Considering the requisite skills and comparing commonalities in historical development, the disciplines of physics and mathematics can be viewed as related to and supportive of each other, yet it remains a curiosity that few, if any, cross-connections exist between school physics and school mathematics in the area of research on problem solving.…

The Zimbabwe Secondary School Science Project (ZIM-SCI) developed student study guides, corresponding teaching guides, and science kits for a low-cost science course which could be taught during the first 2 years of secondary school without the aid of qualified teachers and conventional laboratories. This ZIM-SCI study guide presents activities…

The Zimbabwe Secondary School Science Project (ZIM-SCI) developed student study guides, corresponding teaching guides, and science kits for a low-cost science course which could be taught during the third year of secondary school without the aid of qualified teachers and conventional laboratories. This teaching guide, designed to be read in…

"Concepts in Science" is the title given to a group of 17 related miniseries produced for senior science students. This report presents the results of the summative evaluation of this series. The series explored important concepts in three areas of study: biology; physics; and chemistry. Each series consists of six 10-minute animated…

In 1988, the Office for Undergraduate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (USEME) convened a series of disciplinary workshops designed to obtain a better understanding of the conditions and trends in undergraduate education in the United States in seven critical areas: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geosciences,…

Twenty-three self-contained single concept physics demonstration packages were designed and constructed at Lamar University (Texas). Each package was available for loan to pre-college science instructors in southeastern Texas in the spring and summer of 1987. During the spring, three high school physics teachers used the demonstrations and…

In an effort to increase curriculum opportunities in a rural school district, a computer project was implemented involving grade 9-12 students chosen on the basis of national percentile scores, IQ, and desire to attend college. The project offered, through programmed computer instruction, physics, French I and II, and German I. One proctor was…

In this paper examples of the role of analogical reasoning in expert problem solving are presented. These are intended to show that using an analogy can change an expert's understanding of a problem situation by changing the conceptual model he or she uses to think about the situation. This suggests that using a good analogy may allow students to…

In this study 34 spontaneous analogies produced by 16 college freshmen while solving qualitative physics problems are analyzed. A number of the analogies were invalid in the sense that they led to an incorrect answer from the physicist's point of view. However, many were valid, and a few were powerful in the sense that they seemed not only to help…

This study examined the effects of animation and practice on factual and application learning in computer based instruction (CBI), and the extent to which animation and practice promoted near and far transfer of these learning outcomes. Subjects were 192 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, and the CBI content was an elementary physics lesson in…

This syllabus outlines a course of study for high school students in the New York State Regents Physics program. It is a major revision of the 1967 edition. It identifies skills students should master, encourages the development of positive science attitudes and emphasizes problem solving. The five core areas represent the basics for all students,…

The application of recent advances in the understanding of problem solving to the classroom is reviewed. Current research findings are described, and the instructional validity of these findings is illustrated by a research study of an instructional strategy called novice knowledge engineering. How various instructional strategies serve as…

After using the "Physics: A Human Endeavor" curriculum for a period of time students and teachers in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, in general, suggested that there was a need for a curriculum change. This paper reports on ways to effectively change the curriculum. Topics included are: (1) need for change in the…

This instructor's guide is designed for use by industrial vocational teachers in teaching a course on basic pneumatics. Covered in the individual units are the following topics: an introduction to pneumatics (including the operation of a service station hoist); fundamentals and physical laws; air compressors (positive displacement compressors;…

This unit, one of a series designed to develop and foster an understanding of the marine environment, presents marine science activities for students in grades 9-12. The unit, focusing on physical factors influencing life in the sea, is divided into sections dealing with: (1) the ocean floor; (2) tides; (3) ocean waves; (4) ocean currents; (5)…