The field of the explicit teaching of thinking skills has attracted renewed and growing interest in education since the late 1970s. Much of this movement has its roots in earlier works in education, philosophy, and psychology. Writers in the fields of elementary/secondary education, curriculum, cognitive psychology, epistemology, and teacher…

Systematic cognitive development, through planned experiences in the context of course work, should be a component of teacher education programs, together with opportunities to apply that learning in practicum settings. Training in cognitive skills (analysis of error, comparison and contrast, categorization, identifying relationships among…