In this paper, the author talks about community building and the power of active listening. Active listening is a particular kind of listening that requires conscious effort; it is a type of listening that some rarely practice and sometimes is virtually absent from classroom interactions. Thus active listening itself may be deceptively simple…

Step-by-step, schools from the elementary through high school levels are making the transition to 21st-century learning. Some have crossed the threshold almost entirely. In today's progressive classrooms, yesterday's rows of quiet listeners have given way to small groups of active learners, thoroughly engaged in discussions and explorations. And…

By understanding how the brain works, educators are better equipped to help students with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention. That's the promise of brain-based learning, which draws insights from neurology, psychology, technology, and other fields. Bringing this information to the classroom can help teachers engage diverse…

The George Lucas Educational Foundation began in 1991 with an ambitious mission: to demonstrate how innovative learning environments in classrooms, supported by powerful new technologies, could revolutionize learning. As an organization founded by George Lucas, its members believed that the same benefits of technology that were transforming…

This study investigated obstacles to teaching civic education in the United States, a country whose government was established on democratic principles over 250 years ago, and Hungary, a European country presently making the transition to a government based on democratic principles. The purpose is to compare the obstacles within these two…

Identifies current problems in teacher education, recognizing larger social dilemmas and the need for change; discussing the need to acknowledge one's perpetuation of social problems; and examining how to transform schooling through a major shift in critical reflection on social issues, noting teachers' role in achieving educational and social…

Offers the image of the quilting bee as a contrasting representation of critical thinking (or constructive thinking), comparing the two images, discussing a quilting bee representation of knowledge construction in terms of the tools used by quilters (knowers), and summarizing the transformation of critical thinking theory that a quilting bee image…

Introduces a volume that examines the issue of critical thinking and whether or not it is culturally specific, discussing recent research on the subject. The papers focus on critical thinking and culture, historical consciousness and critical thinking, critical thinking as cultural-historical practice, culture and the development of critical…

Examines research on the relationship of critical thinking to culture, presenting theoretical arguments on critical thinking, discussing current theories of intelligence, describing Western versus non-Western cultures, offering implications for teachers, and arguing that critical thinking is an activity found in all peoples regardless of cultural…

Approaches critical thinking as a socially constructed orientation embedded in collective histories, asking how social conditions and cultural representations may foster critical thinking. Examines the work of Vygotsky and Gramsci, suggesting that concepts forged in literate or academic traditions are the basis for critical thinkings. Also…

Explores critical thinking as it has been constructed in schooling and in dominant traditions of psychological theory, presenting a dialectical view of critical thinking suggested in the social and philosophical writings of critical theorists (e.g., Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse) and supported by the sociohistorical or cultural-historical…

Discusses the dynamics of cultural change and human development, considering their similarities. Highlights experiences with Tikuna tribe members involved in an educational and cultural project for cultural development and autonomy for community members, emphasizing moments related to critically thinking about one's cultural experience to develop…

Discusses reflective thinking as developed in the teaching practice of Developmental Education, an approach based on the ideas of Vygotsky and the tradition of psychological theory of activity. Describes the ideas of Dewey and Vygotsky on the process of reflective thinking and examines the notion of reflection in developmental education and the…

Critiques the views of E.D. Hirsch, highlighting limitations of his book, "The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them." The paper acknowledges Hirsch's influence on public opinion about school reform, but details flaws and errors Hirsch makes, asking foundational scholars in teacher education to better prepare students to respond to social,…

Discusses teacher confession as a pedagogical tool that can prepare teachers for the reality of diversity, arguing that confession is a necessary precondition to preparing present and future teachers to attempt anything critical in their classroom. The paper summarizes literature on critical pedagogy, distinguishes between personal and…