Reviews selected research, widely-used commercial tests, and recent literature on critical thinking. States that evaluation of critical thinking processes should encompass more than simple tests. Concludes with six guidelines for evaluating critical thinking. (JDH)

Describes a debating program in a Pennsylvania high school, in order to show how debating can sharpen students' intellectual dexterity. Debate promotes critical thinking, careful listening, and effective use of library resources. (TE)

Analyzes the case of Jim Keegstra, a teacher who was dismissed for his unorthodox teaching and his willful promotion of hatred against Jews, in terms of the relations between teaching and rationality. Argues that Keegstra failed to promote rational thinking among his students, showing how this contributed ironically to his success. (AYC)

Describes a study of what makes a statement important in a text. Results indicate that judgments of importance are determined, in part, by local linking of one event to another by causal and/or logical inferences. The results of these individual links is a network of events and event relations. (SED)

Since thinking is most often performed in problem-solving situations, teachers can become observers by providing situations in which students can practice and demonstrate intelligent behaviors. Some indicators include: perseverance, precision of language, problem finding, decreased impulsivity, metacognition, checking for accuracy, transference,…

The topic of logical reasoning was found to be absent in United Kingdom secondary education economic syllabi and curriculum materials. It is suggested that the inclusion of logical reasoning would be conducive to achieving some of the aims of economics education. Examples of how this topic can be incorporated are provided. (Author/RM)

Discusses various aspects of artificial intelligence, focusing on three interrelated issues: (1) representation of knowledge, which is roughly the machine equivalent of human memory; (2) control and use of knowledge, which corresponds to human abilities in problem solving and planning; and (3) the acquisition of knowledge, or what humans call…

Argues that the best way to cultivate children's reasoning is to make philosophy an essential part of the elementary school curriculum. Philosophy alone provides the logical criteria for distinguishing better thinking from poorer. The author's "Philosophy for Children" program is described. (TE)

Provides several typical negative sentence structures, discusses why children find them difficult, and suggests how to begin teaching them to handle negatives. (FL)

Mathematics departments rarely require students to study very much logic before working with proofs. Normally, the most they will offer is contained in a small portion of a "bridge" course designed to help students move from more procedurally-based lower-division courses (e.g., abstract algebra and real analysis). What accounts for this seeming…

This paper reports results related to the development of a consistent descriptive language for research on mathematical reasoning. Ways of reasoning deductively are highlighted, using examples drawn from observations of young students. One-step deductions versus multi-step deductions, known versus hypothetical premises, and single versus multiple…

Learning to think logically and present ideas in a logical fashion has always been considered a central part of becoming a mathematician. In this paper we compare the performance of three groups: mathematics undergraduates, mathematics staff and history undergraduates (representative of a "general population"). These groups were asked to solve…

This book, the 10th volume in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) Monograph Series, discusses the geometry curriculum and investigates how elementary school students learn geometric concepts and how Logo programming and its turtle graphics might affect this learning. This volume also provides details on the development,…