Discusses a novel approach to word problems that involves linear relationships between variables. Argues that working stepwise through intermediates is the way our minds actually work and therefore this should be used in solving word problems. (JRH)

Examines a report, The Assessment of Performance in Design and Technology, that attempts to assess problem-solving abilities in the field of design. Describes pilot projects, an extended project, and some test projects. Summarizes a research project on identifying when and where design appears in the school curriculum and discusses developing…

The unified approximations reduce the conceptual complexity by combining solutions for a relatively large number of different situations into just two similar sets of processes. Processes used to solve problems by either the unified or classical approximations require similar degrees of understanding of the underlying chemical processes.

These proceedings contain the papers of the 14th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2017), 18-20 October 2017, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

This study examined the impact of two epistemic commitments on the quality of college students' scientific reasoning in the domain of hydrostatics. These were the commitment to the consistency of theory with prior knowledge and commitment to the consistency of theory with evidence. Participants were 12 sophomore science majors enrolled in a large…

This article describes a discovery experiment for general chemistry and organic chemistry labs. Although the pinacol rearrangement has been employed in undergraduate organic laboratories before, in this application organic chemistry students act as mentors to students of general chemistry. Students work together using distillation--a new technique…

In many teacher training courses, reflection upon practice plays a very important role in learning to teach. A number of strategies have been developed to help student teachers learn to reflect. Current reflection strategies often focus on problematic instead of on positive experiences. Ideas from positive psychology and solution-based therapy…

The present analysis describes an analytically simple and systematic approximation procedure for modelling the free diffusive spreading of initially super-Gaussian profiles. The approach is based on a self-similar ansatz for the evolution of the diffusion profile, and the parameter functions involved in the modelling are determined by suitable…

Advances in the biological sciences necessitate the training of chemical engineers to translate these fundamental discoveries into applications that will benefit society. Accordingly, Tulane University revised its core chemical engineering curriculum in 2005 to include a new introductory course in bioengineering and biotechnology for sophomores.…

Investigations related to expertise in problem solving and ability to transfer learning from one context to another are important for developing strategies to help students perform more expertlike tasks. Here we analyze written responses to a pair of nonintuitive isomorphic problems given to introductory physics students and discussions with a…

This study reports the impact of high sensitivity to early exchange in 11th-grade, CSCL triads solving well- and ill-structured problems in Newtonian Kinematics. A mixed-method analysis of the evolution of participation inequity (PI) in group discussions suggested that participation levels tended to get locked-in relatively early on in the…

Presented are three methods for dealing with chemical problems involving reaction stoichiometry. (RH)

Describes Diagnosis for Instruction in Problem Solving (DIPS), a new line of research for science educators interested in interdisciplinary efforts and ways in which computer technology might be used to better understand how to improve science teaching. Outlines the basic architecture of DIPS in terms of instruction and research implications.…

Based on an analysis of structured interviews with 6 research university physics faculty members, this paper presents our initial hypothesis of instructors' beliefs about how their students learn to solve problems in an introductory physics courses. The hypothesis shows that these instructors have very general beliefs about the process of student…

The author calls attention to four neglected aspects of gifted children's education in scientific thinking: problem finding, problem solving, problem reevaluation, and scientific reporting. (SW)