Students in Grades six, seven, and eight were asked to integrate existing information and initially unknown answers to prose-related questions for answering superordinate questions. Results suggest that grade level development of hypothetico-deductive skills interacts with instructional prompt levels and that these skills are essential to…

Described is how using LOGO tools for manipulating embodiments of geometric objects helps students construct more abstract and coherent concepts. Discussions are included on developing verbal definitions versus constructing concepts, tasks for integrating turns and angles, group discussions, and maze tasks. (KR)

Proposed is a way for teachers to distinguish between rich, challenging material that encourages mathematical thinking and material that is unsuitable. Included are multistep problems that encourage a broader understanding of mathematics. (KR)

Major visuospatial and verbal abilities were assessed for 197 10-year-olds in Hong Kong and 170 10-year-olds in the United Kingdom. The Hong Kong subjects resembled their Japanese counterparts in having high Searman's "g," exhibiting abstract reasoning ability, high spatial ability, high perceptual speed, and low word fluency. (SLD)

Good college teachers are masters of their subjects; are organized, prepared, and clear; demonstrate that they know and care about their students as individuals; display listening skills; create a positive environment for learning; and relate abstract ideas to the realities of everyday life. (JB)

Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)

Science is at heart a rational activity. Reasoning, being an important component of critical thinking has been successfully taught using Socratic methods. As an approach, the instructor or designer of instruction models an inquiring and probing mind focusing on providing questions and not answers. The main aim has been to allow learners to…

This study describes the learning of researchers who engage in mathematics teacher education as an integral part of their practice. As teacher educators working with teachers on the subject of proportional reasoning, the authors reflected on teachers solutions to a standard problem and analyzed answers that would conventionally be considered…

This study examined cognitive processes and outcomes associated with student knowledge base development. Sixty-nine students from two grade 8 classes were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a knowledge base development (KBD) group, a problem-solving software group, and a control group. Those in the KBD group received relevant instruction…

This evaluation of the 1988-89 Instrumental Enrichment (IE) program in selected special education classrooms in Detroit (Michigan) found that the program was partially successful in achieving its goals. IE uses a series of paper-and-pencil exercises and follow-up discussions to increase participants' academic achievement, improve behavior, and…

As human understanding is largely metaphorical, what metaphor is, how children use it, and how they can be taught to use it more effectively are important educational concerns. A direct or indirect comparison between two apparently unlike things, metaphor consists of a topic, a vehicle of comparison, and ground--or traits--linking the topic and…

Using techniques of inference appraisal suggested by T. A. van Dijk and R. J. Sternberg, a study investigated whether by assigning particular writing tasks it would be possible to influence the way readers produce inferences about a text. Subjects, 52 ninth grade students, read especially prepared booklets and completed either a paraphrasing,…

After presenting a research review indicating that English as a second language (ESL) secondary school students need to improve their thinking skills, this paper reports on a study in which 136 analogies were developed for use as tools to teach these students to read at inferential and applied levels. The vocabulary source for the analogies was…

This paper summarizes a report designed to provide the National Science Board Commission with information about recent advances in cognitive/behavioral science relevant to mathematics, science, and technology education, as well as prospective contributions from these fields if adequate levels of support are available. Following a summary…

As part of an investigation of the effectiveness of a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activity in developing students' graphing skills, this study was specifically designed to examine the differences between females and males in both performance on graphing tasks and on their attitudes to graphs and graph-based activities. Results based on a…