How should gifted kids be taught scientific thinking skills and reasoning?
The ability to think scientifically is very important for living in today’s complex world. But again, there is no reason to believe that “gifted students” should be taught scientific thinking skills and abilities differently from other students. Richard Paul and I have just completed a miniature guide to scientific thinking for students and teachers. To a large extent, scientific thinking should be taught in the same way that any discipline should be taught. Students should learn to think through the content, to see scientific content as a mode of reasoning that is understood through thinking, assessed through thinking, and applied through thinking. They should first learn, truly learn, what science is. Most students go through years and years of science instruction, yet never learn what science is. They cannot articulate the concept of science. They don’t apply scientific laws and principles to situations in their lives. For example, many people believe in the ancient practice of astr
