The main idea skill presents a structure that is the basis of all kinds of understanding and narration activities. In this respect, while it covers all language skills, it also lays the groundwork for all learning levels and lessons because people communicate through meaning transfer. Therefore, the importance of main idea teaching is not limited…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss a novel life cycle approach to education for sustainable development (ESD) where the students become "design thinkers". Design/methodology/approach: A case study on the creation, development and utilisation of educational games by university students is presented. The paper discusses the…

Little formal training in skills is given with undergraduate courses in chemistry. A possible remedy is the introduction of specially devised exercises for skill development in logical argument, problem solving, appreciation of scientific limitations, fluent and grammatical writing and speaking, and decision making. (MSE)

The role of geography in an undergraduate student's intellectual and vocational development is described. (DE)

The general education curriculum should include academic experiences based upon selected theories of intellectual development. The works of Dewey, Piaget, and Perry provide the theoretical framework for an interdisciplinary model that takes cognitive development as the primary goal and disciplinary exposure as a by-product. (Author/MLW)

Reports on an undergraduate laboratory course designed to provide instruction and practice in the intellectual skills of application, analysis, and synthesis, and in Piaget's formal operations. A 10-item exam used to measure these skills is included as an appendix. (Author/CP)

Outlines various misconceptions about problem-solving (PS) and several strategies to improve intellectual skills and strategies. Also describes the Covington Productive Thinking Program (designed to help develop PS skills) and several lesson problem sets from this series of 15 books. (JN)

The paper questions the current mechanistic view in which literacy and numeracy skills are sharply separated, and notes the pervasiveness of mathematical ideas and representations in verbal texts. It suggests that literacy be reconstructed to include a variety of competencies which encompass numeracy. Implications for curriculum change are drawn.…

Responds to "Rethinking the Graduate Seminar." Addresses four areas of misconception: (1) the goal of graduate programs; (2) the role of graduate seminars; (3) the role of the instructor's goals and teaching style; and (4) the distinction between student motivation and abilities. Presents a model linking graduate seminars with the skills…

This case study contributes to the debate about professional education and the nature of complex interpersonal skills. Preservice training programs make certain assumptions about how students acquire practical knowledge and consequently about how such knowledge is best taught. Students form their own beliefs, which in turn exercise considerable…

Problem-based learning is argued to be the most effective means of developing students' general mental abilities, integrating academic and operational approaches to higher education, and instilling a high level of student motivation and capacity for active learning. Conditions for successful problem-based learning are discussed. (Author/MSE)

Research-based learning (RBL) is a model for merging research and undergraduate education. To link RBL with a curriculum across the institution, the authors used discipline-specific RBL strands, each of which is a set of interconnected course options that couple out-of-class research experiences with an established curriculum. Student learning is…

Many graduate students lack the capacity for self-authorship, the ability to develop one's own perspective. Data from a longitudinal study of sixteen students, begun in their first year of college, illustrates the difficulty of moving from embracing multiple perspectives to constructing self-authored perspectives. The stories of three graduate…

The competency-based curriculum developed by the College of Public and Community Service (CPCS) at the University of Massachusetts at Boston is discussed in this paper. The primary purpose of the college is to develop a curriculum preparing students to secure professional jobs in public and community service (as opposed to going to graduate…

Among the requirements of an intellectual skills training program are: (1) a culturally relevant theoretical basis; (2) training in information processing skills; (3) program responsiveness to students' needs and sensitivity to individual differences; (4) establishment of linkages between the training program and the real world; and (5) empirical…