The editor of "Teaching Theology and Religion" facilitated this reflective conversation with five teachers who have extensive experience and success teaching extremely large classes (150 students or more). In the course of the conversation these professors exchange and analyze the effectiveness of several active learning strategies they…

Describes the concept of the Minireap, a one-page research paper requiring little writing and a lot of thought. Three types of questions used for Minireaps--data interpretation, summary, and hypothesis--are illustrated. (MES)

Discusses methods for teaching students to evaluate an argument, focusing specifically on identifying and evaluating both stated and unstated assumptions. Includes sample activities to help illustrate the approach. (BSR)

Reviews two approaches to critical thinking and shares seven steps from one approach which promote critical thinking skills. Shares an example of an activity showing how this approach can be used in many areas of the curriculum. (MG)

To create a learning environment that fosters critical thinking, a variety of learning activities can be used: critical analyses, debate teams, dramatization, action maze, critical incident, scenario building, Socratic questioning, creative visualization, listening teams, journal writing, cartoons, and inventing. (SK)

One of the most important educational objectives of high school is to teach critical-thinking skills, and no class does this better than strategic debate. Professor Mike Allen, lead author in a definitive study on debate and critical thinking, lauded debate's promotion of critical-thinking skills. Additionally, researcher Joe Bellon discusses the…

Defining critical thinking as a conscious process means that teachers can make students aware of the process and can affect the process. In addition, teachers can help students to evaluate their use of the process. The goal in any course is to involve students in the practice of critical thinking, and the oral exam reflects the students'…

Both the poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams and the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights show the power of language as vehicles for message. Using them in class as exercises to look at language and meaning will help students understand the importance of connotation and grammar; the use and validity of sources; and the…

Teachers should turn the pervasive influence of television into a tool for developing critical thinking and media literacy in children. Promoting critical television viewing skills can also contribute to the achievement of other, more traditional, instructional goals. (SK)

Identifies the more representative problem-solving models in environmental education. Suggests the addition of a strategy for defining a problem situation using Soft Systems Methodology to environmental education activities explicitly designed for the development of critical thinking. Contains 45 references. (JRH)

Responds to William Bigelow's 1989 article which was being used in a fifth grade classroom. Questions the approach taken by the teacher and focuses on how children can be most productively involved in the kind of critical reading Bigelow advocates. Discusses the use of "I-Charts" (inquiry charts) to foster critical reading. (MG)

Within the education environment, writing journals are being used across the curriculum and for a variety of purposes--they are often recognized as a means for prompting students to apply the perspective of a particular discipline to their own lives or to facilitate their gaining perspective on personal transitions. Successful use of journals in…

Advocates an activist, child-centered learning environment which will allow young children an opportunity to develop communication skills, rudimentary skills of critical analysis, and citizenship values such as responsibility and respect. Describes learning activities which will foster early citizenship development and provides two lesson plans…

Explores the use of picture books to teach children thinking skills. Presents a three-step process in which children first describe what they see, then compare pairs of illustrations, and finally, express an opinion about which of the illustrations they prefer. (EL)

Argues that teachers can achieve the goal of reducing prejudice by focusing on the development of thinking skills. Describes how a group of tenth grade teachers taught a unit on the Holocaust which actively engaged students' thinking and reduced their level of prejudice while increasing their self-esteem. (JDH)