Scientific Reasoning and

The hypothetical-deductive pattern of reasoning, an advanced reasoning model common to science, can be effectively transferred to the study of English and improve both English usage and reasoning skills. E. A. KRAL T hough educators in the United States say that they already are teaching thinking and that the physical sciences and mathematics offer opportunities for learning higher-order reasoning skills, most observers agree that the goal of teaching students how to think has not been fulfilled. The reasons are varied. Perhaps the most serious defi-ciency is that teachers have never had a clear notion of just what advanced reasoning is-and just what to do to stimu-late its development in students. My own search for effective ways to promote critical thinking during thirty years as a high school English teacher grew out of dissatisfaction with what was offered by variou