Examined effects of problem-solving training on acquisition of interpersonal problem-solving skills by kindergartners. Consisted of pretesting, training, and post-testing activities. Showed that problem-solving training was effective in helping children acquire interpersonal problem-solving skills, specifically an increase in solutions generated…

Reviews a monograph which addresses children's higher-order thinking skills. Suggests the following for teaching problem solving: identify and develop content-independent and content-dependent problem-solving skills, connect developed skills through workshop-style activities to subject discipline, and help students identify and reconstruct their…

Discusses the need for library science to examine users' search behaviors in the context of social cognition and creative problem solving. Topics covered include the psychology of search behavior, problem solving approaches to library instruction in online searching, and problem solving protocols. (29 references) (CLB)

Focuses on student involvement in determining course structure through journal writing. Successful student writers become highly skilled at directing the course of their own learning. The data in the journals inform teachers about what is occurring in learners' heads. Reflective journal writers are adopting a professional approach to their…

Discusses the artistic characteristics of children ages two through six years and the culturally endorsed shift of emphasis from symbolic play to technical mastery during the course of their artistic development. Reviews teaching practices, educational resources, and teacher training in schools in Australia and the People's Republic of China in…

Asserts that promotion of classroom thinking generally is assumed to be the sole responsibility of the teacher. Suggests using a text that portrays students engaged in reasoning and other interventions to stimulate the growth of critical and creative thinking. (CFR)

Proposes and describes four teachers' beliefs necessary in creating constructivist classroom environments. Presents the background, description, and analysis of seven teaching episodes that examine the mathematical understanding actions of pupils in classrooms in which teachers exhibit these beliefs in an effort to verify the necessity of the…

Stresses the need for music educators to ask questions that promote higher-level thinking in their students. Provides a flowchart to help teachers organize their lessons and present graphically the ways to construct effective questions. Explains each of the six sections of the flowchart in detail. (CMK)

Purpose: Current research in both cognitive neuroscience and what has been called "positive psychology" point to the need for wholesale reappraisal of what happens in schools, especially with regard to the wellbeing of children. Seeks to examine this issue. Design/methodology/approach: Reviews and discussion of research by the World…

No Child Left Behind legislation makes it clear that outside evaluators determine what gets taught in the classroom. It is important to ensure they measure what truly counts in school. This fact is poignantly and sadly true for the under funded, poorly resourced, "low performing" schools that may be hammered by administration accountants…

The National Priorities, published in 2001, highlight important outcomes of education in Scotland. National Priority 5 sets a clear expectation that teachers will "encourage creativity and ambition" in their pupils. "A Curriculum for Excellence" (Scottish Executive, 2004) also stresses that pupils need to be able to "think…

This book offers teachers of grades 3-8 creative and fun activities that build students' skills in problem solving, decision making, cooperative learning, divergent thinking, and communication. The book offers 28 diverse and original enrichment activities that teach personal values such as responsibility, compassion, leadership, and respect for…

In plain language, these six ready-to-copy briefs state what researchers and practitioners have learned about various ways parents can help their children do well in school. "Calculating the Risks: When Should Parents Add or Subtract?" discusses the normal risks of life, the intensification of risk by poverty, and how parents can keep…

Noting evidence of continuity and progression in young children' thinking, this book explores the promotion of high-quality thinking and action in children ages 3 to 5 years. Some thoughts about children from birth to 3 years and from 5 to 8 years of age are also included as part of the discussion of continuity in teaching and learning. Throughout…

The purpose of this study was to examine reflective thinking as it related to instructional and personality characteristics of an effective teacher. During semistructured interviews, 42 first-year teachers identified the characteristics of an effective teacher and compared their own professional development to these ideal images. Comments from…