This monograph represents 5 years of collaborative discussions among individuals interested in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics beginning in 1985 with the planning of a conference and culminating in the production of this collection of 13 papers to be presented at the conference. Chapters include: (1) an introduction…

This paper describes how electronic spreadsheet simulators, originally designed to simulate and replace large paper worksheets used in accounting and financial planning, can be used to study and explore functional relationships among a number of parameters. As a way of providing a context for understanding this application of a spreadsheet…

Divided into two sections, this booklet demonstrates how the discovery/inquiry approach and values clarification can be used to teach population education. Each part presents a theoretical discussion of a teaching method including its definition, its relevance to population education, some outstanding characteristics that make it suitable for…

A research project examined whether students in an English 104 freshman composition class would develop the ability to think analogically and divergently by using synectics as an aid to invention in composition, and whether these students would develop a more positive attitude toward writing. (Synectics is a highly structured group activity based…

Independent study is an instructional approach that can have enormous power in the classroom. It can be used successfully with students at all ability levels, even though it is often associated with gifted students. Independent study is an opportunity for students to study a subject of their own choosing under the guidance of a teacher. The…

Children are capable of good thinking, asking perceptive questions, ferreting out implications, making applications, formulating conclusions, and making valid predictions and evaluations. Evidence indicates that these capabilities can be improved by teaching children about questions and questioning. Before such questioning strategies have much…

U.S. public education has always been value laden, and a straightforward approach concerning what values will be taught is an appropriate policy. In spite of U.S. pluralism, a relatively common set of traditional values is possible and desirable. Three assumptions have been accepted in this essay: (1) no one lives a value-neutral life; (2)…

Prompted by pupil dissatisfaction and indifference, an experimental scheme of modified working routines involving approximately 500 pupils and 40 teachers was conducted in senior level classes in the Municipality of Ockero between 1976 and 1981. The purpose of the project was to transform the everyday life of school and to devise methods for…

Research was conducted to compare the effects of three different methods of teaching LOGO to fifth graders with a broad range of academic ability. The first method, based on Papert's idea of discovery learning, involved teacher presentation of LOGO instruction and student control of pace of learning. The second method involved the use of…

This guidebook reviews the basic educational role of learning resources centers in elementary-secondary education, and outlines the facility requirements, material requirements, and functions of a basic resources center. The educational issues surrounding the development of resources centers are briefly addressed, including resource-based…

This document focuses on the use of a computer and the LOGO programing language by an eight-year-old boy. The stepping of variables, which is the development and incrementally changing of one of several variables, is an idea that is followed in one child's mind as he effectively directs himself in a freely-chosen problem-solving situation. The…

Presented are ways to teach pupils the concept of "sphere" with a methodology far removed from memorization of a formal definition of the concept. The material illustrates an approach to teaching that focuses on open exploration of ideas with children. Many experiments and starting points for exploration are suggested. This document has…

Presented is a collection of thoroughly-tested discrepant events designed for use in science classes. These events have been organized into 17 chapters grouped into four sections: Environment (5 chapters), Energy (7 chapters), Forces and Motion on Earth and in Space (3 chapters), and Living Things (2 chapters). The following information is…

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual basis for advocacy of an inquiry-based instructional model. Focusing on the teacher as inquirer, the paper discusses the nature of inquiry, presents its conceptual framework and describes in detail the use of question strategies in the preschool program. The definition of inquiry analyzes…

EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES INTENDED TO REPRESENT A CONTINUUM OF REINFORCEMENT FOR SEARCHING BEHAVIOR WERE--REINFORCEMENT BY PRAISE ONLY (1), AND REINFORCEMENT BY PRAISE PLUS INDIRECT GUIDANCE ON HOW TO PROCESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE LEARNER (2). A THIRD INSTRUCTIONAL CONDITION REQUIRED MINIMUM TEACHER-LEARNER INTERACTION AND DIRECT PRESENTATION…