The reasoning strategies that students used in understanding qualitative changes in simple biosystem models were investigated. Three important tools of thought were identified concerned with how students made assumptions, dealt with variable interactions, and attributed holistic properties to the system. Findings suggest that students' use of…

A recent study examined 20 social studies teachers' beliefs and theories in 4 areas: instructional goals, depth vs. breadth of content coverage, perceptions of students, and conceptions of thinking. Teachers who reflect about their own practices, value thinking, and emphasize depth over breadth of coverage tend to have classrooms with a measurable…

This paper urges a deeper consideration of the role of psychometrically defined intelligence in the operationalization of aptitude/achievement discrepancies inherent in most definitions of learning disability. It proposes a new disability, dysrationalia, the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. (DB)

Educators must overhaul the instructional system before worrying about the latest technological innovation. The most fundamental challenge of the workplace and society is teaching students the academic knowledge that underpin technology: communication and critical thinking. (JOW)

Discusses six reasons why assigning students to put math into words and sentences will benefit teachers and students, noting how such writing improves students' skills in math, critical thinking, and composition. (HTH)

Applies Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) to designing time-telling exercises for young learners. The idea is to link instructional objectives to words, numbers or logic, pictures, music, the body, social interaction, or…

In view of assertions that reading is a form of constrained reasoning, evidence is presented that indicates that lexical access in fluent readers is not at all like reasoning or problem solving. Reading theory is discussed in terms of cognitive science, connectionism, context use in word recognition, modularity, constructivism, and phonological…

Sociocultural approaches to literacy question several related assumptions inherited from the discipline of cognitive psychology, including the following: (1) thinking and speaking are functions of individual minds; (2) literacy is an individual mental skill involving the ability to read and write; and (3) intelligence, knowledge, and aptitude are…

Addresses three questions: Why teach study skills? How can teachers teach study skills? and When can teachers find time to teach study skills? (MG)

High school chemistry students' (n=183) applied and theoretical knowledge of dissolution, diffusion, effusion, and states of matter were compared. Study found that students' formal reasoning ability and their preexisting knowledge are associated with their conceptions and use of particulate theory. A significant difference between applied and…

Describes a Chicago kindergarten teacher's experiences recording her students' conversations. She believes that kindergarteners are original thinkers and that kindergarten is ideal for intellectual and philosophical growth of teachers and children. She constantly observes, analyzes, and evaluates her own actions and turns to the children for…

Compares the situations of freshman composition students and their graduate teaching assistants who study literature. Provides suggestions for teaching assistants regarding how they can orient themselves to their teaching tasks. (PRA)

A rationale for teaching thinking skills to gifted students is presented, and a five-step approach is offered, including create a skills taxonomy, develop a scope and sequence chart, provide staff development time, develop unit plans, and teach and evaluate the lessons. (JDD)

Describes a thinking/prewriting procedure which can be used to help writers clarify their thinking and increase their ability to express their thoughts orally or in writing. Describes a classroom experience where clustering is used to teach students how to write a persuasive piece and discusses other classroom applications of clustering. (MG)

Explores a group of strategies that use dialectical journals in a sequential instructional plan which guides students through a progression of skills to improve their thinking skills. Provides examples illustrating how these strategies can be used with any textual or orally presented material in all content areas, not just with literature. (SR)