Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer opportunities for professional development of environmental educators globally, yet we lack understanding of participants™ cognitive and social learning processes and of how instructors can enhance these processes. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, we used a survey and coded participant…

The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM) is one of the most successful technologies in modern times. In spite of well-argued critiques, the DSM and the idea of "mental illness" on which it is based flourish, with ever more (mis)behaviors labeled as brain diseases. Problems in living and related distress…

The design of a utopia was devised as a studio project in order to bring critical thinking into the design studio and to stimulate creativity. By suggesting a utopia, the pedagogical aim was to improve progressive thinking and critical thought in the design education of architectural students -- and also future architects. From this perspective,…

We describe how instructors can integrate the critical thinking skill of examining theoretical assumptions (e.g., determinism and materialism) and implications into psychology courses. In this instructional approach, students formulate questions that help them identify assumptions and implications, use those questions to identify and examine the…

The author describes an alternate framework, emphasizing intellectual freedom, for thinking about thinking. She introduces papers developed by members of her graduate-level course in critical thinking. (CH)

There are no meaningful statistics on the number of people who leave destructive cults and no salient picture emerges regarding the frequency of maladaptive conditions following cult involvement. Nonetheless, of the total number of individuals coming out of cults, a seemingly significant subgroup evidences severely neurotic or psychotic-like…

Examines the shift in schools toward using software that teaches critical thinking skills. A list of 14 packages is also provided, with each entry including name, recommended age level(s), current cost, source, and a brief description. (JN)

Examines how modern ideals of individualism and critical reflection contribute to beliefs associated with nihilism. Argues that emancipatory views of education foster self-directing individualism and critical thought that contribute to nihilism problem. Concludes that emancipatory approaches should be based on the idea of the individual as a…

Suggests that developing critical thinking skills is a priority in colleges and universities, that student affairs personnel share responsibility for this task, and that the two key critical thinking activities, examining assumptions and exploring alternatives, are natural to the out-of-class environment. Suggests specific strategies for…

Discusses Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Skills and presents a table that outlines and defines its six skill levels. Introduces articles in this journal describing assignments for business communications which involve the these higher-order thinking skills. (SR)

The author shares how she used the Synectics Model in a class she taught on Family and Communication at the undergraduate level. The model encourages students to develop new ideas using their nonrational and emotional states of mind, and is intended to increase creativity, empathy, and problem-solving capacity. (CH)

Charles E. Curran, whose license to teach Catholic theology has been revoked by the Vatican, is part of a broad-based revisionist movement that is challenging the Church's traditional, neoscholastic approach to the discipline. (MSE)

Some argue that instead of being taught as a discrete skill, critical thinking must be linked to the content and methods of specific academic disciplines; they urge faculty to make students explicitly aware of the language and modes of thinking of their disciplines. (MSE)

The point-counterpoint technique adapted from "60 Minutes" is a way to examine multifaceted issues in depth. It demonstrates that there is often more than one correct answer, encourages creative problem solving, and establishes a highly interactive learning environment. (SK)

The critical literacy component of an adult program developed skills in analyzing media advertising; using math for data analysis, graphing, and computation; interpreting data; and becoming aware of advertising's part in reenforcing gender roles. (SK)