Teacher education programs have long attempted to teach students to follow a rational mode of thinking. Recent research on teacher thinking has shown that a gap exists between how teachers think and the rational model. Such research should be used to give teacher educators insight into how their students think and learn. (JN)

A hierarchical factor solution was obtained from a psychometrized battery of Piagetian-type tasks individually administered to 660 kindergarten children. The first two levels of factors included Piagetian theoretical entities. A third level factor was identified as a g. The association of Piagetian tasks with academic achievement was through the g…

Reevaluates literature on the development of transitive inference in light of theoretical and methodological criticisms, and examines two aspects of the Piagetian account of the development of this cognitive ability. Criticism leveled is based on the observations that ability to make transitive inferences is not age-related and that children and…

Three measures--logical reasoning ability, lexical comprehension, and home teaching activities--provided the best overall model in accounting for differences in children's performances across the print awareness measures. (HOD)

Advocates the use of classification activities in the elementary school curriculum as a means of developing thinking skills in children. Critical preclassification skills, classification activities (including simple and multiple classification), and classification tasks and materials are discussed. (Author/RH)

The author presents and elaborates on a division algorithm devised by his 9-year-old son. (MK)

Contends that the teaching of mathematics permits expansion of the personality and furthers development of intellecutual independence. (Author/DB)

Presents a theoretical account of how speakers interpret that which is taken for granted in messages. Discusses research concerning enthymemes, argument theory, indirect speech acts, conversational maxims, pragmatic implication and other areas. Provides a framework for a model of how speakers interpret unspoken portions of utterances. (JMF)

Justifications are given for the development of philosophy courses for inclusion in the high school curriculum. Various subjects such as mathematics, science, and language can be given more unity and meaning through the teaching of philosophy. (JN)

Suggests that effective thinking (cognitive skills) should be taught--not just fostered--in English classes, and explores the specific skills of generalizing and abstracting, analyzing, reasoning, and classifying. (JM)

Identifies some difficulties that students in grades 7-10 have with logical connectives in reading science passages. Describes the Logical Connectives in Science project as a comprehensive criterion-referenced testing survey study. Results include information on difficulty of various logical connectives and kinds of errors students make in…

Teachers should assign the classics, include ethnic literature in the curriculum, use peer tutors, and teach argumentative and persuasive writing in order to help students to think logically, communicate effectively, and become responsible citizens. (DD)

Examines the imaging processes that children at different operatory levels use on a spatial rotation task. Subjects were 80 elementary school girls ranged in age from 5 to 10.2 years. (MP)

Children's use of causal and logical connectives was examined before and after treatments based on advance organizers with social studies lessons. In samples of 120 children from age-levels 6 and 10 years a diminution in the use of syncretic reasoning and understanding followed the experimental treatment. (Editor)