Characteristics of a cognitive tool that helps students learn diagnostic problem solving

Three related studies replicated and extended previous work (J.A. Danielson et al. (2003), Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 63–81) involving the Diagnostic Pathfinder (dP) (previously Problem List Generator [PLG]), a cognitive tool for learning diagnostic problem solving. In studies 1 and 2, groups of 126 and 113 veterinary students, respectively, used the dP to complete case-based homework; groups of 120 and 199, respectively, used an alternative method. Students in the dP groups scored significantly higher (p = .000 and .003, respectively) on final exams than those in control groups. In the third study, 552 veterinary students responding to a questionnaire indicated that the dP’s gating and data synthesis activities aided learning. The dP’s feedback and requirement of completeness appear to aid learning most.     

Strategic transfer: A tool for academic problem solving

Within the context of classroom learning, strategic transfer can be viewed as a tool for academic problem solving. Strategic transfer is defined as the spontaneous access and retrieval (remembering) of previously learned formal procedures for the successful solution of a problem. The transfer-appropriate processing encoding model (Morris, Bransford, and Franks, 1977), and the transfer-appropriate procedures retrieval model (Roediger, Weldon, and Challis, 1989) are reviewed. An integration of the two models is proposed through the development of a training-for-transfer paradigm (Phye, 1990). By integrating encoding and retrieval processing in a single transfer paradigm the issue of accessing prior knowledge (Bransford, 1990) that is also referred to as the inert knowledge problem (Whitehead, 1929) can directly be addressed.     

A humanistic framework for helping students

According to David M. Myers and Eric Rosenberger, we all can be “natural helpers” in our relationships with students—read on to learn about the basic set of skills widely considered important for helping students in need.     

A model of efficiency in diagnostic problem solving: implications for the education of diagnosticians

This paper describes a model of efficiency in diagnostic problem solving. It is based on the protocols of three management consultants, who were asked to diagnose a performance problem given to them in the form of a tab-item. They were specifically required to test the maximum number of hypotheses with the minimum number of questions. A bounded rationality model of their judgment was developed, incorporating features of earlier knowledge-based and rule-based approaches. The nature of the diagnostic process is represented as an alternation between knowledge-driven operations on a mental model of the situation, and sensory-driven operations on the problem givens. Insights gained in the former type of episode act as an executive program to direct the search carried out in the latter type of episode. Data generated in the latter type of episode are assimilated into the problem representation constructed in the former type of episode and, by activating existing knowledge structures, generate fresh insights. These in turn direct further search, and so on. Efficiency is achieved both through intuitive leaps which occur in the knowledge-driven episodes, and by a fixed sequence of logical operations in the sensory-driven episodes. The implications of this model for the education of diagnosticians are discussed.     

Analyzing cohesion in language samples of college students: A diagnostic tool

This paper presents a clinically derived system of analyzing reading miscues of college students and comparing the observed patterns to a student’s oral expressive language. By looking for consistencies and contrasting the observed patterns with what is now known about the cohesive development of language within and across its spoken and written forms, and by looking for places in which the expected continuity is not apparent in the individual case, we can identify many of the barriers to successful learning. An important attribute of the new technique is that it can be used in varied contexts. The contexts can be tailored to suit the actual coursework that a student does or will encounter and the analysis still provides comparative data. The method includes a system of giving assessment feedback to the students that allows for their input and therefore helps them identify with treatment recommendations that are being suggested to overcome long-standing learning blocks.     

解决妨碍大学生创业政策执行问题的对策

事实表明,解决好妨碍大学生创业政策执行这一问题,能促进大学生创业政策体系的完善,有效促进大学生积极创业,从而有效解决当前大学生就业难的问题;此外,还可为国家改进其他相关创业政策提供有效参考,对进一步优化我国创业环境、完善整个社会的创业政策体系、落实科学发展观、加快我国创新体系的形成均具有极大的推动作用.本文着重从提高大学生创业政策的可执行性、提高政策执行人员素质水平等方面,就解决好妨碍大学生创业政策执行这个问题进行了较为深入的分析和探讨.     

Exploring mobile tool integration: Design activities carefully or students may not learn

This investigation explores the integration of a mobile language learning application into a high school English course. It uses detailed behavioral data, assessments of student vocabulary and language knowledge, student work, and teacher observations to identify how students use the mobile application; measure student learning; determine which aspects of learning activity design supported or failed to support application integration; and determine how application use related to changes in student vocabulary knowledge. Students’ application use and learning suggest certain aspects of the noticing hypothesis (i.e., logging) do not apply in formal mobile learning environments and microlearning is rarely realized in these contexts when there is evidence of learning. From a theoretical perspective, the data suggest mobile tools can be used to encourage spaced repetition and deep processing when the accompanying learning activities are appropriately designed. However, the desired depth of processing is unlikely to be observed when application usage patterns that are consistent with microlearning are seen.     

加大职业指导破解法学专科学生就业难题

职业指导在法律专科学生就业中起到重要的作用,破解法律专科学生就业难关键在于提高学生的专业能力,应该从加大职业指导方面入手,组建专业化的职业指导队伍、提供全过程的职业指导和增加实践锻炼机会等几个方面加强工作。     

Cognitive development and problem solving of Afro-American students in chemistry

The aims of this study were to investigate the level of cognitive development of Afro-American students enrolled in general chemistry courses at the college level and to determine the strategies used by both successful and unsuccessful Afro-American students in solving specific types of stoichiometric problems. It was found that the choice of a strategy is not significantly related to cognitive development of the student in specific types of stoichiometric problems. However, the following trend was noted: Students who are formal-operational in thought are more likely to be successful when solving mole-volume problems and complex mole-mole problems than are their concrete-operational counterparts. Additionally, a systematic strategy proved to be successful for the students, regardless of the cognitive development, when balancing simple and complex chemical equations. Also, algorithmic/reasoning strategies were needed to solve the mole-volume problem. A higher level of cognitive development and reasoning may be crucial factors in solving the more sophisticated types of problems in stoichiometry.     

A heuristic method for solving triangle packing problem

INTRODUCTION Most packing problems (Dowsland and Dow-sland, 1992) are NP-hard (Garey and Johnson, 1979); among which are bin-packing, floorplan, rectangle packing, packing a set of circles into a large circle or square, non-rectangular packing problems and so on (Li and Milenkovic, 1995; Liang et al., 2002; Lip-nitskii, 2002; Milenkovic and Daniels, 1996; Milenk-ovic et al., 1991; Osogami and Okano, 2003; Wang, 2002). Some of these such as bin-packing problem and rectangle packing p…     

A comparison of strategic development for multiplication problem solving in low-, average-, and high-achieving students

The present study investigated the differences of strategy use between low-, average-, and high-achieving students when solving different multiplication problems. Nineteen high-, 48 average-, and 17 low-achieving students participated in this study. All participants were asked to complete three different multiplication tests and to explain how they solved these problems. Results suggested that low achievers used incorrect operation strategies more frequently, indicating a lack of conceptual understanding of multiplication. High-achieving students demonstrated greater flexibility in problem-solving and were more accurate in performing direct retrieval or math algorithm strategies. Results were discussed about improving low achievers’ use of advanced strategies, enhancing their flexibility in choosing strategies and improving students’ accuracy in using direct retrieval or math algorithms.     

Validation of the diagnostic tool for assessing Tertiary students’ readiness for online learning

Increasing numbers of educational institutions are adopting an online approach to teaching and learning; however, little regard has been given to the prerequisite personal and technical qualities required for academic achievement and satisfaction within this environment. In recognition of this, researchers have been exploring the design, development and testing of diagnostic tools to assess student readiness for online learning. This study builds on previous work by the authors to further validate their diagnostic tool for assessing Tertiary students’ readiness for online learning (TSROL) which has four subscales: ‘Technical skills’, ‘Computer self‐efficacy’, ‘Learner preferences’ and ‘Attitudes towards computers’. Factor and reliability analyses revealed that Technical skills and Computer self‐efficacy possessed good reliability and validity, and ‘Attitudes towards computers’ fair reliability and validity. However, ‘Learner preferences’ required revision as it possessed poor reliability and validity. Analysing the demographic data revealed that older students had lower Technical Skills and computer self‐efficacy than younger students. The TSROL can be improved by adopting a more multidimensional interpretation of the Learning preferences and Attitudes towards computers subscales.     

Causal attribution by sensing and intuitive types during diagnostic problem solving

Attempts by sensing and intuitive types to diagnose a malfunctioning industrial system by operating a computer-based data bank were compared in terms of (1) the extent of their causal attributions, and (2) their use of different information-gathering control operations. As predicted by Jungian type theory, intuitives made significantly more causal attributions to factors lying behind the immediately perceived malfunction (P<0.03). There were no significant differences between the two types' use of control operations. The implications of these findings for attribution theory, the theory of diagnostic error, and for the education of diagnosticians are discussed.     

教师应学会欣赏学生

心理学家威廉杰姆士说:“人类所有的情结中,最强烈的莫过于渴望被人重视。”对学生而言,他们渴望父母的重视,更渴望能得到教师的认同、欣赏和喜爱。因此,教师应该是一个特别敏锐并善于把握的发现者,他能从一般中发现特殊,从平庸中捕捉非凡,从共性中把握个性,甚至从丑陋中发现美好,从每一个学生身上发现其闪光点,然后激励他。然而我们很多老师,面对学生对知识的渴求可以慷慨赐予,可为什么面对学生对“爱”的渴望却显得过于吝啬呢?原因在于我们没有学会如何去欣赏学生。 欣赏学生需要一双敏锐的眼睛,需要真挚而热烈的情感,更需要有一个公正的、辩证的、没有丝毫偏见的头脑。对于所谓的“差生”,只要你换个视角,用     

Empowering educationally disadvantaged mathematics students through a strategies-based problem solving approach

A major impediment to problem solving in mathematics in the great majority of South African schools is that disadvantaged students from seriously impoverished learning environments are lacking in the necessary informal mathematical knowledge to develop their own strategies for solving non-routine problems. A randomized pretest–posttest control group design was used to empirically investigate the effectiveness of a strategies-based problem solving approach on the problem solving performance of 9th grade disadvantaged students. In this approach students receive explicit instruction on a wide repertoire of problem solving strategies. The results reported in this study show a significant improvement in problem solving performance when a strategies-based approach to problem solving was being implemented. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the responses to the items showed how the treatment group students had internalized as part of their problem solving repertoire the strategies on which they had been explicitly instructed on. The findings of this study make a case for the adoption of this approach so that the gap between the student’s existing problem solving competence, and the cognitive demands of a problem solving task can be bridged.     

中美学生数学问题解决的差异比较

“问题解决”是国际数学教育研究的一个热点,本文从中美两国学生在问题解决的过程和结果的比较研究入手,比较和研究了中美两国学生在问题解决中提出问题的能力及解决问题的策略两方面的差异。     

一种求解不等式约束优化问题的新算法

针对基本遗传算法收敛速度缓慢现象，提出了基于多父体杂交和按较差个体顺序变异的改进策略，从而加快收敛速度，提高了算法性能，通过验算表明，改进后的算法，能够迅速找到全局最优解。     

Challenge-based instruction promotes students’ development of transferable frameworks and confidence for engineering problem solving

ABSTRACT

Challenge-based teaching facilitates students’ simultaneous development of content mastery and strategies for applying technical knowledge innovatively. The University of Texas at Austin Department of Biomedical Engineering has offered a challenge-based course on biotransport as an accelerated study-abroad learning experience in Cambridge, England. We used a mixed methods approach to characterize students’ learning trajectory, to include technical prowess, problem-solving self-efficacy, and engineering identity throughout the entirety of this course. Students developed problem solving strategies and confidence over the semester and readily transferred their acquired solution framework to technical domains outside of the course subject of biotransport. Students identified challenge-based pedagogies as their preferred methods of classroom instruction, became familiar with corresponding assessments, and identified strongly as practitioners within the engineering field. We believe this illustrative case study provides significant evidence for the effectiveness of challenge-based instruction and can serve as a model for pedagogy-sensitive classroom assessment in engineering.     

Problem solving in science lessons: How students explore the problem space

This report examines, from a constructivist framework, how students presented with discrepant event problems during science lessons begin the problem solving process by exploration of the problem space. Three discrepant events were presented to five classes of eleven to thirteen year-olds using three different teaching strategies identified from the literature. The teaching strategies used teacher demonstrations followed by students asking the teacher questions, teacher demonstrations followed by an explanation by the teacher, and small groups of students under the guidance of the teacher. Data were collected from field notes, video tapes of the lessons, and student interviews using a stimulated recall technique to elicit the students' thinking during the lessons. The extent to which students could explore the problem space was found to be determined by the teaching strategy used, as the first and last strategies encouraged students to find their own explanations. Different information sources were also available in each of the teaching strategies. That is, exploration of the problem space was inextricably linked to the social context, partially determined by the teaching strategy. Because of constraints imposed by each teaching strategy none of those used was considered entirely satisfactory. An alternative strategy is suggested from a combination of aspects of the strategies trialled.