This paper demonstrates a variety of activities designed to enrich the learning environment for all children through the use of divergent thinking activities. The first activity involves structural indexing, whereby students brainstorm words found in a reading selection and construct sentences using a bingo formation, with the concentration on…

This article offers a multidisciplinary analysis of the structure of persuasive arguments. Following an introduction, the article contains five main parts, each of which is discussed extensively: (1) descriptions of ideas from the fields of law, communication theory, and argumentation theory that analyze the nature of persuasion and the structure…

Readers theater is a storytelling device that stimulates the imagination and promotes all of the language arts. Readers theater is an oral interpretation of a piece of literature read in a dramatic style. It involves and motivates students, energizes the language arts program, and stimulates learning. Geared for children in grades 1-4, this book…

A study analyzed in detail the perspectives in science and mathematics literacy found in the national standards for science and mathematics. The National Science Education Standards (NSES), the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, and the Professional Teaching Standards for School…

This study examined the types of questions teachers are asking in their classrooms to help promote critical thinking. To do this, 12 teachers representing kindergarten through fifth grade were asked to tape record 3 reading lessons. The lessons were examined and a tally was taken as to the types of questions asked: lower-level or higher-level. The…

The dimensionality of one form of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) was assessed with respect to three ethnic groups of test takers. Whether differences in the ability composite have any noticeable impact on item response theory (IRT) true score equating results for these subgroups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Whites) was also…

This book describes how two teachers, half a world apart, created collaborative Internet projects for high school students worldwide. Projects helped develop critical thinking, genuine dialogue, and global understanding in the classroom. Through the development of curricular projects linking classrooms in Malaysia, Japan, Iowa, South Africa, and…

A diverse body of educational research provides strong theoretical support for the development of higher order cognitive learning skills through case teaching. Case study teachers can improve their questioning skills to enhance students' critical thinking. The theoretical background for questioning in case method teaching and learning is traceable…

This study investigated college teachers' reported uses of instructional strategies that include realistic problem-solving based on technology competencies recommended by the International Society for Technology in Education and adopted by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Data were collected from Arkansas…

The writing performance standard descriptors in this paper support the sections of the English/Language Arts Content Standards adopted by the Alaska State Board of Education. It begins with listing competencies associated with speaking and writing well for a variety of purposes and audiences; and thinking logically and reflectively. It then…

This paper focuses on Michael, one of four seventh grade students who participated in a study involving a constructivist teaching experiment. In the study, manipulatives within a computer microworld were used to solve fractional reasoning tasks and tasks that involved concepts of rate, ratio, and proportionality. Pretest results are presented, and…

This book explores concept-based learning across disciplines and grade levels. Teachers can use the specific strategies to create a seamless learning program that teaches students the skills they need to think conceptually and to solve problems in today's complex, changing world. Chapter 1 reviews national, state, and local standards through a set…

To determine the different perspectives of faculty members and peer learning facilitators (students) at Eastern New Mexico University about the development of an improved freshman seminar designed to increase retention, a survey was conducted. The instrument required that participants rate the importance of 52 goals to the desired outcomes…

The quest for the inclusion of science inquiry in the curriculum now spans three centuries. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Armstrong, Dewey, and others espoused the teaching of science inquiry. The launch of Sputnik in 1957 began the strong emphasis on inquiry. Renewed interest in inquiry occurred in the late 1980s and 1990s with science…

Traditionally, many science educators have taught science without addressing ethical questions. However, the inclusion of moral discourse in science teaching may help educators to bring to the fore problematic issues in relation to science, and it may offer an opportunity for students to practice their future engagement in the public discourse…