Teaching critical thinking, a relatively new area and concept in physical education, can take the form of problem solving--the development and presentation of physical and mental problems that challenge students to reach a solution. Providing students with conceptually well-defined and designed problems can give physical education teachers an…

This study was undertaken to determine whether convergent or divergent computer software better enhances children's critical and creative thinking skills. Subjects were 40 elementary students (4th, 5th, and 6th grades), who were randomly assigned to either convergent or divergent software treatment. These students interacted for 25 hours with…

Many criticize the educational system, arguing that it suppresses individual creativity. This paper proposes an alternative instructional design which is intended to be used by educators in planning for creative learning and assessing it in the classroom. It is based on the notion that everyone has the potential to be creative and that any process…

Intended for teachers across grade levels and disciplines, this monograph reviews research on the development of critical thinking skills and introduces a series of these skills that can be incorporated into classroom teaching. Beginning with a definition of critical thinking, the monograph contains two main sections. The first section reviews…

Whether the aim has been to understand the nature of creativity or to determine its development, researchers have formulated a number of measures of creativity. A glut of results and conclusions actually hinders an educational understanding of the term creativity. The most widely known tests of creativity incorporate divergent-thinking, as opposed…

Current writings on the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain are examined, focusing upon possible implications for improving present educational techniques. It has been generally accepted by researchers that the organizational and verbalizing processes are functions of the left cerebral hemisphere, while creative and intuitive…

Museum objects can be the springboard for exercising critical thinking. There are four main thought processes associated with critical thinking: (1) fluent thinking, the ability to produce many ideas; (2) flexible thinking, the ability to view something in different ways; (3) original thinking, the ability to produce unique ideas; and (4)…

This study was designed to investigate three main topics: the frequency of different kinds of questions which day care teachers asked of low-income 2-year-olds, the toddlers' rate of response to questions, and differences in questions asked of boys and girls. It was hypothesized that caregivers would ask girls more personal-social questions and…

Problems of a process approach to English for specific purposes courses for "convergent" academic disciplines are illustrated with an example of science instruction. Course designers must undertake task analysis of the intellectual abilities used in learning activities and relate these to the intellectual abilities of language learners. (Author/CB)

This study sought information on the relationship between cognitive styles (conceptual level and field-independence/field-dependence) and entrance examination criteria of those accepted to teacher education at the University of Helsinki in 1980. The 96 subjects represented prospective class teachers and teachers of handicraft and home economics.…

Using Guilford's model, the text reviews the structure of the intellect (SOI) and its operations, contents, and products. Those operations and components are further described, including the factors of cognition, memory, evaluation, convergent-production, and divergent-production. For each factor, the figural, symbolic, and semantic dimensions are…

Investigated male/female sixth-formers studying physical and biological science A-level courses, examining cognitive style, convergent/divergent thinking, career plans, and other characteristics. Differences between biology/physics students tend to be of the same kind as those between scientists as a whole compared to nonscientists. (JN)

The relationship between creativity and intelligence is discussed; and the position that intellect is not synonymous with the ability to respond in the usual logical way to a standard test item is developed. This logical (convergent) way of thinking, measured by IQ tests, is contrasted with the creative (divergent) way of thinking, measured by…

This booklet was produced for teachers in the hope that the philosophy of multiple talents, and productive thinking will be an aid in the development of future citizens. In the introduction, Calvin W. Taylor discusses talents as the central focus in all classrooms, new tests for identifying important talents heretofore neglected, and the need of a…

This study examined concurrent and long-term effects of parents' teaching strategies on their children's cognitive styles. A total of 83 mothers and 74 fathers helped their 4-year-old sons or daughters with 4 problem-solving tasks. The interactions between parents and children were observed and evaluated. Two measures of field…