Inquiry learning is superior to traditional learning methods in that it requires students to actively participate in their courses by solving meaningful problems. Included here is a description of the six steps of the inquiry learning process and a complete lesson plan on mobility in nineteenth century American cities. (DC)

Critical or creative thinking is simply thinking of a higher order by persons informed by fact and logic, insight and empathy. It is necessary for problem solving, invention, and achievement. Every child has the ability to be a thinker. Thinking is an act and, as such, improves with practice. The curriculum and the teacher can help student…

The pedagogical strategies of human tutors in problem solving domains are described and the possibility of incorporating these techniques into computerized tutors is examined. GIL (Graphical Instruction in LISP), an intelligent tutoring system for LISP programming, is compared to human tutors teaching the same material in order to identify how the…

This study report begins with a profile of marginal learners based on current research. It continues with a question-by-question analysis of a survey which was completed by 22 teachers identified as effective in working with marginal learners. The survey gathered information concerning: (1) teacher descriptions of marginal learners, including…

Teacher educators should get back to the world of students and find out what works and what doesn't in the classroom to ensure that they don't teach from an "ivory tower." Continuous teaching experience is particularly needed by teacher educators in the areas of discipline, classroom management, teaching effectiveness, misbehavior, and punishment.…

Summarized are the findings from five studies carried out in Australia in 1979-80. First was a cross-sectional survey designed to determine the memory capacity of a population of children in grades 1-3. The second study investigated performance differences on a variety of mathematically related developmental tasks for the same group. Data from…

This case study examined an experienced secondary school mathematics teacher's knowledge and teaching of problem solving, using interviews, classroom observations, teaching documents, and experimental tasks. The informant revealed a broad interpretation of problem solving, integrated with mathematics but widely applicable. This interpretation…

The teaching of writing to students who speak nonstandard English can be difficult because students' linguistic differences rarely indicate true incompetence, and students' writing problems may result from conflicts between the cultures and language uses at home and school. Factors found to encourage writing improvement are the following: (1)…

An assessment of the status of environmental education and perspectives on its future direction are presented in this report of the Netherlands' Commission on Environmental Education (CEE). Viewpoints and analyses are offered for the purpose of stimulating discussions and providing recommendations for the development of environmental education.…

The need for mathematics teachers to incorporate instruction in problem-solving skills into the curriculum is discussed. Results of a study of problem-solving instruction in the classrooms of nine seventh grade teachers are briefly noted. There were significant differences between the teachers in how they planned, organized, and delivered lessons,…

The emphasis on promoting thinking skills in the classroom has fostered several trends, tendencies, and tensions. This movement has taken three directions: the teaching of thinking, teaching for thinking, and teaching about thinking. In the first, thinking is regarded as a process of developing a set amount of skills. The proponents of this…

The Community-Based Report provides students in business communications classes with an authentic context for thinking and writing. Students are required to investigate and produce written and oral solutions to a problem experienced by a local corporation, business, governmental or not-for-profit organization. Students develop their own cases,…

The study compared the effects of two instructional strategies for teaching the programming language, Logo, on the problem solving skills of third graders. The two strategies are the guided discovery approach, a student-directed learning environment with the teacher as a facilitator, and the direct instruction approach, with specific…

"Teachable Moments" are teaching aids about global perspectives in education. Number 1 describes an activity that lets students feel what it is like to be a refugee. Number 2 involves discussion of why people are hungry, rich, or poor. Number 3 helps students learn to deal with experts' opinions on global problems. Number 4 uses…

Intended as a resource for teachers of grades four and up who are eager to improve their students' thinking skills while teaching their regular curriculum, this booklet contains activities that can be used to teach a new concept or to review a previously taught skill. Following an introduction, the topics of the chapters of the resource guide and…