Recommends that inservice teacher education challenge the intellectual development of teachers. Discusses the learning process of teachers, and profiles activities in specific elementary and secondary schools intended to benefit students' learning. Suggests that teachers should teach sound habits of mind with intellectual humility, expertise in…

Shadows student named Sam through classes at suburban high school. Typical high school is characterized by intellectual chaos created by string of utterly independent "subjects." There is virtually no federal-level talk about intellectual coherence for Sam. Curricular mandates (and accompanying assessment systems) place each traditional…

Proposes a perspective on mathematical symbolism as a communication and conceptualization tool. Describes research in which first graders, solving mathematical problems in small groups, invented symbolic representations as both a part of the knowledge construction process and a means of communicating their conceptualizations to each other. (SV)

Prevailing conceptions of young children's mental life represent children's thinking as confused and lacking western rationality. Instead, we should consider their mental life as a positive oral culture, and evolve a new science of early childhood education based on understanding of peoples in oral cultures. (MSE)

For two decades, Bates seriously challenged educational administration's value neutrality as ideological and concerned with protecting vested interests and class divisions in society. This article explores intellectual influences shaping Bates's critical-theory approach, examines similarities to Thomas Greenfield's ideas, and evaluates critics'…

Society's demand for specialization discourages teachers from becoming skilled generalists. The result is intellectual impoverishment for schools and children. The greatest challenge is teaching students to think in holistic terms. Students must look beyond telecomputing to explore ideas and discover how technology itself is shaping their…

Recent research has revealed remarkable data about the intricacies of brain-based learning and the integration of this knowledge into the academic setting. Prudent educators can create a brain-friendly classroom by developing an emotionally and physically safe environment, using laughter and simple exercises to eliminate mental cobwebs, creating…

Traces evolution of the medieval university's role in providing professional education. Argues that medieval universities evolved from two types of institutions--guilds and cathedral schools--into institutions that offered training in intellectual professions (theology, medicine, and law) but required prior mastery in liberal arts. The European…

Not all learning activities are worth keeping. For kids to know and understand important curriculum concepts, hands-on activities should also be "minds-on." Backward Design is a three-step curriculum model that helps teachers identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence of student learning, and plan learning experience and…

This article explores what the concept of intellectual character offers that traditional views of intelligence based on abilities do not. The origins of the concept of thinking dispositions are traced and various views regarding the dispositions that might comprise and define one's intellectual character are investigated. Educational implications…

Teachers and longitudinal researchers have observed that the long-term benefits of participating in a quality early childhood program are more social than academic. Early childhood is a unique stage of life, not an opportunity for intervention and remediation. Kindergarten and first-grade environments should be flexible, activity-oriented, and…

Suggests that John Dewey developed ideas regarding reflective thinking and the challenges to it that are relevant to our times. Asserts that education is intended to provide a repertoire of intellectual activities for systematic and disciplined thinking that can counteract assaults on reason. (EV)

In this article, the author discusses Robert J. Sternberg's theory of "successful intelligence," which theorizes that intelligence consists of three parts: analytic, creative and practical abilities. Sternberg argues that intelligence can be fostered in the right educational environment by encouraging students to develop and exercise their…

Results compiled from several studies indicate that college students place significant personal emphasis on matters related to spirituality. Compiling students' responses from the author's 2003 pilot study, subsequent focus group interviews, and the 2004 national survey, along with faculty's responses from the 2004-2005 Higher Education Research…

Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…