Specific illustrations are given of questions and problems designed to lead students in introductory physics courses into visualizing and reasoning qualitatively about physical phenomena. Examples include phenomena related to mechanics, electrostatic/magnetic interactions, resistive direct-current circuits, and Thompson's experiments marking the…

Describes a course module designed to instruct beginning engineering students at the University of New Mexico in problem-solving methodology as suggested by Polya (understand, plan, carry out, look back). (SK)

Argues that much of current science curricula and instructional strategies do not accommodate the thinking and reasoning capabilities of students. Level of capacity for abstract logical reasoning, whether the capacity can be cultivated/enhanced, consequences of mismatched intellectual levels and instructional modes, and what thinking/reasoning…

The level of thinking that is characteristic of the typical college freshman and the skills needed by college science courses are addressed, and the Development of Reasoning in Science project (Project DORIS) at California State University, Fullerton, is described. While the typical college freshman functions at the concrete level of thinking,…

Presents ideas to promote higher-level thinking in general chemistry classrooms/laboratories, focusing on applications of Patricia E. Blosser's taxonomy to enhance students' convergent/divergent/evaluative thinking. Compares Blosser's taxonomy with Bloom and Piagetian taxonomies, suggesting a combined Blosser/Piagetian taxonomy to achieve goals of…

Describes the contents of a book entitled The Care and Feeding of Ideas: A Guide to Encouraging Creativity which considers the thinking process, why skills need to be developed, and how students use or should use these thinking skills. (RT)

Reviews a monograph which addresses children's higher-order thinking skills. Suggests the following for teaching problem solving: identify and develop content-independent and content-dependent problem-solving skills, connect developed skills through workshop-style activities to subject discipline, and help students identify and reconstruct their…

Examines changes in the broad cultural background which provide the context for thinking, and how such life-style changes may have influenced the decline of reasoning skills and styles fundamental to the sciences. Considers peasant/rural farming, new world, and postaffluent society life-styles and science education in the latter. (Author/SK)