This booklet describes a process for creative classroom problem solving that can be adapted to many types of problems. The booklet's five sections correspond to five phases of the problem solving process. Each section begins with a description of the phase and then provides suggestions for using that phase in the classroom. The sections conclude…

This learning module is designed to enable participants to look at problems from a variety of perspectives, to apply a basic problem-solving strategy, to implement a plan of action, and to identify problems that are of particular importance to their workplace. The module includes units for six class sessions. Each unit includes the following…

This book is a collection of essays by full-time classroom teachers who describe their efforts to implement the vision of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards documents and to empower their students in mathematics. Chapter 1, "Students' Conceptions of Mathematics and the Challenge of the Standards" (Dorothy Buerk),…

A discussion of teacher education focuses on how teachers' conceptions of classroom practice are influenced by their participation in a graduate inservice teacher education program. It is based on a longitudinal study following four high school foreign language teachers through an inservice program. Participants were observed in five phases:…

This environmental education program is designed to increase awareness among junior high school students of stream ecosystems and those habitats which comprise the ecosystems adjacent to streams. The teaching content of the manual is presented in two major sections. The first section provides information and background material for the group…

This curriculum includes outlines for a series of professional readiness courses designed to improve the various basic skills required of hospital personnel. The first eight sections consist of course outlines/materials on the following topics: user-friendly arithmetic, user-friendly fractions, user-friendly algebra, problem solving through…

This project developed a conceptualization of higher order thinking, dimensions of classroom thoughtfulness, and an assessment exercise applicable to diverse topics taught in more than 70 classes in 11 high schools. Generic qualities of classroom thoughtfulness were not generally associated with the persuasiveness of student writing on a…

For a national program assessing college graduates to succeed, it must be institutionalized at the majority of colleges and universities in the nation. The information generated must play a clear and key role in formulating state and institutional higher education policy, college matriculation standards, and degree-granting decisions. Such an…

Grounded in personal experiences of classroom teachers, this book discusses broad ideas concerning thinking and teaching of complex-level thinking, and the pragmatic realities of teaching thinking in the regular classroom. The book notes that creating the "thoughtful" classroom is akin to a journey of change from one style to another style of…

Current educational theory and practice clearly show that project-based instruction has the potential to enhance learning. Preliminary findings on one type of project-based learning in which students take on the role of hypermedia designers support this claim. This study examined the effect of being hypermedia designers on fourth-graders'…

The cases in this book, based on classroom observations and interviews with principals and key teachers at 17 California middle schools, focus in depth on middle-grade reform in the classroom. Organized in four chapters, the cases look at four critical areas of curriculum and instruction: (1) heterogeneous grouping; (2) cooperative learning; (3)…

Intended for use by the classroom teacher, this guide presents teaching suggestions as well as suggested resources for teaching children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Emphasis is placed on working with the injured family and the importance of planning for transition and re-entry into the classroom through a continuum of settings. Teachers…

Three political scientists, three historians, three social studies professors (higher education), and seven secondary school teachers of social studies or history were interviewed. Focus was on assessing key concepts in the subjects' disciplines and what concepts should be taught and tested for at the high school level, with a view toward…

Using tests to reform education is not a new concept. National and state education policies reflect confidence in the power of assessment to encourage school improvement. New understandings of the nature and context of student learning are shifting the movement away from traditional multiple-choice tests to alternative assessments. The emphasis is…

Children begin school with the ability to use their informal and implicit conceptual knowledge to guide their problem solving, but shift to the use of superficial strategies in their attempts to solve word problems as they progress through school. This paper describes a study designed to investigate the effects of an instructional sequence that…