The raison d'etre of this paper is to encourage support for our gifted learners so that they have a better chance to emerge as our visionaries, our thinkers, our inventors, and our innovators. For those well in advance of their peers, what we can do as educators to optimize their vision and its application are the concerns of the paper. It urges…

Reports on a study that analyzed students' chain of music decisions from problem perception to problem solution. Found that highly involved problem solvers explored and organized sound for its musical expressiveness, while uninvolved problem solvers rarely based their decisions on musical concerns. Concludes with implications for music teaching.…

A methodology for confronting students with the inconsistencies entailed by their own beliefs is outlined. This methodology is illustrated using the dynamics domain of physics and a computer modeling program, DYNALAB. (KR)

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of using an adapted version of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) to increase problem solving activities of kindergarten students, and to determine the practical significance of using CPS as a method for increasing problem solving skills of kindergarten students. Data were collected from…

Asserts that whether students engage in creative and critical thinking depends on how teachers structure the learning situation. Contends that using "academic controversy" among students provides a basis for deliberate discourse and creative problem solving. Presents a five-step instructional model to guide students. (CFR)

A three credit undergraduate course, offered through a University of Texas Gifted and Talented Program to qualified high school students, used material objects in a museum to promote visual thinking. Fourteen students were enrolled in the course, which included four interacting units of study: (1) using the operations and strategies of visual…

Describes a problem-solving exercise used to develop transferable skills through student exploration of university library materials. Maintains that the study was part of a research design course in human geography. Includes six tables and two figures illustrating and analyzing the approach. (CFR)

Maintains that educational reform is related directly to issues of creativity and critical thinking. Contends that the creative dimension of thinking is fostered best by joining it with the critical dimension. Includes a figure and eight basic conditions implicit in creative, critical acts of the mind. (CFR)

This document reports on a practicum experience on the improvement of thinking skills of middle school students. There has been much discussion in educational circles that mastery of higher- order thinking skills should be given greater attention in the public schools. A program of teaching thinking skills directly to grade seven geography classes…

A study investigated the extent to which students' inquiry skills can be facilitated through the use of a computerized science database (Birds of the Antarctica) and specially designed curriculum materials. Much attention was given in the program to developing both students' inquiry skills and their subject-matter knowledge. Grade 11 and 12…

Maintains that cognitive flexibility, the ability to generate many possible solutions, is identified as the most critical aspect of creativity training. Describes the use of word tables, computer games, and riddles to develop cognitive flexibility. Presents evidence that these methods are effective in enhancing creative and critical thinking…