Learning to Solve Complex Scientific Problems

by Jonassen; David H

• ISBN13: 9780805859188
• ISBN10: 0805859187
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-06-11
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Problem solving is implicit in the very nature of all science, and virtually all scientists are hired, retained, and rewarded for solving problems. Although the need for skilled problem solvers has never been greater, there is a growing disconnect between the need for problem solvers and the educational capacity to prepare them.Learning to Solve Complex Scientific Problemsis an immensely useful read offering the insights of cognitive scientists and engineering and science educators who explain methods for helping students solve the complexities of everyday, scientific problems. Important features of this volume include discussions on: *how problems are represented by the problem solvers and how perception, attention, memory, and various forms of reasoning impact the management of information and the search for solutions; *how academics have applied lessons from cognitive science to better prepare students to solve complex scientific problems; *gender issues in science and engineering classrooms; and *questions to guide future problem-solving research. The innovative methods explored in this practical volume will be of significant value to science and engineering educators and researchers, as well as to instructional designers.

Author Biography

Dr. David Jonassen is Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Missouri where he teaches in the areas of Learning Technologies and Educational Psychology. Since earning his doctorate in educational media and experimental educational psychology from Temple University, Dr. Jonassen has taught at the Pennsylvania State University, University of Colorado, the University of Twente in the Netherlands, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Syracuse University. He has published 29 books and numerous articles, papers, and reports on text design, task analysis, instructional design, computer-based learning, hypermedia, constructivist learning, cognitive tools, and technology in learning. He has consulted with businesses, universities, public schools, and other institutions around the world. His current research focuses on the nature of problem solving and methods for learning to solve complex problems.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
About the Authors	p. xv
Cognitive Science Views of Problem Solving	p. 1
What Makes Scientific Problems Difficult?	p. 3
Complex Problem Solving: The European Perspective-10 Years After	p. 25
When Capacity Matters: The Role of Working Memory in Problem Solving	p. 49
Keeping All the Plates Spinning: Understanding and Predicting Multitasking Performance	p. 77
Representing Complex Problems: A Representational Epistemic Approach	p. 97
Of Memes and Teams: Exploring the Memetics of Team Problem Solving	p. 131
Scientific Views of Problem Solving	p. 157
Moving Students from Simple to Complex Problem Solving	p. 159
Use of Information in Collaborative Problem Solving	p. 187
Toward a New Approach to Teaching Problem Solving in Dynamics	p. 205
Transfer of Learning in Problem Solving in the Context of Mathematics and Physics	p. 223
Metaproblem Spaces and Problem Structure	p. 247
Educating for Complex Problem Solving Using Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ)	p. 271
Preparing Students to Work Effectively as Members of Interdisciplinary Design Teams	p. 299
Addressing Gender in Complex Problem Solving	p. 321
Research Agenda for the Future: What We Need to Learn About Complex, Scientific Problem Solving	p. 341
Author Index	p. 363
Subject Index	p. 379
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