Through the experience both in the classroom and travels, the author comes to define the key aspects of critical thinking (CT) as "individual skills that facilitate logical and informed decisions." Beyond personal anecdotes, scientifically, the import of CT has been shown in many walks of life (see, e.g., Bauwens and Gerhard [1987]).…

In using wordless picture books, teachers enhance the reading experience while fostering, nurturing, and broadening students' reading and writing skills. Wordless picture books are accessible to "all" students. They encourage and require readers to slow down as they inhabit and comprehend the story told through art, symbolism, and…

We examined the influences of pre-solving pause time, algebraic knowledge, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics anxiety on middle-schoolers' strategy efficiency in an algebra learning game. We measured strategy efficiency using (a) the number of steps taken to complete a problem; (b) the proportion of problems completed on the initial…

According to Ruetzel & Cooter, "… writing and reading are mirror processes with reciprocal benefits" (2019, p. 316). When teachers provide opportunities for reading and writing practice every day, children flourish. What better place to infuse this practice than through children's play. As children play, they think critically, answer…

Montessori was very specific about the value of observation. Observation may feel like a never-ending chore--a routine that is difficult to fit into the day that results in data that is difficult to use once collected. No matter the reason, observation can inspire feelings of discomfort, inadequacy, and confusion. Viewed from this perspective,…

In digital interactive and immersive performance, the body of the audience member is the locus of both meaning-making (through embodied, sensory operations) and meaning itself (through the affective experience of self as hybrid, open and interconnected). This article draws on André Lepecki's concept of 'will to archive' to argue that the body can…

A novel game that captures the central dimensions of climate change mitigation as a social dilemma is presented. Students play the role of countries sharing a global atmosphere. In each round, carbon emissions are released and accumulated in the atmosphere, making climate change consequences more severe and difficult to mitigate over time. Without…

In this time of climate change, many young children dream about finding ways to save the planet. The curriculum teaches about the problems -- and about the small changes that can be made to slow down global warming. But children need more skills for the jobs of the future and to be taught how to bring their amazing ideas to life.

The current pandemic might temporarily slow down environmentally destructive economic growth. However, claiming that we are flattening the curve of (un)sustainability is dangerous. The global sustainability crisis is not just being driven by uneconomic growth but also increasing global inequality and social stratification. Teaching this key lesson…

State and local policymakers are making consequential decisions about the treatment of race and racism in schools. It is crucial to slow down, consider the evidence from research and experience, and apply that knowledge to improve teaching about race and racism. Authored in partnership between the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program…

The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) encourages educators to help kindergarteners formalize a big idea in physics: A push or pull can cause an object to begin moving, speed up, slow down, stop, or change the direction it is going (NGSS Lead States 2013). In this article, the authors share an exciting, classroom-tested…

Teaching students to become critical consumers of interviews, which often serve as influential sources for learning and interpreting world events, is important in today's information-rich world. This paper outlines an approach to teaching in-depth interviewing in which students examine excerpts from interviews (e.g., archival collections, oral…

Purpose: This paper aims to understand why higher education institutions (HEIs) struggle to become sustainable institutions themselves despite providing relevant teaching and research on sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Using 17 open-ended, semistructured interviews to determine common themes (codes) regarding sustainability, the…

This article explores the use of visual tools--maps, diagrams, graphic organizers, and illustrations that link two or more ideas together in a conceptual manner--and how they are commonly used in deaf education. Visual tools improve the quantity and quality of learning in language, science, and mathematics across all ages and all groups of deaf…

Finding messaging to promote the use of face masks is fundamental during a pandemic. Study 1 (N = 399) shows that telling people to "rely on their reasoning" increases intentions to wear a face mask, compared with telling them to "rely on their emotions." In Study 2 (N = 591) we add a baseline. However, the results show only a…