If the basics are used as vehicles for teaching students to think, for developing their intellectual powers, and hence for preparing them effectively for their futures, they merit their central position in the schools. (Author)

Argues that the best way to cultivate children's reasoning is to make philosophy an essential part of the elementary school curriculum. Philosophy alone provides the logical criteria for distinguishing better thinking from poorer. The author's "Philosophy for Children" program is described. (TE)

Describes a thinking skills program in Oklahoma that has brought about a significant rise in achievement test scores. Teaching strategies are based on the premise that students learn new things based on the resemblance between new and familiar words and ideas. (TE)

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)

Condensing the teaching of cognitive strategies into a discrete instructional unit is self-defeating. Success in teaching thinking skills results when content objectives are contingent upon activities that also promote thinking and when thinking skills permeate the entire curriculum. (TE)

This monograph examines the issues surrounding the educational movement toward emphasizing critical thinking in our schools. The emergence of the critical thinking movement in education in today's schools is discussed in the light of the historical role of schools in our society and the developing complexity of educational needs. The concept of…

The educational implications of Piaget's concept of intelligence provide a framework for the application of theory to educational practice. The uniqueness of individual learning is compared to stage-based teaching. Social interaction is viewed as one of the major forces in cognitive development. (JN)

Points to signals that people in the West have entered into an environment hostile to rational thought and shows how the major characteristics of United States media environments contribute to this hostility. Suggests ways that teachers can assure the conservation of rational thought and restore the balance between reason and experience. (GT)

Explores the meaning of distributive justice and considers the importance of teaching the concept in social studies classes. Delineates characteristics of reasonable arguments for treating people differently to bring about justice. Presents situations to generate classroom discussion of the concept of justice. (NL)

Intelligence is here defined in terms of component processes, and three programs are reviewed that train aspects of intelligence as specified by this theory: Feuerstein's "Instrumental Enrichment," Lipman's "Philosophy for Children," and the "Chicago Mastery Learning" program. Central suggestions are provided for…

Discusses whether formal thought constitutes a structured whole and role of propositional logic in advanced reasoning. Presents aspects of advanced reasoning model, considering hypothesis generation/testing as central processes in intellectual development. Argues that advanced reasoning schemata are linked by these processes and should be…

This document presents research studies/findings and provides a developing point of view on adolescent thought. The first chapter discusses the nature and definitions of thinking. The second and third chapters discuss frameworks for adolescent thought (focusing on the Gestalt school, Geneva school, and accelerated learning) and survey studies on…

The "componential" theory of intelligence explains intelligence in terms of three types of component processes that make up intelligent performance. The first of these, "metacomponents," are the higher-order or executive processes that one uses to plan what one is going to do, monitor what one is doing, and evaluate what one…

A review of Piaget's theory and research on children's cognitive development is presented, including a discussion of the psychological structures of intelligence, developmental constructivism, and the evolution of knowledge as a subject-object relation. Piaget's assessment techniques are summarized, including moral development, number…