This paper presents a 2-week unit on stereotype and bias in the media (using wolves as an example) to develop children's critical viewing of television and to develop their thinking skills. The paper begins with a description of the daily grammar, weekly spelling, and science activities, and then presents a description of class activities for each…

The book "Productive Thinking", by Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer, was published over 50 years ago, yet it continues to wield influence. The book's argument on productive thinking, and why it is still relevant today, are the focus of this paper. Productive thinking involves going from a situation of bewilderment or confusion about some issue…

In a conventional teaching situation, a lecturer may use a wide range of questioning techniques aimed at helping students to become active learners. In distance learning, students are often isolated and have limited opportunities for interaction in a social learning environment. Hence, learning strategies in distance learning need to be structured…

Every person can and should be instructed in critical thinking to the limits of his or her abilities and capabilities. No one strategy will fit all individuals at all levels, but strategies can be developed, directed by a single goal, that will be adaptable enough to respond to changing cultural conditions and educational necessities. Infusing…

Critical thinking skills are inherent in limited preparation forensic activities which, with some modification, can be successfully incorporated in virtually any classroom situation. Furthermore, extemporaneous and impromptu speaking provide educators with certain advantages over debate activities in terms of assessment and classroom logistics. In…

In an effort to create a mathematics learning environment in which the social nature of the classroom facilitates conceptual conjecture and justification, a visual representation has been designed that students can manipulate to make demonstrative proofs in the domain of proportional representation. This study explores student use, incorporation,…

Teaching speech communication from a critical thinking perspective involves specific instructional approaches and strategies. And the perspective can be applied to "survey courses" such as communication theory, rhetorical theory, nonverbal communication, and organizational communication theory. When a student engages in an internal or…

In an attempt to determine the level of questioning according to Bloom's taxonomy, generated by test items that accompany selected fifth-grade science textbooks, an analysis of the tests provided by three of the most commonly used elementary science textbooks was completed. Additionally this analysis examined the extent to which each series…

Emphasizing real-life communication skills, this book offers cooperative activities to help teachers supplement their writing programs with easy-to-use critical thinking activities. The activities in the book are suitable for grades 4 through 8, for gifted younger students, or as a remediation tool for older students. The activities are aimed at…

Noting that cognitive science has developed a number of theories relevant to learning and the development of thinking skills, this paper contains an attempt to broaden the limited application of cognitive science by developing four distinct categories of applicable cognitive theories for multimedia instructional design. The paper summarizes the…

The conceptual starting point for almost all recent gender related theory and research is to identify the characteristics of current educational practice as rooted in a type of thought that is linear, analytical, stage dependent, discursive, and "objective," and that separates thought and language--this is the mode that is typically associated…

Despite nearly universal agreement that students need to do more, think more, and be more active in the classroom, most classrooms are still firmly teacher centered. While teachers use various questioning strategies to develop and enhance critical thinking, historically they are the generators of the questioning process. Thus, many students are…

Combining instruction in critical thinking and expository writing with the study of classic texts, this textbook was developed at Baker University (Kansas) and is designed for use in a two-semester college course that fosters careful thinking and good reasoning in students. The textbook emphasizes the pedagogical principle that critical thinking…

The effort to strengthen the critical thinking skills of students in the last two decades has led to an abundance of instructional programs instituted across disciplines and integrated into core curricular requirements at United States colleges and universities. There is no theoretical consensus about what critical thinking is; neither is there a…

This study was designed to test preschoolers' thinking about strategies and the relationship between strategy selection and performance through the use of computer-presented puzzle tasks. A total of 61 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years were observed to see whether they used trial and error, model consultation, or a mixed strategy to solve…