Presents a simulation in which a student political action committee organizes to protest budget cuts affecting their high school. Seeks to engage students in legal reasoning over First Amendment issues. Poses possible protests, then asks students whether they believe First Amendment rights would protect them. Includes Supreme Court precedents for…

Presents essential characteristics and types of cooperative learning strategies for use in elementary social studies. Outlines exercises for forming teams and building team spirit. Points out such methods promote group interdependence and student responsibility for learning and teaching others. Highlights two cooperative group strategies, Jigsaw…

Recommends two computer programs for elementary social studies use that help solve the problem of one-computer classrooms: Little Shoppers Kit, a store-in-the-classroom role play; and Choices, Choices, a two-part program concerning ethical questions relevant to students' experiences. Emphasizes cooperative learning, teacher as facilitator, and…

The use of writing exercises to promote critical thinking in large pharmacy classes is discussed. Techniques for targeting specific higher order thinking skills, different types of in-class writing activities, and evaluation methods (self-evaluation, peer evaluation, feedback) are outlined. (MSE)

Defines and discusses a definition of critical thinking. Maintains that college students improve their learning effectiveness when they are engaged actively and invested personally. Describes student evaluation techniques used to enhance thinking skills. (CFR)

The underlying premise of infusion is that information about individuals with disabilities must be more systematically integrated throughout an entire curriculum. This article describes the infusion approach to teacher development, explaining three central premises, providing sample program applications for each premise, and discussing brain…

Examines circumstances under which teachers, as guardians of culture, might define themselves not as gatekeepers for the received wisdom of culture, but as keyholders who unmask authoritative knowledge and cultural domination. In this context, the article discusses the importance of student voice; mimetic, liberal, and critical teaching; and…

Presents the teaching strategy of having first grade students write their own word problems. Suggests the use of calculators to permit students to create problems with larger, more realistic numbers. Gives examples of student-generated problems and discusses students' attempts to solve the problems. (MDH)

Provides suggestions for creating thematic units for teaching about the voyages of Columbus. Explains that, to promote critical thinking, the activities are organized into the levels of (1) comprehension and conceptualization; (2) causality; (3) validity; and (4) creative extension. Argues that goals should include understanding European and North…

In 1987, National Science Teachers Association commissioned the Search for Excellence in Biology Teaching Task Force. This article is a distillation of the task force report, highlighting the criteria for excellence in biology teaching, grades 7-12. The criteria for excellence are in five subsections: Goals, Criteria for Curriculum, Criteria for…

Describes the Ohio State University Libraries' Gateway to Information project, which was developed to help users find, evaluate, and select materials in any format; access online catalogs and CD-ROM databases; and apply information seeking and critical thinking skills independently. Funding support is discussed and Gateway's impact on the future…

Urges social studies teachers to help students understand and identify sociocentric, national bias in the news media. Illustrates how the media fosters "us versus them" thinking and how word choice often reflects bias. Outlines activities to help students recognize bias. Provides weak and strong examples of students' analyses of bias in news…

Presents a cooperative two-day geography lesson in which student teams research and reach consensus about where in Western Europe they would like to live. Discusses use of the Jigsaw method in the lesson. Provides background information about 12 Western European countries. Explains how the lesson fulfills content and process objectives. (CH)

Discusses a high school unit on First Amendment rights developed for a gifted students class in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Describes the unit's origins and procedures, such as issues studied and the use of research projects, guest speakers, and field trips. Emphasizes students' interest in learning about their rights. Identifies critical…

Summarizes consensus points reached by three university professors and three elementary school teachers who examined the Silver Burdett Ginn elementary textbook series. Explains the study's methodology. Finds textbooks constrained by the expanding environments framework, limited in multicultural coverage, and inadequate in developing themes around…