The reflective judgment model offers a rich context for analysis of science and science teaching. It provides deeper understanding of the scientific process and its critical thinking and reveals fundamental connections between science and the other liberal arts. Classroom techniques from a college chemistry course illustrate the utility of the…

Parents and teachers help children develop their intelligence by mediating their learning experiences. When children seek such mediation by asking questions, parents and teachers can use one of seven responses. The single most helpful response is to take children's questions seriously and turn them into golden thinking and learning opportunities.…

This article reviews Piagetian theory on formal operational thought, the relationship of psychometric intelligence and formal operational thought, the development of formal operational thought in gifted children, problems encountered with Piagetian theory and attempts to modify it, and implications of the post-Piagetian perspective for education…

Transferability of skills in learning is discussed, focusing on the notions of cross-disciplinary, generic, core, and transferable skills and their role in the college curriculum. Cross-disciplinary or cross-curricular skills are examined in terms of their relationship to cognitive domains, and transferable skills in relation to social domains.…

Study investigated how new technology affects the working procedures and mental activity of industrial machinists, examining how machinists learn to use computer numerical control technology. Results indicate areas of cognitive difference requiring further study (e.g., differences in conceptualization, formalization, and perspective, and shifts to…

Literature and liberal arts college students' early research experience usually stresses methodology and is carefully structured and supervised. In advanced work, students must begin to develop habits of critical thinking, personal involvement with their material, and development of a metacritical attitude. (MSE)

As a result of the ideas of a university sophomore and senior and their dissatisfaction with the traditional lecture and exam format, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) offers an experimental undergraduate course entitled "Confrontation and the Development of the Individual Mind." The English department course is taught by…

This essay examines the relationship of cognitive science, especially linguistics, to the development of the human mind, self, and intelligence. Linguistics is seen to contribute a complex computational ability to the sense of free will. Also considered as part of the integrated self are intuition, athletic intelligence, intellectual diversity,…

In this interview Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to the Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander, discusses her current role as an education policy maker and writer, her educational experiences, her educational philosophy, and the failure of the education system to develop children's potential. (CR)

Describes a professional-development program for experienced elementary teachers that focused on teacher learning. Data collected over 18 months and qualitatively analyzed for setting features and learning processes indicative of an intellectual focus identified five setting features and two broad patterns of engagement (from less- to…

A study of almost a thousand graduates of 14 diverse colleges and universities investigated the extent and nature of their post-college educational and lifelong learning efforts and, based on this information, whether colleges and universities could provide appropriate and adequate educational opportunities for interested alumni. (Originally…

This introductory article examines how intelligence theory influences the way we identify and assess students, our attitudes toward giftedness and gifted students, the models upon which we base our programs and interventions, and many other aspects of gifted education. Past, present, and emerging intelligence theories are discussed. (Contains…

Findings of this three-year longitudinal study, based on 172 African American students, suggest that attendance at an historically Black college significantly enhances the intellectual growth of African American students. The findings held for both standardized, objective measures of reading comprehension, and for self-reported measures of gains…

Examines consequences of family poverty for child development, noting evidence that deep or persistent poverty early in childhood adversely affects children's ability and achievement. Argues that although the 1996 welfare reforms spurred many welfare-to-work transitions, their time limits and sanctions are likely to deepen poverty among some…

Explores the connection between U.S. college students' increased career orientation and the growth of geographic information systems (GIS) and experiential education in the curricula of U.S. geography programs. Maintains that the discipline should not focus only on the technical aspects of geography but beware also of neglecting the general…