Writing is the highest form of thinking, as evidenced by neuroimaging that shows how more neural networks are activated simultaneously during writing than during any other cognitive activity. This book will help teachers understand how the brain learns to write by unveiling 15 stages of thinking that underpin the writing process, along with…

Parents want to work with their children's teachers to help them succeed in school. "What Brain Research Says about Student Learning" provides parents and teachers the most recent findings in brain research and learning theory in a very approachable way. The reader will see how the child's brain develops, learns, remembers, and creates…

Integrating the WMSF Case Study competition into a capstone course will create a whole new dynamic for students. The case studies provided by WMSF are valuable for students because they demonstrate that strategically selecting a target and creating a media mix that will communicate to the chosen target sometimes requires a flexible, human brain…

Parents in the United States expect their students to have homework; and students, especially in middle school and high school, expect daily homework assignments from their teachers. However, it is difficult to create effective homework assignments. Despite the challenges involved, the authors believe that homework "can" be an important…

Students learned a strategy for planning, writing, and evaluating compare-contrast essays. Instruction followed the principles of self-regulated strategy development, which aims to improve knowledge about writing, strategic writing processes, self-regulation, and motivation. Six adolescent students, 3 with learning disabilities in writing and 3…

Asserts that the literature on the use of writing in sociology ignores a systematic view of how writing relates to the discipline of sociology. Examines C. Wright Mills' concept of "sociological imagination." Provides suggestions for teachers who require student writing and seek to help student become better writers. (CFR)

Conversation is a basis for critical thinking. It is the thread that ties together cognitive strategies and provides students with the practice that becomes the foundation for reading, writing, and thinking. In recent years, proficient reader research has yielded information about what good readers do as they comprehend text. This article provides…

Increasingly, national stakeholders express concern that U.S. college graduates cannot adequately solve problems and think critically. As a set of cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills provide students with tangible academic, personal, and professional benefits that may ultimately address these concerns. As an instructional method, writing…

Describes the use of the writing-across-the-curriculum approach in a college psychology course. Reports on a study of the effect of summary writing exercises on 16 students. Finds that participating student scores on the final examination were eight percent higher than nonparticipating students. (CFR)

Middle school classrooms are a natural laboratory where the relationships between science, reading, and writing can be developed and strengthened to provide a foundation for students' learning and future career success. Teachers do not need to know "everything" about science and reading to raise student achievement. Rather, they need to know a few…

Maintains that the history of psychology course is a common capstone course in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Describes exercises designed to encourage active learning and critical thinking. Presents basic steps in completing the exercises and students' reactions to them. (CFR)

Proposes a learning model that includes components of critical thinking and social critique in writing assignments. Reports on results of an experimental course designed to use graduate student teaching assistants to improve students' critical thinking and writing skills. Describes the positive results of the course. (CFR)

Asserts that written work has advantages over oral discussion in the development and assessment of students' critical thinking skills. Describes a set of short writing assignments that focuses on eight essential aspects of critical and creative thought. Provides examples of how to use writing assignments in college psychology courses. (CFR)