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Instruction should be designed to incorporate learning theories that explain how intellectual skills are developed. Through these appropriate learning theories, students learn to think conceptually, critically, and creatively when analyzing situations, developing solutions to problems, and learning from their experiences. Several critical issues confronting education also need to be examined, including problems with specialized courses designed to teach thinking skills, concerns about the failures of learning transfer, and doubts about the ability of formal education to teach what is needed in the world of work. This analysis supports the incorporation of characteristics of informal learning into formal educational settings to develop intellectual skills. Four elements of informal learning are critical for enhancing conceptual learning and developing intellectual skills: contextual learning, peer-based learning, activity-based practice, and reflective practice. They relate to the learning environment, the social aspect of learning, the learning task, and the learner. Instruction could be developed for each of these elements independently, although combining them would result in a more powerful learning environment. The educational power of informal learning environments is enhanced when knowledgeable and caring instructors incorporate modeling, coaching, and scaffolding needed by the students as well as cognitive learning principles. (Contains 62 references.) (YLB)

An effective training program for preparing troubleshooters provides knowledge needed to understand the technology, teaches the process of troubleshooting, and provides the opportunity to practice using their knowledge and skill to diagnose faulty equipment. Recent research and common sense indicate many troubleshooting programs overemphasize theoretical knowledge and underemphasize knowledge and skills actually used while troubleshooting. Findings provide evidence that the use of functional flow diagrams during technical system instruction assists students in developing a more accurate conceptual understanding of the function of system components. The analysis of the verbal protocols reveals that most troubleshooters follow a similar process of troubleshooting: problem representation, fault isolation, and solution verification. The purpose of troubleshooting strategies is to help reduce the list of potential faults until the actual fault is identified. Strategies can serve two purposes: confirmation and exploration. Troubleshooters use various strategies to identify faults dependent upon factors such as level of expertise, type of system, and difficulty of the problem. Johnson (1991) has identified five common search strategies: trial and error, exhaustive, topographic, half/split, and functional. Although most troubleshooters rely on one or two favorite strategies, each strategy is useful under certain circumstances. (Contains 26 references.) (YLB)

A quasi-experimental study explored the effect of functional flow diagrams on technical system understanding. An individualized field training package which contained schematic diagrams that illustrated an aircraft's electrical system was complimented with functional flow diagrams. In a 4-week treatment, a control group of 10 students enrolled in Aircraft Systems II in the Institute of Aviation (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) received the instructional package that contained only schematic diagrams. The treatment group of eight students enrolled in the same course received an instructional package that contained the schematic diagrams and additional conceptual diagrams of the systems. Following each of the four units of instruction, subjects were given unit tests designed around the structure, function, and behavior of the system. T-tests were used to compare test scores. Four subjects from each group were also randomly selected to perform card sorting tasks at the end of each unit. Results showed that use of functional flow diagrams improved overall system understanding related to the electrical systems and improved significantly subjects' ability to reconstruct conceptual models similar to those of an expert. The functional flow diagrams were an effective instructional medium for enhancing students' conceptual understanding of the causal behavior of the system. (Appendixes include 4 tables, and 4 figures.) Contains 38 references. (YLB)

A two-part study examined the relationship between technical troubleshooting behavior and the level of expertise of service technicians who diagnose faulty equipment. The first investigation addressed the differences in the knowledge base that troubleshooters bring to a problem. A group of five novice troubleshooters and five experts was given electric generator sets to repair. The results showed that experts have a much greater depth of understanding of the basic principles and concepts that underlie the operation of generator sets. Experts can also comprehend the function and operation of the generator system, whereas the novices seem to lack an accurate mental model of the operation of the technical systems they repair daily. The second investigation attempted to identify differences in the actual troubleshooting performance of the expert and novice service technicians. In this test, the subjects were instructed to "think aloud" as they worked through a problem with either a faulty fuel pump or an open wire. The primary difference between the troubleshooting performance of the experts and the novices was that the experts were able to select better information and generate better hypotheses, probably because they have more knowledge and their knowledge is organized more effectively. The results of this study can be used to design training programs to reduce the differences between expert and novice technical troubleshooters. (KC)

This paper is an attempt to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the issue of adult creativeness. The significance and the limitations of the Genetic Epistemological paradigm in the conceptualization of adult inventiveness are discussed. A framework is suggested that provides an alternative for the study of adult creativeness from a cognitive-structural orientation, reconciling traditional developmental theory with a nontraditional approach to the definition and study of inventiveness. The paper also examines hypothesized post-formal thought structures and their relevance to the understanding of adult creativity. A study is reported that was undertaken to investigate the possibility that the problem-finding stage of cognitive development is inseparable from creativity. Data are shown that imply that problem finding is a critical component in the creative process. (YLB)

The U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Specification 6M containers had been the workhorse for the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and many other shippers for over 20 years. This DOT specification was eliminated from the regulations on September 30, 2008. The anticipation of this action prompted DOE to develop and implement the ES-3100 Shipping Container as its replacement. The ES-3100 was first licensed in April 2006. Since then, the license has been revised 9 times, adding contents to the authorization basis. The ES-3100 was operationally ready for use at several sites by September 2007, and is now in being used on a regular basis for materials that had been shipped in the DOT 6M. The ES-3100 has also been certified for air transport, because of the need to support foreign research reactor fuel supply and international nonproliferation efforts. This container has a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency and a Competent Authority Certificate from the U. S. DOT. The ES-3100 CoC allows many forms of fissile material to be shipped, and continues to be amended to authorize additional contents for a variety of shippers. This paper will identify the currently certified contents for the ES-3100 and the planned certificate amendments to expand the content basis, as well as the approach to add new contents to the CoC. The path to becoming a user of the ES-3100 will be outlined. Operational requirements for this container, handling tools and non-standard operating tools needed for the use of this container will be covered. Readiness requirements, maintenance issues, training, and lessons learned will also be discussed. This paper will provide the information necessary for organizations to obtain ES-3100 containers, the special tools, adequate training, and any other information that would be helpful for a site to become fully operational on this fissile, radioactive material shipping container system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]