Posits that any model of creative thinking in music must deal with how factual content in music serves as the foundation for the creative process. Maintains that music technology is an exciting and meaningful avenue for both convergent and divergent thinking but that creative thinking can occur without technology. (KM)

This article describes an innovative program aimed at reducing the risk of pregnancy, explains the theoretical rationale that guides the content and instructional approach of the program, and offers evidence that the program can be implemented. The program is a pregnancy prevention skills approach, piloted in California. (IAH)

A widely used technique for teaching reading, Directed Reading Activity (DRA), contributes to the development of passive readers rather than thinking readers. This article describes an alternative approach, Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA), contrasts DRTA with DRA, gives an example of DRTA in action, and provides tips for switching to…

A discussion-leading guide is offered based on an instructional technique called TVDRP (television, discussion, rehearsal, and practice). It is designed to guide students as they view television or videos and then work through an eight-step thinking process for making decisions and solving social and academic problems. A TVDRP worksheet is…

A study of 54 first-year engineering students at an Australian university investigated their critical thinking skills as related to 3 kinds of study strategy: surface strategy; deep strategy; and achieving strategy. Results indicated a negative correlation between critical thinking ability and the achieving study strategy. Implications for…

Comparison of college freshman performance on two different forms of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (n=684, 692) found a lack of equivalence between forms and low internal consistency reliability. It is suggested that, although the test may be useful for research, it is not appropriate for decision making about individual students.…

Two studies examined young children's ability to understand whether the actions of artifacts, insects, mammals, or humans were caused by mental or physical states. The studies suggest that children abstract specific features of action when construing its cause across disparate situations and actors. (MDM)

This article describes the Reading Strategies Program, which teaches decoding skills to primary-level students with learning disabilities with a methodology intended to teach children to apply the skills to literature. Cognitive strategies also are used to apply comprehension skills to the material and to write about the material read. (JDD)

Examines classic fairy tales, noting the lack of attention given the role of imagination in children's learning. Discusses features of fairy stories such as structure, oppositional concepts, and emotional component, then infers four principles about young children's learning. Gives two examples of how these principles can influence teaching to be…

Describes a study designed to determine whether the Biology Critical Thinking (BCT) project (which incorporates activities for developing specific critical thinking skills into the biology curriculum) enhances critical thinking skills and how it affects students' biological knowledge and classroom learning environment. Results indicate that BCT…

Describes an exploratory study on the acquisition and use of knowledge representation skills and structures by sixth-graders, supported by a computer-based learning environment. Results indicated that symbolic structures can be taught successfully, and that students using them in the context of instructional tasks perform at the higher band of…

Discusses the implications of Wallis Suchting's comprehensive search for a definition of the nature of scientific thought for helping students develop scientific thinking skills and an adequate understanding of the nature of science. Discusses implications that relate specifically to the science education community's current conceptions of science…

Describes a thematic, interdisciplinary, middle-school curriculum that integrates visual and language arts. Curriculum embodies three principles: (1) visual and verbal responses depend on meaningful interaction among the artist (writer), the art object (text), the viewer (reader), and the environment (context); (2) visual and verbal thinking are…

Considers metacognition as a basis for software used in computer-assisted instruction. Topics discussed include the role of the teacher as a facilitator of higher order thinking skills; cognitive tools for learner support; learning theory and instructional design, including behaviorism, information processing, and constructivism; two software…

Describes classroom word games and reading activities that encourage students to think for themselves. These include word substitution drills, reassembling sentences, and spelling-related words. Notes that encouraging students to analyze, synthesize, and apply their knowledge teaches them the skills needed to succeed as independent learners. (MDM)