A graduate of a course in history's great ideas and the processes of thinking about them encourages the development of similar courses, arguing that important aspects of intellectual development are being ignored in the current college curriculum. (MSE)

Sifts through confusing intelligence theories, arguing that intelligence is a combination of influences involving power, tactics, and content. Good thinking is an unnatural act demanding evenhanded reasoning, problem finding (versus solving), and knowledge as invention. Discusses thinking frames guiding thought processes and the implications for…

The traditional college curriculum is seen as a collection of answers for students who do not yet have the questions; an alternative approach that nurtures students' capacities for inquiry is suggested and outlined. (MSE)

A discussion of functional language proficiency considers several widely-accepted theories of cognition, draws parallels between specific stages of intellectual maturity and development of second language proficiency, and suggests ways in which teachers may be able to help students progress from one stage to another within the context of foreign…

Feminist scholarship, as a contemporary current in academic life, is analyzed from the perspective of research on the formation of intentional intellectual communities. Interview data reveal that faculty conceive of their commitments and sense of community in ways that do not always correspond to idealized conceptions of academic organization.…

Egalitarianism in public education must mean students have not only equal opportunity to attend school but also equal intellectual opportunities. Some solutions include a redefined mission for public education, new techniques for teaching rigorous academic subjects to non-elite students, improved school environments, and a national testing system…

Several college teachers formed a writing circle to talk about their writing, improve writing skills, and develop articles for publication. An unanticipated outcome was improvement of instruction through adoption of new teaching methods, increased empathy with students as writers, and ability to reach students at different stages of intellectual…

Substantive and methodological problems encountered in a five-year synthesis of research on college impact are discussed, including general issues in higher education research and scholarship, relevance of assessments of student change, unnoticed indirect effects of college experience, inattention to individual differences, validity of common…

This guide for language teachers offers a developmental approach to curriculum design for second language learning. The approach suggests a progression of tasks at various difficulty levels, geared to the gradual development of language knowledge, concepts, skills, and attitudes. Ten levels of attainment, or stages of learner development, are…

Knowledge of student development theory has direct practical benefits for the college financial aid administrator. Developmental theories of Arthur Chickering and William Perry provide expectations for student behavior and suggest interventions for these aid-related areas: monitoring academic progress; student employment; student debt counseling;…

Recent national studies have pointed out the changing educational needs of young people as the United States moves from an industrial society to an information society. Selected middle school students in Ohio were involved in a two-year federally-funded program entitled "Learning for Leadership." The objectives of the program were: (1)…