The use of protocols--oral verbalizations of the problem solving process--in a critical thinking and problem solving class offers a number of advantages to students and teachers alike. Protocols help students (1) learn to read problems carefully; (2) focus on the important characteristics of specific problems; (3) slow down their problem-solving…

Mathematical skills and reasoning and their applications are considered as forming one of the basic and essential areas of knowledge and experience that should be available to all Australian children. This collection of essays explaining problem solving in mathematics as an organizing theme for current and future curriculum development is a means…

The purpose of this study was to look intensively at two aspects of mathematics instruction--development and practice. It contrasted the Direct Instruction approach to the development phase of teaching problem solving with a Traditional approach taken from the teachers' manual of four widely used basal textbooks. Seventy-three fourth graders…

Authors looked at ways in which children's interest in and knowledge of 'media culture' provided a basis for classroom learning. (Editor/RK)

A series of simulated patient experiences were presented to two groups of five students concurrently with a regularly scheduled integrated course in neuroscience. Results showed increased motivation, problem solving, and self-study skills in the experimental groups as compared to the control groups, which were also enrolled in the neuroscience…

One of the common ways of studying history was explored. Oral history, usually resulting in parol use of written documents, helped students see discrepancies in historical writings, discern the differences between an emic and etic point of view, and see how non-historians can compose and present history. (Author/RK)

The Apperceptual Interaction Method (AIM), developed by World Education, teaches coping skills to Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language students. AIM develops teaching materials locally in the form of leaflets which students build into books. Special emphasis is placed on solving practical life problems. (NHM)

Two science classroom techniques that can be used in the social studies classroom to motivate students involve puzzling phenomena and relating science to social issues such as over-population, energy, and pollution. (JR)

The potential influence of cognitive-behavioral theory on counselor preparation is an important aspect to consider in training counselors and therapists. To determine the effects of self-instruction and the knowledge of how to develop a clinical hypothesis on master's degree counselor trainees, two studies were conducted. In the first study, entry…

Creative and successful ways to develop reasoning-centered classrooms are described. An informative testing method, which was developed by Larry Michaelson (University of Oklahoma Division of Management) begins with students taking a quiz and turning in their results. Then they retake the quiz in a permanent group of five or six students who must…

A description is provided of the use of a Critical Thinking Worksheet as a pedagogical tool for introducing critical thinking to students of philosophy and informal logic. First, an accompanying handout introduces essential terms such as "argument,""conclusion," and "reasons or premises." The worksheet itself constitutes the second page of the…

The chapters in this book were written by teachers to share strategies they have found effective in the mathematics classroom. Most describe a teaching idea or activity in sufficient detail for other teachers in elementary, middle, and secondary schools to be able to use it. The chapters concern: manipulative materials, developing a mathematics…

This study investigated the effectiveness of LOGO's turtle graphics in both providing a model of systematic thought and in teaching simple geometry to young children in the second grade. The treatment given to 25 second grade students in the experimental group consisted of programming with LOGO's turtle graphics using four Apple II+…

Addressing two recurrent concerns in educational debate--how a discipline can contribute to students' analytical and critical thinking, and how to improve students' ability to express themselves orally and in writing--the Language of Critical Thinking course is designed to strengthen critical thinking skills by using a legal case study approach.…