This piece maintains that, despite 50+ years of successful practice and development, Philosophy for Children (henceforward, P4C) is undervalued--but that, suitably re-presented, it may yet become the most important agent of educational change of the 21st century: a change that is essential, if not existential, given the challenges facing humanity.…

Most first-year seminars exist to ensure that incoming students achieve what is commonly described as "academic success." While definitions of this term vary widely, it most often means socializing students into an academic culture so that they will remain at the institution, achieve a strong GPA, and graduate on time. Most first-year…

The aim of this research is to investigate the aspects of science education, which are pedagogically desirable for the individual in the society of 21st century. The research was conducted by Curricular Delphi Study method in three rounds with international comparisons. In the first round, an open-ended survey was used, and in the next two rounds…

At North Carolina State University, inquiry-guided learning offered a compelling framework for integrating the undergraduate curriculum across general education and the major. Rather than adopting a definition of inquiry-guided learning as a prescribed set of approaches, participating faculty and staff members agreed on four overarching intended…

The authors describe an inquiry-based learning project that required students in a first-year world history course to reflect on and analyze critically the nature of the knowledge found in Wikipedia--the free, open-content, rapidly evolving, internet encyclopedia. Using a rubric, the authors explored students' perceptions of the collaborative and…

Critical thinking is the sort of mental activity that uses facts to plan, order, and work toward an end; seeks meaning or an explanation; is self-reflective; and uses reason to question claims and make judgments. Any subject--be it physics, algebra, or auto repair--can promote critical thinking as long as teachers teach the subject matter in…

Performing inquiry should enhance the intellectual development of students on numerous levels. We evaluate whether inquiry-based activities elicit inquiry behaviors by comparing these activities with traditional review sessions. We find that both inquiry-learning and teaching behaviors increase during inquiry-based activities, but that teachers…

Reviews the research and writing of several authors who advocated intellectual reflectivity as either a major goal or method of social studies. Analyzes the practical constraints which tended to prevent schools and teachers from adopting reflectivty and makes recommendations for increasing teachers' acceptance of reflectivity. (JDH)

Responding to Goldman's critique of the Socratic method, the author redefines the "Socratic spirit" as rational dialog focused on questions of significance in an atmosphere of mutual support and cooperation. Exemplified in Lipman's "Philosophy for Children," this approach nourishes the reflective spirit in children and develops…

The traditional college curriculum is seen as a collection of answers for students who do not yet have the questions; an alternative approach that nurtures students' capacities for inquiry is suggested and outlined. (MSE)

Argues that the Socratic method is inappropriate for children because it teaches them to question adult authority before they have the necessary experience and is therefore conducive to cynicism. A traditional liberal arts curriculum, combining transmission of culture with open inquiry, is preferable to attempts to teach critical thinking. (TE)

Answering Richard Paul's critique, the author restates his preference for open dialog in the school about beliefs and issues, rather than excessive concern with techniques of critical thinking. Children learn worthwhile things without being directly taught, while an unintended consequence of teaching critical thinking may be a weakening of…

Good citizenship calls for the ability to think critically about issues concerning which there may be a difference of opinion and apply democratic values to the issues. Critical thinking has three components: an attitude of carefully considering problems, knowledge of logical inquiry methods, and skill in applying those methods. (MSE)

The New Jersey Task Force on Thinking has taken the first steps toward statewide assessment of students' thinking skills. Efforts were made to (1) define requisite thinking competencies, (2) explore measurement of thinking competencies, and (3) make recommendations accordingly. Preliminary findings are reported. (TE)

Studied performance of 15 low-socio-economic-status 14 year olds in learning controlled-experiment design and evaluation, and indicated that experimental subjects significantly outperformed matched controls. (CC)