Describes the "Two-Eight" instructional model for students who have arithmetic computational skills but lack the ability to select appropriate strategies to solve problems. Offers examples showing the replacement of the actual values used in a word problem with the simple numeric values of 2 and 8 to create a parallel, solvable problem. (DMM)

Explores the problem-solving behavior of a university lecturer as well as that of undergraduate and graduate students. Identifies and describes 14 physical and cognitive actions employed in the problem solving. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Project-based learning is a better method than formal education for solving work-related problems. A learning network approach makes the relationship between competence and work explicit and provides a typology of learning projects--liberal, vertical, horizontal, and external--depending on who organizes projects and for what purposes. (SK)

Details a study of secondary science teachers (N=8) and their questioning strategies. Identifies and describes commonly used teacher responses to student questions in the secondary science classroom. Contains 39 references. (DDR)

Explored the differential application of a self-regulatory strategy on mathematics performance among three eighth-graders with learning disabilities and diverse planning abilities. Found that all students improved on fraction probes as a function of using a cue card strategy. The student with high planning ability demonstrated consistent…

Describes and gives examples of integrating adventure activities into existing classroom curricula at three levels: review or metaphors, interwoven activities for content delivery, and total integration into classroom design. Example activities include "Speed Rabbit,""Have You Ever,""Stepping Stones,""Whale Watch," and "Mine Field." (SAS)

Presents research in which mathematics teachers and educational researchers ordered arithmetic and algebra problems according to their predicted problem-solving difficulty for students. Analysis of students' problem-solving strategies indicates specific ways that students' algebraic reasoning differs from that predicted by most teachers and…

Studied the relation between reading comprehension and task-specific strategies used in arithmetic word problems. Results with 20 9-year-olds of different competencies in reading and mathematics show a linear relation between reading comprehension and target strategies used in the word problems as well as a relationship between reading and IQ.…

Proposes that conceptual change is constrained by the child's conceptual structures and the structures inherent in problem-solving tasks. Uses a microgenetic case study and group data to examine how interaction between strategies children bring to a task and the detailed task structure redirect children's attention and create the possibility of…

In this study, we investigated the fluency with which first graders of different mathematical achievement levels applied multiple, school-taught strategies for finding arithmetic sums over 10. We characterized children's strategies with the 4 parameters of Lemaire and Siegler's (1995) model of strategy change (strategy repertoire, distribution,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the connection between sixth graders' cognitive tool use and the cognitive processes they engage in as they solve a complex problem in a hypermedia learning environment. The three research questions were: (1) Which cognitive tools are used for which cognitive processes? (2) Is there a relationship between…

This study explores the problem-solving frameworks of twenty prospective secondary mathematics teachers. Twenty prospective secondary mathematics teachers were asked to complete in writing the statement "When I am given a mathematics problem to solve, this is what I do...." Prospective secondary mathematics teachers were found to rely on…

This article describes the results of a year-long exploration of first graders' tool use. It also showcases instructional activities designed to link tool use with quantitative understanding. (Contains 3 figures.)

In this paper, the author looks at some classic problems in mathematics that involve motion in the plane. Many case problems like these are difficult and beyond the mathematical skills of most undergraduates, but computational approaches often require less insight into the subtleties of the problems and can be used to obtain reliable solutions.…

In this paper we compared the efficacy of face-to-face and computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in increasing academic knowledge and professional competences. We also explored how students' personality characteristics and learning strategies and teachers' characteristics were associated with better learning outcomes in online or…