Though most definitions of literacy focus solely on the uses of reading and writing, a sociocognitive perspective that incorporates social practices, conceptions of reading and writing, and literacy as a way of thinking is more productive. Within this view, literacy is culturally based, involves the higher intellectual skills, and is learned by…

The topics of the 17 papers included in this proceedings are: (1) enriching and empowering young children's learning with microcomputers; (2) a program designed to make all students computer literate who complete the eighth grade in Tennessee schools; (3) how school systems should purchase microcomputers; (4) a team approach to microcomputer…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The seven titles deal with the following topics: (1) the prediction of reading comprehension from critical thinking skills, cognitive thinking skills, and meaning vocabulary with college freshmen; (2) the effects of instruction in…

Intended for teachers of grades 7-16, this book discusses "heuristic" writing--writing that produces new, irreversible knowledge for the writer leading to a fuller understanding of the self and of the act of writing--as well as principles and practices having direct implications for a wide range of students. Chapter 1 examines the…

Four presentations from the 1985 Annual Michigan School Testing Conference on "Assessing Higher Order Skills" are offered in this paper, and the chairman of the First General Session provides an introductory section. The papers individually and collectively address the problem of defining higher order thinking skills. A second major…

This handbook guides the tutor of adult literacy students in the use of newspapers to teach either basic reading or conversational English skills. The first part of the handbook, an outline of the general teaching approach, gives facts about newspapers and suggestions for preparing lessons using newspapers to teach reading and critical thinking…

The articles in this collection address basic questions about college reading theory, curriculum, and assessment. Major article titles and authors are as follows: (1) "Reading Achievement," by Anthony R. Petrosky; (2) "Excerpt from 'A Proposal for Reading Stages'," by Jeanne S. Chall; (3) "Finding a Sense of Wonder in Language and Literacy," by…

The student who has thoughtfully examined opposing viewpoints on an issue should perceive what other position can be occupied on that issue and should learn to carefully consider antithetical viewpoints. The development of this critical approach is the purpose of this book. An introduction, postscript summary, and two articles or published…

An interdisciplinary critical reasoning and reading course (ICCR), developed to address problems of undergraduates who lack critical reasoning and oral and written communication skills, is described in this paper. The first two sections of the paper provide a rationale for the use of collaborative team instruction based on Feuerstein's model of…

The assessment of professional programs at the undergraduate level is discussed (i.e., engineering, business, education, nursing, and other career-oriented fields). Presently, assessment in professional education relies almost exclusively on written or oral testing of a predetermined set of cognitive and analytical skills. This is followed by…

The author, who is an award winning college professor, is often asked about her philosophy of teaching. She reflects upon her own undergraduate experiences when she considers what makes an effective course. In this article, the author shares and discusses five principles of teaching that define her teaching philosophy: (1) Be approachable; (2) Use…

This paper reports on the design of an on-line simulation that enhanced preservice teacher practicum experience in the important area of literacy teaching. Research with more than 200 users of the simulation showed that it developed pre-service teacher understanding of complex classroom situations associated with the teaching of literacy by giving…

Integrating concepts of basic citizenship education with community involvement, this experiential curriculum provides a means for developing decision making and critical thinking skills within the existing fifth grade social studies curriculum. The 12 lessons, translated into Spanish, cover the following concepts: responsibility, rules and laws,…

The two articles in this publication should be useful to those developing the kinds of materials, experiences, and thinking that elementary school industrial arts offers children. Floyd Robinson, in the first article, sketches some ideas along with the general scheme that the Ontario (Canada) Institute for Studies in Education's Elementary School…

The essentials of Piaget's theory and its application to teaching at the college level are described as part of the Learning and Evaluation Service workshop, Teaching Students to Reason, offered at Michigan State University. Objectives are to enable the teacher to: (1) diagnose and classify reasoning patterns of students; (2) evaluate current…