The design and development of a university course aimed to meet the needs of English-as-a-Second-Language liberal arts students is reported. The development of critical language awareness in relation to general and subject-specific study skills is discussed, and the term "critical communication skills" is introduced. (78 references)…

Describes a reflective inquiry teacher education program at one university, examining the relationship between values and teacher skills. The program emphasizes the development of analytical and critical thinking skills. The article describes 25 preservice teachers' value clusters, explores the necessary skills development, and shares one…

Seeks to introduce elementary and middle school students to cultural differences in artistic styles, and to develop students' critical skills by examining four different cultures' interpretations of a common subject, the fish. Provides several instructional strategies to strengthen students perception of works of art. (KM)

Urges exposure of college students to different philosophies and world views. Describes the reasoning, preparation, and experience of having a Marxist representative speak to a class on comparative education. Insists that the teacher cannot present an adversary's arguments as a believer would. Argues that exposure to other views produces critical…

The article discusses utilization of case studies in teaching interpersonal communication, examining case studies written in dialogue to illustrate real life situations. It describes case study methodology, experiential learning strategies, and creative ways to use cases (e.g., role play, group discussion, improvisation, case analysis, and…

Elementary educators can teach middle and upper level students to be book critics beginning with picture books, thus encouraging poor and reluctant readers and providing all students with practice in reading, writing, and critical thinking. The article provides suggestions for objectives of student critiques, e.g., bulletin board displays for the…

Reviews trends in composition instruction in two-year colleges, including an emphasis on information literacy, critical thinking skills, and writing across the curriculum; and discusses parallel developments in the field of bibliographic instruction. Recommends an approach to incorporating critical thinking, new technologies, and program…

In the cooperative controversy technique, two opposing sides are clearly drawn over a single issue, and learners on both sides cooperate to understand both sides and arrive at a personal position. Students respond enthusiastically to the exercise, are helped in exploring emotional responses to issues, and learn how, not what, to think. (MSE)

Student teachers can learn to reform teaching by working with experienced teachers struggling to be reformers. Two approaches are (1) critical dissonance, or incongruity between what students learn in college and what they experience in student teaching; and (2) collaborative resonance, or intensifying the influences of both experiences by linking…

Recent composition and literary theory suggests that the "I" of written discourse is illusory and does not represent an autonomous self. Argues for the development of a self-conscious voice in college writers that interprets in addition to merely recording events, a voice enabling students to enter into dialogue with teachers, texts, and…

The Appalshop School Initiative is a joint research project between eastern Kentucky teachers using the Foxfire instructional approach and a media arts and education center. Teachers use Appalshop's documentaries about central Appalachia as part of an educational strategy to challenge students to interpret their own environment, culture, and…

Underlines the importance of principals' role as democratic leader, introduces a school-improvement theory, and shows how principals can apply it. The theory's basic building-blocks are school structure and restructuring; school culture and leadership; higher order thinking, critical thinking, or problem solving; economic competitiveness; and…

Outlines 11 rules of critical thinking and offers suggestions of teaching them in biology and environmental science classrooms. (MDH)

Reviews the history and development of the "Our Working World" elementary textbook series, an example of the New Social Studies reform movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Describes the Organic Curriculum, which integrated the fundamental ideas of five social science disciplines. Maintains that implementing the K-6 program all at once was an…

Examines the process by which teachers learn to teach thinking in the classroom. The paper describes the evolution of thinking skills in three phases: thinking skills acquisition, critical and creative thinking processes, and thoughtful application. Teachers pass through the three-stage process as they learn how to teach thinking. (SM)