This paper reports on an action research project focusing on curricular interventions for improving geographic knowledge and application skills in elementary students. The targeted population consists of third- and fourth-grade students in a middle-class community in southwest suburban Chicago. The deficiency of geographic literacy was documented…

This document establishes a set of performance expectations based on current practices in administrative support occupations. It is designed to assist individuals, training providers, employers, management personnel, and professional organizations in matching knowledge, abilities, and interests to knowledge and skills required for success in…

The purpose of the conference reported in these proceedings was to help enrich the field of critical thinking through the perspectives of scholars and professional practitioners in a variety of academic disciplines. The papers included in these proceedings reflect the thoughts of 49 authors representing 10 academic fields. After the presentation…

Reflecting concern for the myriad problems resulting from the presence of poor readers in secondary schools today, this book shows content area teachers why they must and how they can improve students' reading deficiencies. The book provides an explanation of reading skills and learning difficulties in a quick and easy format; activities to…

This document presents a selection of teacher designed activities to help meet the needs of gifted and talented students. The four teaching units focus on creativity, independent study, critical thinking, and communication skills. Introductory material explains how the teachers of Parkland County (Alberta) worked together in informal and…

The ability of the educational system to bring about thinking allied health practitioners will remain limited unless methods of education are used that bring about reflective practitioners able to be change agents. Education must be transformative, helping the individual to reach new personal or professional heights. Some sort of balance must be…

This curriculum guide provides technology learning activities designed to prepare students in grades 6-10 to work in the world of the future. The 8-day course provides exploratory, hands-on learning activities and information that can enhance the education of students of all types in an integrated curriculum that provides practical applications of…

The outcome-based alternative assessment used in a two-semester Technology Communication Skills class is described. It provides an alternative activity for final examinations and is a way for students to express creativity and exercise critical thinking skills. Participants in the class are students in grades 9 through 12 (65 in this instance).…

An attempt is made to summarize the perspectives and relevant experience of state-level higher education leadership in responding to the proposals for national assessment resulting from Goal V, Objective 5, of the National Education Goals, which calls for improvement in the critical thinking, ability to communicate, and problem-solving ability of…

The agenda of 13th and 14th century educational theorists embraced issues that stimulated innovation in educational theory and practice. Christian thinkers of the late middle ages were preoccupied with adapting their educational notions to the changing conditions of their socio-political milieu. The question of the training of Christian rulers…

Restructured schools should be centers of inquiry and reflection, not of unexamined tradition; curriculum and instruction courses in teacher education programs should facilitate critical inquiry and reflection. A graduate level curriculum models course at the Wichita (Kansas) State University was restructured around the basic tenet of critical…

This handbook translates the findings and recommendations from earlier reports on purposes and practices in selected arts and sciences majors into a practical framework for reviewing the effectiveness of major programs in the arts and sciences as liberal learning. The handbook stresses the value of assessment as a dimension of program review and…

This book presents materials, activities, background information, and student handouts for conducting educational programs that allow students to explore packaging and handling practices as these relate to waste generation and management options. An educational approach used in the development of these materials is based on the idea that solid…

This document provides a model for the national assessment of higher order thinking and consists of a preface and four main sections. The preface discusses the problem of lower order learning, summarizes the state of research into critical thinking and instructional reform, and explains the structure of the paper. Section 1 of the paper describes…

An external evaluation was made of the Competitive Skills Project, a National Workplace Literacy Program carried out in partnership between El Camino College and BP Chemicals. Among the problems identified were the following: (1) because the original director and his successor left the project, the original evaluation design could not be…