Designed to develop K-3 children's thinking skills before the children have mastered reading, this book presents 32 activities in which children learn to complete analogies--presented with an "attribute block" with 3 attributes, children choose a fourth attribute block to complete the analogy. The attribute blocks in the book are of 4 types--shape…

The pedagogical imperative to prepare students to become critical thinkers, critical readers, and critical writers for the coming millennium necessitates a comprehensive college discourse on critical thinking. The paper cites seminars and workshops that incorporate theoretical and practical dimensions of teaching critical-analytical thinking…

This Digest discusses approaches to group learning in the language classroom, presenting some principles that are common to any group learning approach, whether it be cooperative learning, student team learning, group investigation, or collaborative learning. The Digest also discusses the Collaborative Learning Model (Reid et al., 1989) which…

This Texas education resource guide is provided for teachers to plan a character education program which incorporates "Building Good Citizenship for Texas" into the classroom curriculum and schoolwide activities. The guide points out that, to be effective, instruction in character education must be appropriate to the developmental level…

For years many educators have advocated school conditions that maximize human intellectual and creative potential, yet today's schools can be intellectually depressing. After identifying and describing factors that influence teachers' attitudes and experiences in education, this document explores three school climate conditions that facilitate the…

Describes efforts to move beyond formal education's preoccupation with data accumulation toward the promotion of thinking over memorization. Identifies 10 principles central to history instruction that encourages critical thinking and eight specific skills that history instruction can help develop. Argues that students can both acquire facts and…

Presents tips, activities, and exercises to help elementary teachers and students select, learn, and tell their stories. Storytelling can build confidence and poise, improve expressive language skills, stimulate inventive thinking, build listening skills, and develop appreciation of other cultures. (SM)

Outlines a step-by-step process through which students can construct, defend, and test historical arguments. These include to support the claim with facts and analyze their relevance, to oppose the claim with additional facts, to rebut this claim with additional facts, and to ask for new information to test the claim. (MJP)

Provides illustrations, questions, and vocabulary to enable students to develop visual thinking skills through the study of architecture and its concepts. Seeks to help students gain a critical appreciation of the built environment and learn to use architecural terms and basic design principles to discuss architecture as a visual art form. (KM)

Describes discovery learning, a teaching method that encourages students to use inductive reasoning. Students explore and experiment using the skill or idea being taught; they determine rules, make generalizations, and discover concepts. The teacher acts as coach, advisor, and reinforcer. A student page offers a discovery learning game on capital…

Examines children's ability to formulate testable hypotheses, both from a theoretical viewpoint and from results of a British study of responses to an assessment instrument. Addresses implications for science education and difficulties in judging whether a child has demonstrated the skill. Concludes that evidence presented by teachers about…

This report presents the results of a workshop, held in Arlington, Virginia, on November 17-19, 1991, to discuss with the larger community the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) effort to develop strategies for assessing college student learning in support of National Education Goal Five, Objective Five which supports a substantial…

Based on the premise that the fairy tale genre can be effectively used as the content base for teaching reading, writing, and thinking skills and processes, this book offers educators ideas and techniques that promote multiple intelligences, critical thinking, creative problem solving, and problem- and product-based learning. Drawing on Bloom's…

Suggests that educational reform efforts, such as the back-to-basics movement, leave art educators wondering whether visual arts instruction will survive the reforms. Argues that the three Rs are insufficient for a balanced education. Asserts that the arts foster both affective and cognitive development. (KM)

Students must be informed about what is going on in the United States and the world. They must be able to understand, analyze, and evaluate what they hear and read. Newspaper and magazine editorials are excellent sources of argument and information for class study. Genuine understanding of written material requires thinking during reading.…