There have been few discoveries in geology more important than "deep time"--the understanding that the universe has existed for countless millennia, such that man's existence is confined to the last milliseconds of the metaphorical geological clock. The influence of deep time is felt in a variety of sciences including geology, cosmology,…

This teaching guide provides an integrated framework for teaching thinking skills which involves both teaching thinking in a separate program or course and infusing the teaching of thinking into standard subject area instruction across the curriculum. Individual chapters deal with the following topics: (1) the nature of thinking skills and…

This study investigated the grouping effect on student achievement in a chemistry laboratory when homogeneous and heterogeneous formal reasoning ability, high and low levels of formal reasoning ability, group sizes of two and four, and homogeneous and heterogeneous gender were used for grouping factors. The sample consisted of all eight intact…

Five studies examined the effect of dysphoric mood on perceivers' subjective unitization of an observed other's ongoing behavior into discrete meaningful actions. Dysphoria generally reduced unitization rate (i.e., number of actions discriminated). Additional evidence indicates this reduction results from failure to initiate a higher (more…

The use of strategies is an important part of mathematical thinking. Presented are several games that help develop the reasoning strategies of hypothesis making and testing, proving and disproving, looking for patterns, and simplifying a difficult task. (MDH)

Cognitive science research offers hope for the development of innovative science teaching strategies that facilitate the development of optimally interconnected procedural and declarative knowledge networks. Improving students' neural networks should improve their abilities to think critically, reason logically, learn more efficiently, and solve…

One of the major issues in intercultural discourse studies is the variation of discourse patterns across cultures. It has been reported that there appears to be a Western preference for a deductive pattern and a Chinese preference for an inductive pattern in discourse. However, it has also been pointed out that there is nothing inherently Chinese…

Preservice elementary teachers worked cooperatively to explore the relationship between the measure of the central angle and the number of sides of regular polygons using the reflection of a line in a hinged mirror. The experience involved conjecture and experimentation, communication, and building connections between science, geometry, and…

Presents a series of four worksheets to develop students' perception of spatial relationships. The tasks require students to use cubes to build models and describe the models by representing the front, right, and top views on grid paper. Provides reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Stresses developing students' interpretive skills, geography knowledge, and ability to read and understand statistics. Argues that computer accessibility makes possible innovative use of charts and graphs for secondary history teachers. Notes data may be printed out and used as teaching tools. Presents five teacher-produced graphs and provides…

This paper reports on a study which used a new model, the Cluster Analytic Model (CAM), to determine the relationship between college coursework and general learning, as determined by the nine item types of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and a faculty survey of perceptions of general learned abilities in relation to…

Presents a discussion illustrating student reasoning while using LOGO to draw tilted squares and rectangles. Suggests that teachers recognize that many students use visual imagery to reason and discuss visual reasoning with students. Gives examples of tasks to promote discussion. (MDH)

Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

A 2-year study at the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec) investigated the changes in six medical students' clinical reasoning processes as they participated in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. In each year, students performed a think-aloud protocol with two medical case problems to solve, one in cardiology and one in urology. In the…

This paper presents a rationale for teaching higher level thinking skills to students with special needs, including those with mild mental handicaps and learning disabilities. It briefly reviews the literature on teaching such skills, stressing that thinking skills can be taught through specific teaching methods such as a four-step method…