Understanding the potential power of questions to promote thoughtful examination is at the heart of classroom teaching. If classroom discussions are to bear fruit, with students examining issues intelligently, teachers must develop an awareness of and be sensitive to how questions are framed. Good questions follow an interactive rhythm that…

A comparison is provided between general education core requirements and basic skills and competencies at the community college level in Illinois. First, general education core requirements from the Illinois Community College Board and South Suburban College are outlined related to communication; mathematics; humanities and fine arts; social and…

Noting that theme teaching offers opportunities to set up a classroom environment that fosters and encourages process learning, this book offers a rationale and activities for a thematic approach to instruction. The introduction of the book explores several issues: (1) assessing the strategies that children will learn as a result of theme teaching…

The study investigated the following: (1) the relationship of problem solving appraisal to narcissistic vulnerability, locus of control, and depression; (2) the differences in problem solving appraisal, locus of control, and depression in first-time and repeat offenders; and (3) the prediction of problem solving appraisal by narcissistic…

In the 1993-94 academic year, the Liberal Studies Division at South Seattle Community College conducted surveys of all Division faculty, students in random classes, and 150 former students who had transferred to the University of Washington (UW) to determine their perceptions regarding students' basic skills levels, students' critical thinking…

A study examined two dimensions of higher-order problem-solving skills: the ability to solve problems in an embedded context and the attitudes and preferences toward problem solving that suggest vocational self-understanding. The variables of gender and field-dependence cognitive style were used. Subjects were 238 secondary school marketing…

This paper investigates the ways in which department chair and principal leadership influence the teaching secondary social studies classes. Based upon research in three sets of high schools, leadership efforts in the areas of curriculum program development, faculty collegiality, staff development, and school culture are explored. Instructional…

Teaching critical thinking, a relatively new area and concept in physical education, can take the form of problem solving--the development and presentation of physical and mental problems that challenge students to reach a solution. Providing students with conceptually well-defined and designed problems can give physical education teachers an…

This report sought to test the hypothesis that living on campus fosters cognitive growth by estimating the relative freshman-year gains in reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking of resident and commuter students at an urban university. Data were collected from 210 college freshmen students at a large research…

This document suggests that the main purpose of the study of current affairs in the social studies program in Alberta, Canada, is to add relevance, interest, and immediacy. It defines current affairs as the study of news events presented by the media. Because the study of current affairs must be tied to the achievement of social studies…

This publication defines academic standards and describes the development, adoption, and use of Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards, as well benefits of academic standards and application of the standards across the curriculum. The five categories that applications fall into include: (1) application of the basics; (2) ability to think; (3) skill…

This article describes a teaching experiment in Finland to develop critical thinking and argumentation skills in a university course using both face-to-face and e-mail settings. Subjects (n=49) were advanced students of education and three faculty members. All students received two lectures on argumentation and packages of argumentative writings…

During recent years, colleges and universities have developed first-year seminars for students entering as freshmen, and some of these seminars are linked with disciplinary courses in a learning community. For 2 years, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has had a one-credit-hour university orientation course entitled…

This paper describes the process of creating, redesigning, and piloting a World Wide Web-based faculty development workshop. The workshop, originally presented in a traditional setting, was created to foster reflective thought about teaching philosophies and practice. Moving the workshop from a traditional classroom-like setting to a Web-based…

This report summarizes way in which computer technology and communications have been found to enhance learning in K-12 classrooms. This discussion of the learning-related outcomes of computer technology in K-12 education assumes: that the technology is used in appropriate ways, and that the technology is used in the course teaching, by a teacher…