Chapter 14 Becoming Thinkers

Higher-level Thinking Many types of higher-level thinking  Comparing  Construction support  Logical reasoning

Teaching Children to Compare Comparing  Focus on similarities and differences  Start with items for comparison  Decide which characteristics to use  Make observations

Teaching Children to Compare Help from a Venn Diagram  Each item represented by a circle  Overlap Shared characteristics  No overlap Unique characteristics

Teaching Children to Construct Support Explaining reasons for personal opinions, vales, and beliefs  Clearly state opinion, value, or belief  List reasons that support their opinion, value, or belief  Compare personal positions to Scriptural principles  Revise reasons based on scripture  Organize reasons into a convincing explanation

Teaching with Real-Life Dilemmas Real-life dilemmas are engaging way Get older children to think about values/beliefs Steps:  Present the situation  “What would you do?” Choose story lines that  Are rooted in real life  Are just beyond your children’s personal experience

Teaching Children to Use Logic Three types of logical reasoning  From specific examples to general principles  From general principles to specific examples  Parables (metaphors)

Teaching Children to Use Logic Specific-to-General Reasoning (Induction)  Observation of several specific examples  Create a rule to explain observations  Test the rule for usefulness/accuracy

Teaching Children to Use Logic General to Specific Reasoning (Deduction)  State an accepted rule or generalization  Make conclusions on the basis of that generalization  Test the conclusion for appropriateness

Teaching Children to Use Logic Parables (Metaphoric reasoning or Abduction)  Help express ideas that are too grand or complex to put into words Examples in the Bible and church hymnal  “The morning stars sang together” (Job 38:7, NKJV)  “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV)  “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5, NKJV)

Teaching Children to Use Logic Specific-to- General General-to- Specific Parable InputAdam is dead Queen Esther is dead Apostle Paul is dead All humans dieAdam died InputAdam, Esther and Paul were human I am humanThe grass in my lawn died ConclusionAll humans dieI will dieAdam is a grass

Teaching Children to Use Logic Steps for Teaching Inductive Reasoning  Present the children with a “data set.”  The children place the data into groups of their choosing Children must be able to give at least 2-3 reasons to explain what kinds of things fit in each category No item can fit in more than one category Allow a miscellaneous category for supposed “misfit” items

Teaching Children to Use Logic Steps for Teaching Inductive Reasoning (continued)  Make additional observations “Test” the accuracy of their generalization(s) “Test” validity of conclusions

Teaching Children to Use Logic Steps for Teaching Deductive Reasoning  Identify new situation or topic  Identify general principles or rules that apply  Double check to make sure the rules apply  Draw a conclusion or make a prediction What will or should happen Based on the rules and the situation

Teaching Children to Use Logic Steps for Teaching Abductive Reasoning (Parables)  Present a collection of objects  Each child selects an item  Children to “get to know” their items  Look for metaphoric similarities  Children explain their parable

Keys to Becoming Thinkers Higher-level thinking must be taught Comparing  Finding similarities and differences Constructing support  Giving good reasons for beliefs and values Thinking logically:  Specific-to-general reasoning  General-to-specific reasoning  Parables

Keys to Becoming Thinkers Specific-to-general reasoning  Observation of specific examples  Creation of a general principle General-to-specific reasoning  State a general principle  Draw conclusions about specific instances Parables  Comparison of seemingly unlike things  Use of metaphor