To investigate the development of function concepts and their relation to mathematical and logical abilities typically acquired during the age period of five to seven years, children were tested on nonnumerical function tasks, numerical tasks, and aspects of logical reasoning. (PCB)

Describes and outlines the general syllabus of a philosophy course entitled, "Minds and Robots." Lists the assigned readings and explains the issues addressed in the 14-week course. Essay questions that are used for the mid-term and final exams are also included. (ML)

Suggests tools for dealing with the seeming complexities of teaching the subjunctive mood, including thoughtful organization, objective analysis, and comparison with the students' own language. Continued use of unfamiliar vocabulary (nomenclature) and claims of language-specific subtlety serve only to increase anxiety among learners. (MSE)

Rational, intuitive, fatalistic, and dependent decision makers were compared on how much they learned from a rational decision-making training intervention. Individuals who had been highly impulsive, dependent, or fatalistic in prior course selections and those who exhibited dependency in prior job choices appeared to learn most from the rational…

Reviews findings from three diagnostic studies which focused on the problem of tautological explanations. Includes a report on a teaching intervention strategy which resulted in the improvement of pupil performance. Suggests that avoidance of tautology can be taught. (ML)

Notes that the recent outcry for geographic literacy often stresses place-location geography, the weakest argument for including geography in the elementary and secondary school curriculum. Maintains that K-12 geography courses must clearly define those skills, world patterns, and conceptual frames of reference that geographers consider essential…

Presents a curriculum development model that is arranged logically rather than chronologically, and emphasizes process rather than product or syllabus contents. The model's various components are related to recent research on student learning. Observations are presented on its use as a framework for curriculum development in workshops for…

To overcome learner dependence when modeling cognitive processes, one teacher used direct teaching of specific thinking skills with her middle school language arts students. The teacher introduced the skill of analyzing for personification to her students. The class experimented with the skill, completed the task, and applied the skill to…

Discusses the support for higher-order skills in the secondary school and vocational curricula, the need for higher-order skills in the marketing curriculum, methods of teaching higher-order skills, and implications for teacher education. (CT)

Twenty-three female students, enrolled in the Apparel Construction and Fitting course at West Virginia University, were evaluated to determine whether the ability of the students to perform basic mathematical skills is related to performance in a clothing construction course. Educational implications of the results are discussed. (CT)

Discusses four prevalent misconceptions about critical reading and thinking and presents classroom strategies to foster an awareness of each. (EL)

Interprets the humanities as a rich and essential resource for understanding and making human choices in the real late twentieth century world. (MSE)

The interview-about-instances technique was used to investigate the conceptual frameworks that 17 Form Four Southeast Asian students held about forces acting on an object at rest or in motion. Results show a number of alternate frameworks which are similar to those found in research conducted in western countries. (Author/JN)

Results of the testing of Hample's cognitive model of argument suggest that the model's validity is greater than previously indicated. (PD)

In this interview, Edward de Bono says critical or logical thinking in lockstep fashion is necessary but not sufficient because we need not only the ability to critique ideas, but to create them. Creative or lateral thinking arrives at solutions by attacking problems "laterally" or "sideways." (DCS)