This book assists teachers to understand why basing instructional practices on cognitive theories of instruction can better prepare students to become strategic learners. The volume synthesizes and distills findings from current research and identifies instructional components that enable teachers to implement strategy instruction in the basic skill areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. It also indicates how classroom resources can be selected and used to support the use of cognitive strategies. Following an introduction to the use of cognitive strategies, in chapter 1, "Designing Educational Programs for Thoughtful Learning: The Promise of Cognitive Strategy Instruction," chapters 2 through 4 review the instructional components for implementing cognitive based reading, writing, and mathematics instruction, and indicate the features of classroom media and materials that support these activities. Chapter 2 is titled "Guiding Students To Develop Strategic Reading Capabilities," and chapter 3 is titled "Communicating and Learning through Writing." Chapter 4 is titled "Cognitive-based Principles for Teaching Mathematics--A Problem-Solving Perspective." Chapter 5, "Developing Students' Strategic Learning Capabilities through the Application of Collaborative Learning Methods," presents a discussion of collaborative learning methods such as peer tutoring and cooperative learning that often enhances strategic learning capabilities. Four appendixes present examples of methods designed to increase strategic reading capabilities, composition instruction, approaches designed to enhance problem solving capabilities, and collaborative learning methods. (Contains 31 figures, 7 tables, and numerous references.) (SLD)