfully with different age groups with a variety of…

Describes the novice-to-expert model of human learning and compares it to the recent advances in the areas of artificial intelligence and expert systems. Discusses some of the characteristics of experts, proposing connections between them with expert systems and theories of left-right brain functions. (TW)

Reports on a study intended to determine the science education research interests of elementary teachers and to examine the data according to certain demographic variables. Results indicate that hands-on experience, science content, cognitive development and learning styles, problem solving, and teaching strategies were the top five research…

Discusses obstacles and problems that confront older hearing-impaired students in the classroom at colleges and universities, where their numbers are increasing, and where these impairments may detract from their receiving maximum benefit from their educational experiences. Presents possible management solutions. (Author/KS)

Claims that although a child-oriented classroom is organized by the teacher, the curriculum is enacted by everyone, and that dialogues in which teachers and children develop together provides the core of this enactment. (MM)

Discussion of the use of computerized databases in classroom instruction focuses on problem solving skills, student attitudes toward computers, and learning processes. A study of eighth graders is described that tested hypotheses involving the comparative analysis of data, and its implications for curriculum development and instructional methods…

Describes a study of Liberian schools in which students of the Vai tribe are instructed in Western mathematical practices which differ from those of the students' home culture. Reports that the Vai children employed syncretic arithmetic practices, combining two distinct systems of arithmetic in a classroom environment that tacitly facilitated the…

Describes an approach to problem solving based on real-world problems. Discusses problem analysis and definitions, preparation of briefing documents, solution finding techniques (brainstorming and synectics), solution evaluation and judgment, and implementation. (JM)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching technique that educates by presenting students with a situation that leads to a problem for them to solve. Rather than finding a single correct answer, students interpret the question, gather additional information, create possible solutions, evaluate options, and present conclusions. This book shows…

This paper discusses the characteristics of children who are gifted and have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Seven principles to reach and teach gifted learners with ADHD are recommended: (1) remembering that these learners have needs just like other children in their age groups; (2) having realistic expectations in helping these…

The problem-solving approach to teaching and learning has proved especially useful in vocational education as a way to relate classroom learning to real-life situations or problems. The problem-solving method of teaching places the responsibility for learning on students. Educators and special reform groups in other subject areas refer to a…

This paper discusses using technology education in the elementary school to encourage innovation and adaptation, technological literacy, and creative problem solving. Technology education is seen based on hands-on activities where pupils make things and become familiar with their technological environment. The hands-on activity should evolve like…

Southern Illinois University developed an instructional approach for supporting collaborative, problem-based learning (PBL) in medical education. A succession of software tools were developed and refined to implement this approach, and a technology-enriched facility, the "Collaborative Learning Lab" (CLL) was designed. The paper…

In building an online course or transforming a traditional course for online delivery, the most critical element is not the selection of appropriate media, but the selection of the most effective teaching strategies. Competitive online courses are those that are designed: to involve students in the learning process; to engage them in conducting…