Research undertaken in Russia examines how elementary students in experimental and conventional classes assimilate the concept of a problem. The criterion of assimilation is defined as the pupil's application of theoretical knowledge of the problem to the solution of the problem. (Author/RM)

The most important factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows, and new material must be organized and integrated with this if effective learning and recall are to result. External factors such as repetition, contiguity, and reinforcement play a significant role for some types of learning. (Author/LBH)

Students often fail to apply knowledge and skills learned in one context to other situations. Although the implicit assumption in educational practice has been that transfer takes care of itself, a knowledge of the mechanisms of transfer can enable educators to help their students integrate general and local knowledge. (TE)

Research concerning the transfer of cognitive skills is outlined. Transfer is involved in learning, memory, problem solving, and other cognitive processes; it depends on domain-specific knowledge, general cognitive skills, and goals and values. Meta-cognitive and cognitive strategies facilitate transfer. Research is recommended on the interaction…

Explores how a set of possible student misconceptions about solving a complex problem can be used in computer-based intelligent tutoring systems and in computer-based exercise and test generation. Topics discussed include expert systems, misconception covers, discrimination trees, methods of acquiring the set of misconceptions, and protocol…

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)