As consultants who infuse the "Habits of Mind" into schools, the authors explain how spreading these habits through school can increase the whole school's well-being and feed teacher efficacy. They list seven factors that can create a "culture of efficacy" that draws on these 16 habits (thinking dispositions at the core of…

No matter what path students pursue in postsecondary education and in life, they need to be able to problem-solve and think critically. The study of mathematics teaches skills and habits of mind that are an essential part of the formula for students to succeed in further studies and in their careers. Requiring all students, regardless of the…

This piece explores conditions that stimulate classroom activities to facilitate creative habits of mind in an effort to motivate educators and students to better understand the complexities of creativity and how to promote it.

Social innovations are creative products and changes that are motivated by social needs and bring value to society by meeting those needs. This article uses case studies to investigate the cognitive and social processes that contribute to creativity in social innovation. The cases are: Wendy Kopp with Teach For America in education, Cicely…

In two experiments, we studied how people's strategy choices emerge through an initial and then a more considered evaluation of available strategies. The experiments employed a computer-based paradigm where participants solved multiplication problems using mental and calculator solutions. In addition to recording responses and solution times, we…

Reviews procedures followed during traditional organizational change and identifies factors that lead to increased intrinsic motivation. Topics discussed include problem solving, level of challenge, competence, people as information processors, curiosity, task complexity, the need for organization, and choice in degree of control. (17 references)…

Background: Teaching styles in physical education (PE) found prominence through Muska Mosston's teaching styles "Spectrum" model. Mosston's Spectrum has been remarkably successful and its logic currently underpins the conceptualisation of teaching styles in many PE practices in Western education systems, including those in the United…

Mothers of children with developmental disabilities were reevaluated two years after participating in a life skills training program utilizing a cognitive behavior approach to reduce stress and depression and improve communication and problem-solving skills. Participants (n=153) reported lower stress, lower depression levels, and improved coping…

In developing programs to foster purposive social change, it is imperative that program planners receive information regarding the perceptions of those in key positions and the general public concerning the major problems or issues facing a county. This report assesses the characteristics of leaders from several North Carolina counties in regard…

The existence, before any formal physics instruction, of schemata which lead to an idiosyncratic interpretation of real world events, which physicists see as exemplifying principles of physics, is now well established. Because these interpretations are often at variance with physicists' interpretations, they have been labeled, among others,…

Four evaluation methods for determining educational policy are objectivism; subjectivism; emotive-imperative; and instrumentalism. For the objectivist, the rationale for undertaking an evaluation is based on empirical verification or non-verification of claims of existing policies or activities. Secondly, the objectivist is interested in…

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is based on the heliotropic principle, which has been variously described as art and science, holistic theory and practice, and practical philosophy and change process. AI engages people and organizations in discovering what gives life to human systems when they are most effective and constructive and using that knowledge…