Problem-solving skills in creative, open-ended domains are both important and little understood. These domains are generally ill-structured, have extremely large exploration spaces, and require high levels of specialized skill in order to produce quality solutions. We investigate problem-solving behavior in one such domain, the…

This is the fourth paper in our Light-Emitting Diodes series. The series aims to create a systematic library of LED-based materials and to provide readers with the description of experiments and the pedagogical treatment that would help their students construct, test, and apply physics concepts and mathematical relations. The first paper provided…

Discover the secrets contained in fossilized feces. Few topics in middle school classrooms capture students' enthusiasm and interest as do coprolites. These trace fossils offer classroom opportunities for integrated life and Earth sciences study, a stranger-than-fiction history of science, and an opportunity to solve mysteries. (Contains 8…

BECAUSE OF THE EVER INCREASING EXPANSION OF KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL CHANGES, TEACHING CHILDREN TO DISCOVER (DEFINED HERE AS THE ACQUISITION OF AN ABILITY TO FORMULATE AND SOLVE PROBLEMS) SHOULD BE GIVEN CONSIDERABLE SIGNIFICANCE AS AN EDUCATIONAL GOAL. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT IS (1) TO CLARIFY CERTAIN ASPECTS OF TEACHING CHILDREN TO DISCOVER,…

Explains a discovery activity using the possible positions of the faces of a cube when represented in two dimensions. Suggests rules which would determine which of the edges would connect if the drawing were folded to form the cube. (RS)

The study concerned (1) identifying component processes of discovery and rule learning; (2) describing differences in learning outcomes produced by the two instructional methods, and; (3) optimizing learning. It was believed that understanding the effects of aptitude, instructional methods, and their interaction is important in the study of…

The author discusses a film which demonstrates the problem-solving approach to learning in practice; he takes the theory further, suggesting that the intellectual process underlying discovery learning--whether concerned with practical skills or literary criticism--is the capacity of adults to choose between alternatives. (Author/AJ)

Pullout pages provide suggestions for teaching elementary students at all levels about the wonders of human ingenuity. The suggestions help students see that great ideas come from the need to solve real-life problems and that one great idea leads to another, so current inventions help predict future inventions. (SM)

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

A one-to-one teaching session with a student is described and analyzed in an attempt to communicate how student attempts at discovery in mathematics can be thwarted by teachers who do not allow room for creativity. (MP)

The ecological issues of pollution, overpopulation, and conservation can be explained in the classroom through the use of creative play, problem solving, and discovery methods among groups of young children. Activities for teaching the topics of air, water, land, and noise pollution; overpopulation; and conservation are suggested. (DG)