Every child has potential, but what do you think is the fork in the road that separates those who find their full potential and those who never quite make it? It might not be what you think. It’s not the hours they put into study – though practice and preparation certainty counts. It’s not how much knowledge they store in their memory – though it certainly helps to remember this. It’s not what we know that determines our success. It’s how we think. If a person learns knowledge only, they’ll always need spoon- feeding. When they learn to think however, they can feed themselves. Thinking is a strange thing isn’t it? We all think, yet we don’t all think the same. Some think in ways that allow them to learn with speed, depth, curiosity and autonomy. Others see thinking as an exhausting chore that’s best avoided. We see the consequences of the latter approach all the time. It starts in kindy when they struggle to break the habit of ‘guessing’ rather than stopping to figure it out. If they continue down this path through later years, we’ll see them rush to answer questions without reading them through properly. These are the kids that can get there but never seem to actually get there. So how do we get them there? The road to successful learning can only be found with a map that is navigated using higher order thinking skills. So what is ‘higher order’ thinking? Put it this way: If gaining knowledge was like planting a seed, it must still be watered with higher order thinking before it can grow and flourish. It allows us to grow what we learn by asking the right questions to turn knowledge into action, and problems into solutions. The right question now of course, is: “how do we grow our children’s learning so that their full potential will flourish?” The answer is one click away: topoftheclass.au/higher-order-thinking.html Gives you something to think about doesn’t it… I look forward to hearing from you when you’re ready to go ahead and start the ball rolling. Best Regards
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:28:42 +0000
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