Ways are described for teachers to ask questions which require students to think and not just recall. The questions should involve variety, inference, support, and conclusion. (CB)

Inferential questions were found to elicit longer responses than factual questions, reflecting complexity and the use of higher cognitive processes. (MKM)

Based on the research report "Thinking Skills" by Robert J. Marzano and C. L. Hutchins, this paper offers the following pointers on teaching children to think: (1) when teaching new information, have students compare it with what they already know; (2) provide students with manageable ways to evaluate information and teach them to ask…

Reports a study examining the differences between the types of questions asked while teaching reading by teachers educated in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study method of inquiry-discovery science instruction and teachers of reading not educated in this science instructional approach. (TO)

The main purpose of the study was to ascertain whether the use of cost-benefit analysis by children tends to be age-related, a function of instructional mediation, both, or neither. The subjects included 220 first, second, third, and fourth graders ranging in age from six to nine years. One hundred and fourteen subjects were assigned to the…

The author examines current techniques used to teach elementary school children how to analyze and compare. Emphasis is placed upon developing these modes of mental activity while teaching biological concepts. (DE)

Presents descriptions of the most commonly taught thinking skills and information on how to present, model, and practice those skills in class. The guide also includes a quiz designed to help the teacher take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote thinking skills, and 10 critical thinking skills strategies. (GLR)

The relationship between knowledge and effective and autonomous thoughts and actions is explored with special regard to implications for educational curriculums and teaching. An educational program that concentrates on rationality without reference to creative autonomy, it is stressed, will impoverish the thinking process. (DS)

Discusses Piaget's notion of intelligence, characteristics of formal operational thought, and the relationship between formal thought and reading ability. (HOD)

Argues that teachers should encourage critical thinking among primary school students. Asserts that readiness exercises can help students develop the mental reasoning skills necessary for critical thinking. Suggests (1) posing questions that elicit reflective responses; (2) encouraging students to ask questions to obtain information; and (3)…

A Think Box is a collection of independent activities based on one theme and housed in an easily transportable container. It is intended to be used as enrichment for students who have already completed their assigned work. The activities are designed to develop higher level skills such as critical thinking or creative reading. They can be part of…

Discusses the importance of questioning as a means of achieving independent intelligence, critical thinking, and learning to learn. Advocates a science program that encourages investigation, discovery, and questioning. (MA)

This pamphlet reviews five reports that highlight an emerging consensus among researchers about the value of systematically incorporating cognitive instruction into the elementary school curriculum. First is a comprehensive framework by Robert J. Marzano and C. L. Hutchins for an integrated approach to thinking skills that has been developed and…

Describes the "ALERT" procedure, whereby teachers may combine the language experience approach with the use of radio, television, newspaper, and magazine advertisements in a strategy that is useful for developing critical thinking skills, even in very young students. (ARH)