Notes that knowing how to estimate is crucial to becoming a good problem solver. Suggests that young children be exposed to the concept as early as kindergarten in order to learn to apply the skill effectively. Discusses the values of estimation skills and how they can be developed. Outlines five classroom activities that help students develop…

Discusses the significance of causation/reasoning patterns in Korean. Presents crucial examples of acquisition errors of the patterns collected from students learning Korean as a foreign language and proposes an alternative explanation and analysis of these patterns.(Author/VWL)

Presents the findings of research designed to find out whether students in a college chemistry course could perform self-assessments that were compatible with assessments performed by their professors, and in which the students would be confident. Discovers that, although a gap exists between student and professor assessment of performance, the…

Compares the inference and backtracking approaches to solving logic puzzles in computer environments. (Author/ASK)

Presents a study that investigates ways to promote the development of reasoning and problem-solving skills in a secondary mathematics classroom and summarizes the key concepts from sociocultural theory. Examines three cases in which students appeared to resist interaction and communication with their peers. Contains 11 references. (ASK)

Describes the Talents Unlimited Program, implemented in an elementary school in southwest England, which provides a framework for developing creative- and critical-thinking skills. Describes an evaluation that found that 5-year olds taught with this approach performed better on specific critical- and creative-thinking skills tasks than did peers.…

Argues that science education can provide skills and perspectives that are transferable to domains outside of science. Discusses how the rationality of science is closely related to principles and norms fundamental to discourses outside of science. (CCM)

Outlines three bodies of knowledge reflected in the British National Numeracy Strategy that generally agree concerning characteristics of effective mathematics teaching. Discusses a fourth body of knowledge related to developing higher-order thinking skills. Whole-class interactive teaching and active teaching models yield highest test scores. (59…

This interview with Jane Healy, an educational psychologist and author, discusses how computers can sometimes negatively affect children's minds. Topics include instructional design in software; the need for objective research; what children will need for success in the future, including critical thinking skills; technology implementation; and…

Considers the role of cognition in language learning and explores constructivism and Bloom's taxonomy of higher-order thinking skills. Topics include four basic types of computer assisted language learning, cognitive development, and the Internet. Lists pertinent resources, including printed materials, journals, and Web sites. (Contains 90…

Describes the basic and exceptional calculation abilities of a calculating prodigy whose performances were investigated in single- and multi-digit number multiplication, numerical comparison, raising of powers, and short-term memory tasks. Shows how his highly efficient long-term memory storage and retrieval processes, knowledge of calculation…

This article discusses teaching higher-level thinking skills and concentration to students with disabilities through chess instruction. Guidelines for chess instruction are provided, including: teaching ideas and strategy first rather than specific lines of play, using a variety of instructional modalities, and building in reinforcement for…

Suggests that scientific thought experiments (TEs) draw upon three epistemological resources: conceptual-logical inferences, visual imagery, and bodily-motor experience. Argues that TEs are powerful because of students' thought capabilities related to imagination and visual imagery. Claims that TEs are not currently exploited by school learning…

Discusses how to teach people to think, examining how reflective thinking occurs in interpretive discussion and emphasizing interpretive discussions found in all classrooms at all levels. Presents a musical example, a literary example, and a classroom conversation to support the hypothesis that questions evolve as a cluster, growing as discussants…

A case study of three programs in British secondary schools (Somerset Thinking Skills, Instrumental Enrichment, and Philosophy for Children) affirmed the difficulty arising from the lack of immediate concrete outcomes from thinking-skills lessons. Teachers' perceptions had a significant influence on effective implementation of these programs. (SK)