The construct underlying simple paper-and-pencil logical operations tasks administered to young children in group settings was examined. The logical operations, number concepts, and visual discrimination subtests of the Early School Assessment (ESA) were administered as part of the Fall 1987 national tryout of the ESA. The mathematics concepts and…

Based on the premise that systematic instruction in social decision-making and problem-solving skills is a developmental right of all children, this book provides an in-service training program for teaching a set of social decision-making and problem-solving steps that are essential for success in school, in the family, with friends, in the world…

A study examined the relationship between Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) critical thinking test scores and the extent to which students met core general education course requirements at Northeast Missouri State University (NMSU). Data used in the study were collected in required sophomore examinations as part of an…

The contribution of the humanities to medicine is considered, with attention to the classic view, existing programs in medical school, and obstacles to continued or increased participation by the humanities. A shift is occurring in medicine toward a primary concern for sick persons, instead of disease alone. Specific values of teaching literature,…

Designed to contribute to the growing effort to teach critical thinking skills, this guide provides teachers with (1) a simple, usable set of definitions for recall, analysis, comparison, inference, and evaluation; (2) brief explanations of three common forms of classroom assessment (oral questioning during instruction, paper and pencil objective…

This paper begins with a summary and analysis of Robert Glaser's arguments, presented in his paper "Education and Thinking: The Role of Knowledge," which contend there are strong interactions between structures of knowledge and cognitive processes, and that problem solving and reasoning are taught best in the context of the acquisition…

The SIMILE model for teaching thinking skills is described and protocol materials that used the model to teach the concept of power are presented. Thinking skills in the SIMILE model include imaging, dissection, conceptualization, definition, relational analysis, and analogy. When teaching thinking skills using the SIMILE model, curriculum…

This book is a collection of 21 articles by mathematics teacher Ernest Ranucci (1912-1976) grouped into five categories: (1) "Patterns" (for developing inductive reasoning skills); (2) "Mathematics in the World Around Us"; (3) "Spatial Visualization"; (4) "Inventiveness in Geometry"; and (5) "Games to Learn By", which demonstrates that mathematics…

The papers and conference proceedings recorded in this monograph are from a conference on effective mathematics teaching. In addition to acknowledgements, foreword, introduction and participant list, the following articles are included: (1) "Teaching for Higher-Order Thinking in Mathematics: The Challenge for the Next Decade"; (2)…

This book combines suggestions for the teaching of problem solving with activities and carefully discussed non-routine problems which students should find interesting as they gain valuable experience in problem solving. The over 300 activities and problems have been gleaned from a variety of sources and have been classroom tested by practicing…

A model for the development of scientific reasoning in adolescents was formulated largely upon the basis of Piagetian theory. Included as potential determinants of scientific reasoning were experience, age, locus of control, field independence-dependence (FID), rigidity/flexibility, intelligence quotient (IQ), and sex. Causal relationships between…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the achievement of some abstract concepts in "molecular genetics" and prior knowledge, formal reasoning ability, and sex. The major findings of the study were: (1) prior knowledge had a high significant correlation with the achievement of abstract concepts; (2) the…

The nature of program changes taking place in undergraduate general education and factors that affect curricular change were addressed in a survey. A sample of 272 colleges and universities that were conducting serious review or revision of their undergraduate general education programs were sent questionnaires, and 139 responses were received.…

While the purpose of this project was curriculum development, long range benefits are contingent upon a radical reorganization and upgrading of public school systems throughout Appalachia. Subjects in the pilot assessment consisted of 80 children (3 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old) and their mothers from each of Monongalia and Upshur Counties, West…

The purpose of this study conducted by the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning was to develop, implement, and evaluate an experimental preschool education program based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development. A second purpose was to examine Piaget's theoretical assumptions and postulated cognitive developmental…