Criterion-referenced testing is usually applied to the assessment of achievement. In this article, we suggest how it can also be applied to the assessment of adaptive intelligence, that is, intelligence as adaptation to the environment. In the era of the Anthropocene, we argue that adaptive intelligence is what is most important not only for…

The Designathon Works Foundation teaches children (8 to 12 years old) the skills that help them develop ideas and solutions for a better world. By going through the Designathon method, many children discover that their possibilities are unlimited and they think beyond their borders, both literally and figuratively. The method focuses on building…

In today's dynamic world, children are growing up amid unprecedented global challenges. From the urgency of the climate crisis to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, alongside such persistent issues as international conflicts, demographic shifts, and social inequality, the youngest generation faces a landscape much different from that of…

While project-based learning can be traced back to centuries-old theory, new research shows how it is linked to a variety of efforts for change in innovative schools.

When a student in a community-based writing program asked to write science fiction (SF), rather than a personal essay, he prompted the staff to expand the scope of the program's curriculum. This article describes how SF became another avenue for discussing community change. However, instead of just evaluating their worlds and writing about what…

Given the political, societal, scientific and geographical changes emerging in our twenty-first century world, we need to apply refreshed innovative processes in universal education. By applying such processes for universally refreshed quality of life norms, this paper applies the results of my Philosophy of Education thesis to today's conditions,…

This article considers the very real issues many of us face in the classroom when we, and our students, confront difficult or depressing issues, situations, or materials. Working with topics such as human rights abuses, environmental degradation, racism and xenophobia, and poverty among many others, students and faculty can experience compassion…

To gain insight into complex sustainability problems and acknowledge complexity is essential and can be achieved by creating an overview of the entire system, including interaction between variables. Therefore, systems thinking is recognized as a vital cognitive skill required to grasp complex global problems. Nevertheless, the implementation of…

In an era of unprecedented volatility, ambiguity, impassioned conflict, and intractable problems that affect the basic living conditions and prosperity of many, education has never been more important or more in need of purpose, meaning, and applicability. The solutions to the dilemmas that define our world will be created and implemented in the…

In this article Sarita Cargas suggests that getting honors students used to analyzing controversies will contribute to their developing a disposition toward critical thinking. She goes on to say that the value of teaching critical-thinking skills complements the movement of many honors programs toward teaching more than just disciplinary content.…

There is a remarkable difference between formal knowledge and true understanding of the subject. While the former helps students earn top grades, the latter is crucial to the solution of real-world problems. An excellent example is the computation of capacitance, with which some students have difficulty. Also, most textbooks limit problem analysis…

For students who have difficulty envisioning how the mathematics that they are learning is used outside the classroom, an adventure as field mathematicians can be enlightening. Measuring stream discharge is a field experience that allows students to engage in a hands-on (and boots-on) real-world, problem-solving activity and that integrates…

Critical thinking is a process that can be taught. It involves "evaluating the accuracy, credibility, and worth of information and lines of reasoning. Critical thinking is reflective, logical, evidence-based, and has a purposeful quality to it--that is, the learner thinks critically in order to achieve a particular goal." The authors have found…

This article presents a real-world application of proportional reasoning and equation solving. The author describes how students adjust ingredient amounts in a recipe for chocolate ganache. Using this real-world scenario provided students an opportunity to solve a difficult and nonstandard algebra problem, a lot of practice with fractions, a…

In an attempt to engage primary-school students in a hands-on, real-world problem-solving context, a large urban district, a mathematics and science institute housed in a college of education, and a corporate sponsor in the southwest United States, joined forces to create a mathematics and science trail for fourth- and fifth-grade students. A…