Sometimes adults have an image of the child that values learning specific skills, answering close-ended questions with correct answers, and developing a fixed mindset. Children who grow and develop in this environment, then, are likely to learn limited skills, learn to answer questions with correct answers, and not develop their abilities to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate.
When providing professional development on developing children's thinking, some teachers tell me that when they ask certain children good open-ended questions, their question is responded to with a shrug, silence, or "I don't know." Repeating the question doesn't help. My sense is that these children have already learned to give right answers, and their thinking skills have not been developed. As teachers, then, our starting point, for this child is to create a new image of himself. Ask this child a remembering or understanding question. Respond positively and reinforce that it is good to answer questions. When receiving no reply to an applying, analyzing, evaluating, or creating question, use self talk yourself to model an appropriate answer. Get excited when another child answers a higher level question. Ask for the attention of other children, and ask the child to repeat her answer. Be enthusiastic: have everyone applaud, say "good thinking!", and point to the child's brain with a smile. Over time, your children will learn that you value thinking and answering higher level questions. A new image of the child will begin to develop
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John Gunnarson
Woodacre CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-12-2018 09:33 PM
From: Makaila Mason
Subject: July Book Club: Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking by Janis Strasser and Lisa Mufson Bresson
Hope it's ok to just pop in to this discussion. Love this book, love how easy it is to quickly grab ideas and share the materials with classroom staff. Plus having it come to me with my NAEYC membership put me well ahead of the game when my district caught on to it a month later..
After reading the first chapter I immediately began rethinking all of my student interactions. They had become some short and focused on one-word answers because of school dynamics. This book brought me back to what I know is right and my principal was very proud that I chose to stick to what I know.
I have a question/dilemma though, when I introduced it to the assistants in my classroom, one of them responded "I just don't think all children are capable of higher order thinking" and continued to explain that she felt as though some children just liked worksheets and completing simple, quick answers to right or wrong questions and also discussed that our special education students were really not capable of this due to their disabilities. I am a firm believer that all children are capable of higher order thinking and that we should include all children but not expect all responses to come back in the same way. I'm curious what others think of this and if anyone has advice on how to support co-workers on accepting the differing abilities of young children and including them in richer "conversations."
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Makaila
Original Message:
Sent: 07-06-2018 02:20 PM
From: Kathy Charner
Subject: July Book Club: Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking by Janis Strasser and Lisa Mufson Bresson
Dear Hello Community:
I'm excited to remind you that we are about to start the second iteration of our online book club on HELLO. Our second book will be Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking by Janis Strasser and Lisa Mufson Bresson. We invite you to jump in and explore the topics introduced in this book, with support from other members and the authors. Each week, the authors will post a question from the book for you to consider and will participate in the discussion over the course of this month.
The first, introductory question will be posted this coming Monday - and then after that, a new question will be posted every Friday - just in time for you to think it over with your Saturday morning coffee as you read the Hello digest!
How it Works:
- If you don't already own it, purchase the book (if you're a member, use your 20% discount!).
- Have you already read the book? Share how you've implemented it in the classroom with the Book Club!
- Participate in the discussion.
- Log into HELLO (if you're not a member, join now!) during the second week of July to analyze and talk through the first question.
- Join the thread called "July Book Club: Big Questions for Young Minds".
- Share your thoughts and discuss.
Looking forward to all the great discussion,
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Kathy Charner
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Silver Spring MD
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