Critical thinking can best be taught using higher cognitive questioning which includes the process of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The learner is required to use knowledge in a problem solving manner. Thus, higher cognitive questioning should be used as a tool for developing critical thinking--a vital intellectual operation. (Author/NQ)

If schools are to succeed in teaching critical thinking, educators must have a clear idea of what it is. Critical thinking is skillful, responsible thinking that relies upon criteria, is self-correcting, and is sensitive to context. (TE)

Provides a set of guidelines that has been developed to aid students in meeting various reading, learning, and study needs while internalizing the fundamentals of problem solving. The code words for the steps in the suggested problem-solving process are: count, characterize, consider, collect, and create. (MKM)

Examines three problem-solving models that have applications for the elementary school classroom. All are easily understandable, practical, pedagogical, and will improve children's thinking. Models are the Universal Traveler, Philosophy for Children, and the Decide Model. (Author/AV)

This review considers the question as to whether there are generic problem-solving skills that cut across fields or whether the skills are so embedded within specific fields that they can be identified only within the contexts of those fields. To answer this question, an attempt was made to define both "problems" and their "solutions." Then the…

This review examines 12 programs designed for use in classrooms to develop "general thinking skills" used in learning and problem-solving situations inside and outside classrooms. Analysis of program features focuses on the extent to which each program shows promise in helping students transfer the skills they develop through completing…

Contemporary rhetoricians are concerned with the re-examination of classical doctrines in the hope of finding solutions to current problems. In this study, the author presents a methodological perspective consistent with current interests, by re-examining the assumptions that underlie each classical precept. He outlines an inventional system based…

This document was written for junior and senior high school students to help them learn to cope more effectively with their problems. It is intended as a quide for helping adolescents explore and solve problems through constructive critical thinking. Ten steps in the process of constructive critical thinking are presented with personal and social…

In this interview, Edward de Bono says critical or logical thinking in lockstep fashion is necessary but not sufficient because we need not only the ability to critique ideas, but to create them. Creative or lateral thinking arrives at solutions by attacking problems "laterally" or "sideways." (DCS)

Outlines a model which describes the processes that a learner goes through in attempting to solve problems, and suggests ways to assist students in reaching a solution when they are confronted by an apparent impasse. (JR)

Description of the philosophy and general nature of a course at Drake University that emphasizes basic concepts of analytical thinking, including think, decompose, simplify, specify, and rethink problems. Some sample homework exercises are included. The journal is available from University of California Press, Berkeley, California 94720.…

Dependency on counselors is reduced and problem solving enhanced for rehabilitation clients by a positive analytical approach, instead of negative constructive criticism.'' (AG)

This paper describes how secondary teachers can use the Purdue Three-Stage Model as a framework for instruction that facilitates talent development in both heterogenous and homogenous classrooms. In the first two stages, students master the core content of a discipline and practice thinking creatively and critically about the content. In the third…

Argues that students should continuously question the purpose of their daily classroom activities and assignments. Explains that when students are required to consider purpose, they begin to develop important intellectual skills, and to bring relevance to their critical thinking and daily life. (NB)

This document presents a demonstration of how drawing affects writing, how writing affects drawing, and how both affect the thinking process of students. The third grade students participating in the studies were selected on the basis of their prior performance in reading and mathematics and their identified potential for achievement. The students…