Robert Sherwood

An analog to the fictitious Oog story involves a true story about astronomers who lived in the 1600s. They were struggling to understand the nature of the stars and the planets. In order to achieve these goals they were frequently required to work with extremely large numbers. When these numbers had to be multiplied and divided, the calculational complexities were immense. Imagine how the astronomers felt when they first learned about the new mathematical invention called logarithms. They were elated. The relevance

First, we consider in more detail the notion that wisdom cannot be told. The argument is not that people are unable to learn from being shown or told. Clearly, we can remind people of important sets of information and tell them new information, and they can often tell it back to us. However, this provides no guarantee that people will develop the kinds of sensitivities necessary to use relevant information in new situations. Several sets of experiments will be used to illustrate how instructional procedures that result in learning in the sense of being able to recall relevant information provide no guarantee that people will spontaneously use it later on. Second, we discuss some successful attempts to facilitate the spontaneous use of relevant information. These involve the use of problem-oriented learning environments, rather than the mere presentation

Reviews 2 general research approaches to the development and effective teaching of reasoning, thinking, and problem solving. The first derives from studies of individuals who are experts in particular domains and emphasizes the role of domain-specific knowledge. The second emphasizes general strategic and metacognitive knowledge; ideally, people who develop the ability to learn new information and to monitor their current levels of proficiency will be able to function more effectively in a variety of contexts. Issues discussed include developmental and intraindividual differences, the representation of knowledge, means of facilitating memory access, and the concept of metacognition. It is concluded that many existing programs designed to teach thinking and problem solving could be strengthened by focusing more explicitly on domain knowledge, especially when students are helped to understand how …

What strategies do high school students use when solving chemistry problems? The purpose for conducting this study was to determine the general problem‐solving skills that students use in solving problems involving moles, stoichiometry, the gas laws, and molarity. The strategies were examined for success in problem solving for 266 students of varying proportional reasoning ability, using interviews incorporating the think‐aloud technique. Data were coded using a scheme based on Polya's heuristics. Results indicated that successful students and those with high proportional reasoning ability tended to use algorithmic reasoning strategies more frequently than nonsuccessful and low proportional reasoning students. However, the majority of all students solved the chemistry problems using only algorithmic methods, and did not understand the chemical concepts on which the problems were based.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of video‐based technologies to create macro‐contexts that can facilitate comprehension and learning. A theoretical rationale for the use of macro‐contexts is considered, and the results of three experiments are described. The experiments involve very simple uses of technology yet show positive results. The results suggest that more sophisticated uses of technology, especially computer‐controlled interactive videodiscs, should have even greater benefits on comprehension and learning. The findings provide a rationale for conducting more extensive investigations that utilize sophisticated technologies.

The national concern over the development of higher order thinking and problem solving skills reinforces the assumption that science education must involve more than the mere memorization of factual content. Nevertheless, research also indicates that effective thinking and problem solving depends on the availability of domain‐specific knowledge, hence science content cannot be ignored. Our goal in this paper is to present initial data indicating that learning can be enhanced when information is presented in the context of video‐based macro‐contexts that illustrate how science information can be used to solve meaningful problems. The experiments show positive results through simple uses of technology. The results suggest that more sophisticated uses of technology, especially computer‐controlled interactive videodisc technology, would have even greater benefits on comprehension and learning in science …

This study was conducted to determine which skills and concepts students have that are prerequisites for solving moles problems through the use of analog tasks. Two analogous tests with four forms of each were prepared that corresponded to a conventional moles test. The analogs used were oranges and granules of sugar. Slight variations between test items on various forms permitted comparisons that would indicate specific conceptual and mathematical difficulties that students might have in solving moles problems. Different forms of the two tests were randomly assigned to 332 high school chemistry students of five teachers in four schools in central Indiana. Comparisons of total test score, subtest scores, and the number of students answering an item correctly using appropriate t‐test and chi square tests resulted in the following conclusions: (1) the size of the object makes no difference in the problem …

Reported is a study to determine whether the use of analogies over a wide variety of topics in high-school chemistry classes for the entire school year would improve chemistry achievement, and to determine whether there was a difference between concept and formal students in their use of analogies.(Author/DS)

outline the principles of Bransford and Stein's IDEAL Problem Solver program/IDEAL stands for five steps of the problem-solving process: identification of problems, definition of problems, exploration of possible strategies for problem solving, acting on these strategies, and looking at the effects of these strategies

The major purpose for conducting this study was to determine whether certain instructional strategies were superior to others in teaching high school chemistry students problem solving. The effectiveness of four instructional strategies for teaching problem solving to students of various proportional reasoning ability, verbal and visual preference, and mathematics anxiety were compared in this aptitude by treatment interaction study. The strategies used were the factor‐label method, analogies, diagrams, and proportionality. Six hundred and nine high school students in eight schools were randomly assigned to one of four teaching strategies within each classroom. Students used programmed booklets to study the mole concept, the gas laws, stoichiometry, and molarity. Problem‐solving ability was measured by a series of immediate posttests, delayed posttests and the ACS‐NSTA Examination in High School …

Described is a study that confirms positive effects on student achievement of manipulation of molecular models by high school chemistry students over a long period of time. Also examined but unanswered were questions regarding applications of Piaget's theories in determining differential effects for concrete and formal operational students.(CS)

Our major goal in this paper is to argue that existing, off-the-shelf microcomputer and video technology can help students develop the skills, the knowledge, and the confidence necessary to function effectively in today's complex society. However, we also emphasize that technology by itself cannot solve the problems facing instruction; it has to be used effectively. In order to use technology effectively, information must be gathered from the study of cognition, instruction and culture. Throughout this article our discussions of technology will be related to the research literature in these areas. This paper is divided into three parts. First, we provide some historical and theoretical background about cognition and instruction. Second, we illustrate some successful uses of technology to increase academic achievement by focusing on three areas:(1) the importance of developing fluent access to knowledge and skills;(2) the …

In this project, a Level 1 videodisc program called “Mastering Fractions” was evaluated. The evaluation was conducted in two parts. Part 1 was a controlled study that compared the “Mastering Fractions” program to a more traditional fractions curriculum while controlling for any novelty effect of the videodisc medium. Part 2 of the evaluation was a descriptive study that examined the use of “Mastering Fractions” in non-experimentally controlled classroom environments. The results of the evaluation indicated that the use of the “Mastering Fractions” program resulted in significant gains in fraction skills and computations. Further, it was concluded that the achievement gains found in the study were attributed to the instructional content of the “Mastering Fractions” program and not to the novelty of the videodisc medium. Finally, it was found that even though the program had a positive effect on student achievement, the …

The Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series is an example of a video-based instructional macrocontext for complex problem generation and problem solving. The Jasper series and curricular materials are described and illustrated in this article. The theoretical framework underlying the series includes assumptions about educational goals and the nature of learning, including the importance of generative activities and cooperative learning situations. The authors argue that the Jasper series affords generative and cooperative learning activities in a way that traditional mathematics problem-solving materials do not. However, whether these features are utilized depends on the teaching model at work in the classroom. Three models of teaching—basics first, structured problem solving, and guided generation—that can be applied to the Jasper series are outlined. The strengths and weaknesses of each are …

A study of the effect of science teaching with a multimedia simulation on water quality, the “River of Life,” on the science conceptual understanding of students (N = 83) in an undergraduate science education (K-9) course is reported. Teaching reality-based meaningful science is strongly recommended by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Water quality provides an information-rich context for relating classroom science to real-world situations impacting the environment, and will help to improve student understanding of science (Kumar, 2005a; Kumar and Chubin, 2000). The topics addressed were classes of organisms that form river ecosystem, dissolved oxygen, macroinvertebrates, composition of air, and graph reading skills. Paired t-test of pre- and post-tests, and pre- and delayed post-tests showed significant (p < 0.05) gains. The simulation had a significant …