The National Science Education Standards "Science as Inquiry" recommendations include developing student abilities to conduct inquiry and enhancing students' understandings about scientific inquiry. Standards also call for inquiry-based teaching aimed at understanding subject matter and ability to conduct scientific inquiry. A…

Analyzed the quality of intellectual reasoning of a class of high school students with standardized reading scores in the bottom quartile on 1 day of instruction and examined the knowledge base of the teacher to coach and scaffold a different intellectual culture among students who were underachieving. Findings show the development of an…

A study assessed reflectivity in college students in general education environmental studies courses, using a reflective judgment-developmental instruction model designed to help students examine their epistemic perspectives. The developmental instructional students (n=28) had significantly higher reflective judgment change scores than students in…

Discusses child peer relationships in relation to teacher's role; object-conflict, sharing, and cooperation; causal, consequential, and alternative thinking; inferring and responding to emotions; perspective taking and empathy; and initiating friendship and group entry. Claims that children's discussion documents their growing understanding of…

Three studies involving 174 elementary school students supported the hypothesis that training in an inductive strategy would enhance performance on tests measuring fluid intelligence, support learning school-relevant declarative knowledge, and improve problem solving. Implications for teaching and testing are discussed. (SLD)

An experimental group (n=13) and a control group (n=15) of children with mental retardation were both shown a basic concrete counting procedure. Over six months, the experimental group was given regular opportunities to practice computing sums. Many of them invented calculational short cuts. Results suggest that children with mental retardation…

Used cross-sectional life span data from normative sample for Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery to examine independence of age-related cognitive changes in childhood and adulthood. Found that majority of age-related differences were shared across different cognitive variables and were well predicted by individual differences in…

Analyzes the use of the commutative property for solving multiplication problems by children who learn about multiplication in schools and by street vendors who solve multiplication problem through repeated addition. Concludes that the use of commutativity to solve multiplication problems is closely related to the use of multiplication. Contains…

Presents the application of decision-theoretic technique to a computer-based tutoring system for elementary mechanics. Uses sound probabilistic reasoning and a student model to identify learners' misconceptions. Focuses on the integration of Bayesian belief networks, item response theory, decision analysis, and database management systems in…

Investigates whether employing the philosophical inquiry approach specifically in the aesthetics and art criticism component of the visual arts curriculum was beneficial to teacher effectiveness and student understandings. Describes the methodology and data analysis and an intervention program that aimed to assist teachers to engage in…

Discusses the categories of spatial thinking and explains methods for helping students develop spatial thinking skills, ask open-ended questions, and choose student-centered activities. Provides activity examples that involve spatial thinking for elementary grades. (YDS)

Documents how to plan and teach critical thinking skills within the framework of a 15-lesson wellness unit for secondary students, discussing theoretical rational and unit development and offering sample lesson plans, describing a four-step format for introducing thinking skills, which involves: introducing the skill, practicing the skill,…

Examines why, in spite of overwhelming evidence over a long period of time that students retain material learned by questioning, teachers are not more effective questioners. Describes an eight-session workshop that develops teachers' abilities to ask questions that are truly thought-provoking. (SR)

Examined the implementation of a Malaysian program to teach higher-order thinking skills. Data from classroom observations; teacher, student, and administrator interviews; document analyses; and surveys indicated that teachers felt better prepared to teach Malay or English than higher-order thinking skills, finding it difficult to construct the…

Summarizes lessons learned across two programs of research which featured peer collaboration to promote advanced literacies, including text comprehension and scientific reasoning, identifying lessons learned from reciprocal teaching research and ways that this research influenced the design of cognitive tools and intellectual roles, which were…