Cognitive science has recently emerged as a new interdisciplinary field incorporating parts of psychology, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and linguistics. Its goal is to bring the theoretical and methodological resources of the contributing disciplines to bear on an integrated investigation of thought, meaning, language, perception,…

Discusses certain teachers' rejection of prepackaged curricula for infusion of critical thinking skills into their teaching. Observational learning develops thinking skills and deepens understanding of causality and responsibility, whether the context is the Battle of Lexington or Chicken Little's dilemma. Strong administrative support is needed…

Discusses the development of the thinking function and factors influencing that development, and presents strategies for teaching thinking. (MD)

This guide (developed in response to a mandate from the Iowa General Assembly) is designed to help faculties and administrators in developing curriculum and improving instruction in higher order thinking skills. The guide synthesizes the varied and not always consistent ideas about thinking into an approach that will be useful to educators as they…

Programs to teach students critical thinking must empower them to be self-directed, but they must also stress respect and empathy for the viewpoints of others. (Author/TE)

Thinking tools bring sound instructional theory into the classroom in a practical form that students and teachers both enjoy using. Six such tools are described that have the general characteristics of psychological validity, concreteness, relevance to teachers, and differentiation by type of learning. (TE)

Suggests basic principles to guide the construction of an integrated sequential guide for thinking skills instruction throughout the K-12 curriculum. Strategies emphasize introducing and reinforcing cognitive operations such as information processing, problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. (TE)

Describes the use of Edward de Bono's CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) program in English classes during the past five years at Memorial Junior High School in Valley Stream, New York. CoRT tools were used to analyze literary characters and plot development and to generate and organize ideas for writing assignments. (TE)

With Matthew Lipman's Philosophy for Children program, middle school students and their teachers in the Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Area School District use dialectical reasoning strategies as they contemplate perennial questions. (Author/TE)

At Westover (Connecticut) Elementary Magnet School, a teacher training program called "Talents Unlimited" focuses on critical and creative thinking, invites children to become active learners, and enables teachers to function as facilitators of learning. (TE)

"Talents Unlimited," a research-based model for teaching thinking at the elementary level, has proven to be an effective model for the secondary level as well at schools in New Mexico, Arkansas, and Alabama. The program emphasizes strategies that help teachers integrate practice in thinking skills with academic content. (TE)

"Talents Unlimited," a program developed in Mobile (Alabama) County Public Schools in 1971, nurtures students' abilities in five talent areas as the foundation for academic proficiency: productive thinking, communication, forecasting, decision making, and planning. (TE)

Teachers in Howard County, Maryland, are finding that project IMPACT, a critical thinking skills curriculum originally designed for remedial junior high school students, can be successfully adapted for elementary students also. (TE)

Tactics for Thinking is a comprehensive staff development program that can be adapted to specific curriculum needs in local districts. San Diego County (California) is training teachers in three categories of cognitive strategies: learning to learn, content thinking skills, and reasoning skills. (TE)

Teachers in Cherry Creek, Colorado, have selected a variety of programs for teaching thinking, according to the needs of their students and their own interests. A thinking skills framework modeled after ASCD's Dimensions of Thinking (Marzano et al., 1988) is now being proposed. (TE)