The present study tested the hypothesis that maturing prefrontal lobes play a role in the development of proportional reasoning skill because the prefrontal lobes are involved in the inhibition of task-irrelevant information and the representation of task-relevant information. The hypothesis that reasoning development is in part dependent upon physical experience was also tested. Students (all males) who failed to solve a diagnostic proportions task were administered several tests of prefrontal lobe functions. The students were then randomly assigned to manipulative or verbal tutoring groups. Both groups received a series of individual testing, tutoring and testing sessions on proportional reasoning. As predicted, performance on the prefrontal lobe tasks (measures of inhibiting ability, planning ability, dissembedding ability, and working memory capacity) significantly predicted performance on proportional reasoning tasks following tutoring. Students' computational skills were not a significant predictor. Also, the manipulative group's proportional reasoning performance was significantly higher than that of the verbal tutoring group. Therefore, the present results provide support for the hypothesis that maturing prefrontal lobes and physical experience play roles in the development of proportional reasoning skill.fl 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 1171 - 1182, 2000

/pdf/effect-on-development-of-proportional-reasoning-skill-of-2u10pfaonp.pdf

Effect on development of proportional reasoning skill of physical experience and cognitive abilities associated with prefrontal lobe activity

David Hestenes is professor of theoretical physics at Arizona State University. He was motivated to pursue physics by undergraduate studies in philosophy. Consequently, he has been concerned with analyzing the conceptual structure of physics and mathematics from the beginning of his career. This is reflected in his research publications in relativistic quantum theory and other topics. (Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504.)

/pdf/wherefore-a-science-of-teaching-3uuio8wtv7.pdf

Wherefore a science of teaching

Inducing Cognitive Growth in Concrete-Operational College Students.

For a total sample of 290 ninth- and tenth-grade students enrolled in the first-year algebra course at a suburban Los Angeles high school situated in a relatively affluent community, the major focus of this study was to compare the predictive validity of chronological age, a standardized algebra prognosis test, standardized scales of verbal and quantitative abilities derived from an achievement test battery, and an objective measure of formal or concrete stages of Piagetian cognitive development. Criterion variables included both final examination scores and course grades. It was concluded that chronological age, an algebra prognosis test, and mathematics subtests from a standardized achievement test battery appear to be the most promising predictors of success in algebra (with the relationship between age and the criterion measures being substantially negative). In addition, the conclusion was reached that when used in combination with readily available scores on several standardized tests of mathematics...

A Comparison of the Relative Validity of a Measure of Piagetian Cognitive Development and a Set of Conventional Prognostic Measures in the Prediction of the Future Success of Ninth- and Tenth-Grade Students in Algebra

The laboratory-learning environment needs to become more exploratory and undergo a transformation from its traditional confirmatory role in the learning of science. This is necessary to effectively allow students to achieve scientific literacy. The availability of powerful tools for data collection and analysis provides an opportunity for students to engage in activities similar to those found in scientific work. An investigation of science teachers' use of microcomputer-based laboratories in inquiry-based activities shows the benefits inherent in the technology; in particular, an improvement in performance on content-related tasks and in using process skills necessary for inquiry-based learning was found. The ability to correctly predict the outcome of an experiment is strongly correlated with the agreement between different modalities used in the prediction. Thus, performance on science tasks using graphical analysis can be enhanced by the described methodology; recommendations are offered for successfu...

Anton E. Lawson Article

Papers

Developmental Level and Learning to Solve Problems of Proportionality in The Classroom