A philosophy reader for seventh and eighth graders, "Lisa" presents a story about daily experiences of a group of schoolchildren. The story is a sequel to ED 103 298. "Lisa" focuses on ethical and social issues such as lying and truth-telling, fairness, naturalness, and what are rules and standards. Other issues such as job and sex discrimination,…

Two learning strategies are discussed: (1) fluent and creative idea-production involving concepts and problems, and (2) metacognition, or students' awareness of and direction of their thinking. The sample included college students, as well as teachers who used these strategies in elementary and secondary mathematics classrooms. Techniques for…

Although teachers may sequence instructions carefully, they are unable to respond to the complex unique experience of each individual learner. Divergent production should be an instructional choice that enables individuals to learn through their own recall and idea construction. Learning is problem solving; when individuals do not know how to deal…

Third-party intervention is increasingly recognized as an effective means of settling social, institutional, community, and interpersonal disputes. Traditionally, mediation efforts have been directed toward conflicts involving labor/management relations. Since the 1960s, however, mediation efforts have also been applied to situations involving…

Descriptions are presented of three programs whose primary purpose is to teach students to think more efficiently, that is, to develop habits of critical thinking, and to improve decision-making and problem-solving skills. One of the three programs operates at Bowling Green State University and seeks to develop skill in critical analysis by…

Since structural dimensions of knowledge and learner contribute to preferred message structure, an understanding of structural relationships can aid in the more effective design of instructional messages. Five studies were conducted to explore these relationships. Knowledge structure was defined as the iconic representation of the body of…

This study investigated (1) the extent to which thinking and problem-solving of fifth-grade students could be improved by the use of self-instructional programed lessons (the productive thinking program), (2) the relationship between productive thinking abilities and IQ-sex characteristics of the learner, and (3) the relationship between level of…

System analysis offers the teacher a significant organizational device for studying society and social problems in the classroom. System analysis can be used directly to describe and understand the relationships and interactions between individuals, bridging the distance between learning conceptually and learning directly from personal experience.…

This report presents an overview of research related to the development of the "Wisconsin Tests of Testimony and Reasoning Assessment," a battery of seven tests for assessing student development in the mastery of relevant concepts and skills of verbal argument for grades 10-12. Provided are (1) a discussion of the rationale for and…

The Life Skills course of Saskatchewan NewStart uses concepts and techniques from education, social work, and behavior sciences to develop new types of programs which stress personal competence in dealing with problems. This book describes the Life Skills course and gives examples of how problem solving skills are taught. Other chapters deal with…

A theoretical model relating problem identification to problem solving is presented. The main purpose of the study is to increase understanding of decision making among Air Force educators. The problem-solving process is defined as the generation and evaluation of alternatives that will accomplish what is needed and the reidentification of what is…

The subject of restructuring teacher education and working toward the improvement of educational opportunities in the schools is addressed. Teacher education faculties often are in power struggles with other faculties in colleges and universities and are often underrated as professionals. Decision-making in regard to teacher education is becoming…

Presents a lesson plan that teaches students about the process of polderization (the reclamation of low tracts of land from a body of water). Illustrates how a country can solve a problem by modifying its environment. Includes background information and worksheets on the application of this process in the Netherlands. (MJP)

A project examined the skills gap within the mining industry, identified and prioritized skills common to all jobs and occupations, and provided insight into skills that workers are likely to need in the future. The research for the basic skills needs assessment was conducted from June-October 1993 at INCO's Manitoba Division Operations in…

At a time when many public school teachers and administrators are limiting instructional goals to the lower level objectives found on standardized tests, there is a need for classroom activities derived from higher purposes. Conceptual analysis, which relates abstract concepts to the lives of students, meets this need. While focusing primarily on…