As problems become increasingly complex, science educators need to better understand how new knowledge is constructed and applied in heterogeneous team collaborations, and how to teach students to productively engage in these processes. We discuss the emergence of insights in collaborative sensemaking and suggest a model that articulates the…

The CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) is a five-step program in direct instruction of thinking skills which increase the number and diversity of ideas as well as help the individual establish goals, set priorities, improve interactions with others, and incorporate feeling into thinking. (DB)

Article stresses the skills gained in problem-solving over mere information transmission in the classroom. (GB)

By engaging in philosophical discussion in their writing, freshman composition students can discover that writing is a mediating tool between the self and the objective world, a means to examine the nature of reality and their thinking processes. Introducing philosophical issues opens the door for the investigation of difficult and abstract topics…

The purpose of this book is to help teachers learn about promising materials, methods and techniques for teaching creative thinking and problem solving in their classrooms. Information about teaching methods or techniques which can be readily adapted by the teacher to fit any grade level and subject area are presented. Specific directions on how…

A classroom activity is described which encourages students to determine the use of an artifact from the pre-Columbian Iraquois. Primary emphasis is on creative and productive thinking. (JB)

The development of critical ability, or cognitive criticism, is being studied in a two-year Swedish project described in this progress report. Cognitive criticism is valuable in all occupational fields, but especially futurology and technology assessment. This project proposes to make concrete the aims of critical training, and to identify and…

Much difficulty in teaching composition stems from the erroneous assumption that thought precedes writing. (JH)

Defines the term "higher cognitive questioning" and shows teachers how to use this technique to build students' critical reading skills. (RL)

The author summarizes the results of 133 studies designed to test approaches to teaching children to think creatively. While acknowledging criticisms that most of the studies use performances on tests of creative thinking and other creative school performances as criteria, he contends that the evidence which they provide can be extremely useful to…

In studying the effects of different teaching methods on preschoolers' language abilities it was found that the productive training condition produced more generalized responding on other kinds of tasks. (Editor)

Six experiments were conducted to determine whether idea checklists increased idea quantity and quality. College students were allowed 10 or 20 minutes or unlimited time to find ideas for product improvement problems. Results indicated that the only checklist which significantly stimulated productivity was composed of just seven general categories…