Depth of knowledge is a common measure of rigor used extensively at the state level to align assessments with state content standards. However, the use of depth of knowledge at the classroom level is just beginning. In this article, we establish a link between depth of knowledge and the questioning strategies teachers should consider employing…

After more than 20 years of lamentation, exhortation, and little improvement, writes the author, perhaps it is time to ask a fundamental question: Can critical thinking actually be taught? People who have sought to teach critical thinking have assumed that it is a skill, like riding a bicycle, and that, like other skills, once learned, it can be…

While writing pedagogy instructors assign their students a range of writing tasks, often as central or repeated features of the course, a crucial question has not yet been addressed: does it matter what new teachers write? If pedagogy students are being assigned writing in part to further develop their attitudes and practices related to teaching…

Teacher behaviors that enhance critical thinking include room arrangement, questioning, verbal and nonverbal responses, metacognitive labeling, and modeling. Learning strategies include Socratic discussion and short writing assignments, such as summaries and critiques. (SK)

Debate has been a well-known pedagogical technique since there have been written records about teaching and learning. Originally employed for learning philosophy and theology, debate was later used in the fields of history, law, literature, and the physical sciences. This author asserts, however, that, although the benefits of debate are…

The following papers (with authors and respondents) were presented at the annual conference of the South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society: (1) "Education as a Liberal Field of Study" (Walter Feinberg) Respondent--Eric Bredo; (2) "The Meaning of Foundations: An Alternative Paradigm for Assessing the Effects of Foundational…

Accelerated learning and teaching, classroom practices that condition students into a positive learning state, can help community educators fulfill their role as change agents. (SK)

The following papers (with authors and respondents) were presented at the annual conference of the South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society: (1) "Teaching Critical Thinking through the Disciplines: Content Versus Process" (John E. McPeck) Respondent--Kingsley Price; (2) "Philosophy for Children and the Critical Thinking Movement" (Robert J.…

Higher order thinking is active and sustained cognitive effort directed at solving a complex problem and requires a student to integrate different sources of information, consider alternative perspectives, make critical judgments, and develop and test hypotheses. The important questions in higher order thinking are the ways learners incorporate…

The Future Homemakers of America (FHA) organization has historically provided an ideal climate for development of critical thinking by devoting conscious attention to thinking, teaching skills directly, and providing opportunities for interaction through cooperative learning and discussion. Strategies for expanding the knowledge base and building…

Considers the position of Franco-Ontarians studying to become French-medium teachers. They are a minority, subordinate to the English-speaking population, and in many ways subinordinate within the francophone community. Using contrasts between primary (home-based) and secondary discourses, and between teaching-as-apprenticeship and…

Argues that teachers can determine the instructional frameworks which can empower students to understand more about their own learning. Describes activities (learning logs, directed reading-thinking activities) that develop higher level thinking skills using writing, reading, and reasoning. Concludes that such activities facilitate students'…

Five principles emerging from cognitive science research are as follows: (1) help students organize their knowledge with concept mapping; (2) build on what students already know; (3) facilitate information processing; (4) facilitate deep thinking; and (5) make thinking processes explicit. (SK)

Creativity is a natural skill, but one that can be lost in the pursuit of linear knowledge in the academic classroom. There are historical reasons why the development of natural creativity has been suppressed (the Enlightenment, for example, with its emphasis on scientific method and empirical proof). Right brain/left brain research and…

Suggests that business communication curricula should include instruction in critical thinking, and offers ways in which students can practice their critical thinking skills using business curricula. (JC)