Fifty middle-grade students conducted science experiments either as members of small groups taught skills of self-directed critical thinking, or as members of a teacher-directed class, or as members of a control group. Experimental students scored highest on tests of relevant science content. The first group outperformed the others when…

Maintains that educational reform is related directly to issues of creativity and critical thinking. Contends that the creative dimension of thinking is fostered best by joining it with the critical dimension. Includes a figure and eight basic conditions implicit in creative, critical acts of the mind. (CFR)

Proposes methods of applying new social studies teaching techniques. Suggests making the social studies classroom more social through group discussion, research, and writing. Recommends using textbook journals to help students learn to think, read, and write more critically. Calls for the use of interpersonal and textual metadiscourse. (SG)

Argues that spaces must be opened for ethical action to take place. Contends that humans must attempt to overcome carelessness that stands in the way of morality. Places ethical commitments within the context of community. Suggests ethical demands should be responded to by addressing persons, not aggregates. Urges imagining possibilities and…

Described is an assignment in which students read and write reviews of four journal articles chosen from preselected biology topics. Suggestions to help achieve maximal effectiveness are included. Directions for grading the review articles are provided. Discussed is how this assignment can help students develop more sophisticated writing skills.…

Proposes using multiple-entry logs in which students reflect on mathematics problems as a focal point for teacher-student interactions during office hour tutoring. Other benefits cited include increased mathematical confidence and awareness; improved connections involving mathematical concepts; improved teacher-student communications and…

This issue contains 12 articles that present library perspectives on information literacy. Topics discussed include critical thinking and bibliographic instruction (BI); learning style theory and reference desk interviews; teaching information retrieval to end users; library instruction for faculty; cognitive authority; question formulation…

Describes incorporating the classics into the elementary school curricula in a number of public and private schools. Argues bringing classical literature and ancient history to the classroom benefits and challenges students. Presents class projects that successfully apply the classics to critical thinking, creative writing, cultural diversity,…

Asserts that when teachers pose problems that yield solutions running counter to students' perceptions, it results in enhanced student interest and motivation and improves thinking skills. Provides examples and three suggested activities for implementing the approach. (CFR)

Reviews the place of creativity in the two major orientations of art education: (1) creative self-expression; and (2) discipline-based art education (DBAE). Asserts that critics of DBAE argue that it is dry and does not allow for creative expression. Rejects this notion and claims that properly implemented DBAE produces intellectual and emotional…

Agreement about importance of learning and how learning can be achieved is possible. Confluence of interests exists among four aspects of human behavior: business and workplace; politics and citizenship; schooling and education; critical and creative thinking. Thirty years of research and scholarship supports the view that critical and creative…

Identifies two frameworks that limit teachers' vision: (1) a transmission perspective on learning; and (2) a limiting conception of and anxious approach to technology. This study helped teachers break free of these restraints by providing an opportunity to become learners in a technological context based on developmentalist views of teaching and…

Summarizes a schoolwide unit, organized around the ballad of John Henry, that integrated visual art, music, dance, and drama with ecological issues, Mountain Cultural heritage, and labor history. Gives background information on the Mountain Culture and the story of John Henry, while also discussing the students' reactions and interpretations…

Describes a collaborative project among three universities to design a visual interpretive analysis, where students analyze a picture book illustration and develop a Web site that explores the contextual meaning and aesthetic appreciation of the illustration. Discusses media literacy, visual literacy, critical thinking, design issues, evaluation…

Argues that teaching video production techniques in high-school English classes achieves the goals of language arts proficiency, media literacy, and student self-realization. Discusses preproduction; information search; script and storyboard; writing activities; oral communication activities; teamwork; aesthetic judgment; media literacy; affective…