Examines the relationship between visualization and the middle school mathematics curriculum. Gives an overview of where and how visualization interacts with the curriculum. Investigates the role of visualization in developing inductive/deductive and proportional reasoning. (YP)

A theory of deductive reasoning is presented for inferences that depend on multiply quantified premises. It is argued that reasoners construct mental models based on their knowledge of the meaning of the quantifiers. Three experiments, with 54 university students and adults, corroborated the theory. (SLD)

The origins of the emphasis on formal proof are discussed as well as more recent views. Factors in acceptance of a proof and the social process of acceptance by mathematicians are included. The impact of formal proof on the curriculum and implications for teaching are given. (DC)

Investigates using the microcomputer to develop a sentence parser to simulate intelligent conversation used in artificial intelligence applications. Compares the ability of LOGO and BASIC for this use. Lists and critiques several LOGO and BASIC parser programs. (MVL)

Describes two practices that make the writing of a persuasive essay more manageable for writing students: (1) a game in which students attempt to match a list of logical fallacies with an instance in Max Shulman's "Love Is a Fallacy"; and (2) a graphic arrangement that students can use to organize their ideas on one page before writing.…

The seven chapters of this special issue explore problems in how to better understand the reasoning process that is used to establish evaluative conclusions. The many unanswered questions about reasoning should stimulate further investigation of the meaning of sound evaluative reasoning. (SLD)

Protocols of people attempting to solve syllogistic problems and explaining how they reached their conclusions were examined. Two main groups of subjects were identified. One group represented the relationship between classes in a spatial manner supplemented by verbal representation. The other group used a primarily verbal representation. A…

Proposes that educational researchers consider the implications of a new psychological concept, dysrationalia: the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. The paper argues that researchers need an intuition pump, or prompt, like dysrationalia to aid in reconceptualizing intelligence because I.Q. tests do not measure…

Discusses two authors' views on critical thinking. McPeck denies the possibility of critical thinking, stating it is burdened by informal logic. Paul believes critical thinking includes logical, epistemological, psychological, and social dimensions springing from moral and political concerns. The paper examines the debate over general versus…

Examines central issues in the application of logic to information retrieval (IR). Discusses the logical relationship between document and need; implications of models based on truth, validity, or logical consequentiality, and the relationship between this issue and the issue of partiality versus totality of information; and the relationship…

Presents a probabilistic technique to retrieve passages from texts having a large size or heterogeneous semantic content. Results of experiments comparing the probabilistic technique to one based on a text segmentation algorithm revealed that the passage size affects passage retrieval performance; text organization and query generality may have an…

Analyzes Stanley Cavell's essay "Notes and Afterthoughts on the Opening of Wittgenstein's Investigations," arguing that the piece provides a basis for a Wittgensteinian pedagogics. Examines the ways in which Cavell looks at Wittgenstein's representation of the figure and voice of the child in his work, suggesting that Cavell's own…

Two studies of adolescents in England and Russia examined the effects of prolonged instruction on students' development of abstract deductive reasoning and understanding of logical necessity in algebraic and verbal reasoning. Results indicated that prolonged instruction emphasizing the metalevel of algebraic deduction contributed to enhanced…

Argues that by adopting what Bertrand Russell calls the liberal or scientific outlook that people are able to understand both the world around them and their place in it; and it is by being sensitive to those habits of mind and educational practices that inculcate this same critical attitude or outlook that educators practice the difference…

Analyzes the Conference Board of Canada's "Employability Skills Profile" to understand how education is being undermined and reduced to skills training. Suggests Bertrand Russell's notion of idleness, when combined with a contemporary critique of the global market made by John McMurtry, affords an inclusive understanding of education as…