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Puzzles and critical thinking

kumar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:53:30 +0000

“The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking” – Albert Einstein

Let us recall a small story of the chimp closed in an experiment room with a banana hanging from the ceiling out of his reach. A researcher intending to test the monkey’s mental skills enters the room and places a few large boxes here and there thinking that the chimp would use them to reach the banana. The chimp calmly observes the researcher and as he passes just under the banana, springs up and jumps on to the shoulders of the researcher to grab the coveted fruit.

What is the moral of this story? Real problems never have anticipated solutions and the ‘context’ of a problem is as important as the problem itself.

How to solve it? This question is the holy grail of many disciplines – from mathematics and engineering, through to the sciences and business. We are constantly faced with this question during our lifetimes, both in the work environment and at home. All these represent “problems” which require some solutions … hence the question: How to solve it?

Over the years, two primary approaches to problem solving have emerged. One is the technical approach (represented in many textbooks), which concentrates on specific problem – solving techniques. The other is the psychological approach, which is based on structural thinking – meaning that some structure is imposed on the thinking process during the problem-solving activity. This article mainly concentrates on the psychological approach of problem solving for students.

Students working in a problem-based learning environment should be skilled in problem solving or critical thinking or “thinking on your feet” (as opposed to rote recall). Indeed, puzzle-based learning allows us to learn problem-solving skills. We learn by experience (as we can learn problem-solving skills only by solving problems).

The article has been contributed by Butterfly Fields, a company working in the domain of innovative teaching-learning techniques. To know more about the work the company does, visit www.butterflyfields.com or call 040 2771 1020.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Humour in the classroom

kumar — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:50:30 +0000

“So long as there’s a bit of a laugh going, things are all right. As soon as this infernal seriousness, like a greasy sea, heaves up, everything is lost.” - D H Lawrence

Humour in simple terms is to put someone in good mood. When students in a classroom are in a good mood, they are more receptive to what is said. A little bit of laughter in the classroom opens up the mind and goes a long way in triggering the interest and motivation to learn.

Humour acts as an ice-breaker and helps the teacher develop a good rapport with the students. However, it has to be kept in mind that humour should be relevant otherwise it can distract from learning the subject being taught.

Here are some ways of integrating humour in the classroom:
Exaggerate - One way to exaggerate when teaching is with numbers. For example, students can learn to distinguish 15 from 50 if you emphasize the different rhythm of 15 by writing it as fifteeeeeeeeeeeen on the blackboard. Students laugh at this, but they also remember to give a little extra emphasis to the teens as opposed to the tens. You can also exaggerate with your voice. Emphasize words like “BIG” or “LOUD”, and lower your voice for “small”, “quiet”, or “soft”. Students will often copy you when you do this.

Make intentional mistakes – Mistakes can be turned into humour and at the same time test students’ listening ability. You can easily convert any statement into a mistake by changing one key word and see how students respond. You can also make mistakes when writing on the blackboard. You can add two or three mistakes during any class period. Make sure to give a few brownie points to students who catch the mistakes!

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Dispelling misconceptions

kumar — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:13:25 +0000

I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong. – Richard Feynman

What are misconceptions?
Concepts can be considered as ideas, objects, or events that help us understand the world around us. Misconceptions, on the other hand, can be described as ideas that provide an incorrect understanding of concepts, and are constructed based on a person’s experience or hearsay. A misconception once formed is extremely difficult to change and in case of students possessing misconceptions it can be a serious impact on their learning.

Misconceptions everywhere

Environmental science

Phases of the moon are caused by the shadow of the earth on the moon.
Sky is blue because it reflects the colour of the sea.

Physics

Things float if they are light and sink if they are heavy.
Magnets don’t repel or attract in space.

Biology

Plants “breathe in” carbon dioxide and “breathe out” oxygen during day time
Girls inherit most of their characteristics from their mothers. Boys inherit most of their characteristics from their fathers.

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Learn to think differently

kumar — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:06:53 +0000

“I can’t teach anyone anything. I can only make them think.” – Socrates

– Specific thought processes, which improve the ability to be creative.
– Being in an optimal state of mind for generating new ideas.
– To think deliberately in ways that improve the likelihood of new thoughts occurring.
These are some of the definitions of Creative Thinking.

So why does a student need creative thinking? In simple terms, we need creative thinkers to solve problems. People with new ideas, people with better ideas, people who can think outside the box take the lead in the present world.

New ideas don’t just happen by chance but by a conscious effort put in by the people from an early age. How can creative thinking be made a part of child’s education? As the scope of creative thinking is not limited to any specific subject, teachers of any subject can help students think creatively in their own subject. Let us look at a few ways of incorporating creative thinking into the student’s system.

Mathematics
In mathematics, Number Systems become a very important part of the curriculum. The current Arabic number system is a result of evolution across centuries.

One way to initiate creative thinking on this topic could be to challenge the students to design a new number system. While giving this task, also introduce them to the Roman Number System (I, V, X, L, C etc), Binary Number System (0, 1), etc.

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A wonder tool for teaching and learning

kumar — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:52:21 +0000

As I write this article, I am staring at a calendar in front me. The calendar has a nice saying, “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” How true!

Innovative and creative calendars are hung almost everywhere around us; at times they talk to us, they inspire us, or may be just make us laugh. These calendars, which come in various designs and sizes (desktop, wall hanging, pocket, etc.), sometimes have wonderful photographs, inspiring quotes and they keep staring back at us as if eager to tell us that they could be wonderful tools to play with and learn.

This article is an attempt at exploring the calendar as an effective teaching-learning tool in the classroom. We are only sharing a few activities here from our limited experience of using calenders as teaching aids, but we strongly believe that there can be many more ways of using calendars in the teaching-learning process.

Getting started
To use calendars effectively, first motivate the students to collect calendars. It is always good to have a diverse collection of calendars, as they will help initiate creative discussions in the classroom.

You may like to have a collection of at least 20 calendars of each variety, viz., wall calendars, desktop calendars, and pocket calendars. These can be grouped together and kept in non-woven bags or sacks and stored in an easily accessible place.

The article has been contributed by Butterfly Fields, a company working in the domain of innovative teaching-learning techniques. Butterfly Fields also specializes in setting up innovation spaces, especially for science / math, in schools. To know more about the work the company does, visit www.butterflyfields.com or call 040 2771 1020.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Importance of innovation spaces

kumar — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:18:31 +0000

Today, innovation has become a pre-requisite for the survival and success of individuals as well as organizations. Stagnation is a sure way to regression. Can every individual and organization be innovative? Can innovation – as against invention – be cultivated? Surely, it can, because if it were otherwise, say, genetic, then spotting successful men and corporates will become as infrequent as finding a musician among the milling crowds. If we then agree that innovation can be cultivated and ‘practiced’, when do we start? From childhood, of course! That means, the space for innovation must be made available to the individual at least from his school days, if not earlier. For this article, let us confine ourselves, to the innovation spaces provided (or not provided) for children, at the school level, and its importance.

First of all, let us see what we mean by ‘innovation spaces’. Innovation space would perhaps mean the physical and mental space/ambience, provided by the school for the children, to cultivate and develop a yearning for innovation through creative application of the mind. This does not mean just providing them a ‘free period’ to think at random and some open physical space. It includes providing the basis for the thought process in the form of a principle, concept, problem, etc. (It doesn’t have to be only from the subject of science). It involves guidance, to start the rolling of the mind, and making available material and tools necessary for the young mind to experiment and explore. It also entails feeding their curiosity and letting their creative minds go beyond. Now, what happens when this process is available for the child? Does it let the mind fly free with unfettered thinking? Does it allow the child to seek answers for questions that did not exist before? Does it provide a basis for innovation by going beyond? Isn’t that what we are all looking for in our future generations? Isn’t that what helps individuals be innovative during the rest of their lives, whatever be their avocation – they do not have to be scientists or engineers by profession? It builds scientific temper in an individual and ingrains innovation as a way of thinking in them. That exactly is the importance of providing innovation spaces for children early in their lives. What better way to do this than through the schools.

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How things work

sushma — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:41:44 +0000

“Why is the sky blue?”
“How does a washing machine dry clothes?”
“Why are there dimples on golf balls?”
“How do seasons occur?”

Our quest to “know more” has led to new discoveries over the ages, which in turn have resulted in amazing inventions. A sense of curiosity and a general inquisitiveness to understand how and why things work has been the key catalyst in the progress that mankind has made. Imbibing this curiosity in the young minds of students adds to the relevance and value of classroom learning in schools.

Conventional teaching has generally included magic and mystery, factoids, and the memorizing of random information. More recent advancements in educational research have opened up teaching in the context of everyday objects. The focus of teaching has shifted backwards – objects precede concepts and concepts precede formulas. Teaching how things work is useful in everyday life. It explains things rather than obscuring them. It grows naturally from the ordinary everyday world. It emphasizes thought with understanding and builds a confidence to face the world.

The article has been contributed by Butterfly Fields, a company working in the domain of innovative teaching learning techniques. To know more about the work the company does visit www.butterflyfields.com or call 040 2771 1020.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Games in the classroom

kumar — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:02:06 +0000

“Games lubricate the body and the mind.” – Benjamin Franklin

How often do we see kids waiting to rush out of classrooms for the “games” period? Why do they look all charged up for games period? What stimulates a rush of adrenaline and eagerness in the students for games? Games in schools have long been one activity that most kids look forward to. Games are fun, challenging, and provide entertainment to students. Can the motivational power of games be tapped to make learning fun for students?

Games have been an important part of children’s leisure lives for ages and are an important part of our culture. Children dedicate long hours to playing games – outdoor, indoor, video, and of-late computer and online games. Over a period of time, teachers and parents recognized that games provide valuable skill development to children, such as:
• strategic thinking
• planning
• communication
• group decision-making
• data handling
• application of concepts learned in class

With an increasing interest in pleasurable learning, learning by doing, and learning by collaboration – researchers, teachers, and educational institutions are looking for ways to use this powerful medium to support academic learning. To understand how games contribute to learning, the nature of gaming and the nature of gamers need to be clear.

The article has been contributed by Butterfly Fields, a company working in the domain of innovative teaching learning techniques. To know more about the work the company does, visit www.butterflyfields.com or call 040 2771 1020.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Effective assessments

shalini — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:05:32 +0000

“The way a question is asked limits and disposes the ways in which any answer to it – right or wrong – may be given.”
– Susanne K Langer, American philosopher

A funny instance
Young Ramu stopped by the stationary store and said:
3 pencils at Rs 1.25/- each
2 erasers at Rs 1.50/- each
“How much does that come to?” asked Ramu.
“Six rupees and seventy-five paisa”.
“If I gave you a ten rupee note, how much change would I get?” said the boy.
“Three rupees and twenty-five paisa,” stated the clerk irritated by the questions. Ramu said, as he disappeared through the door, “I don’t want to buy the items… that’s our math assignment for tomorrow, and I needed some help with it.”

Why assessment?
The months of February and March are synonymous with exams! In fact, for many of us, both teachers and students, they are the “dreaded months”. In trying to understand why educational assessments are so important, one could see them as measures of:

a student’s ability to understand, correlate, and apply what is taught in school
a teacher’s competence in aligning what the student learns with intended objectives
an institution in overall development of children
the policy makers and educational system in delivering “finished products” to the society.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Effective learning – concept maps

kumar — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:22:57 +0000

Typically, the average person uses less than 1% of his/her brain in the areas of learning, memory and creativity – just think what could be achieved if we all used 20%, 40% or even 100% of our brain? The more effectively an individual learns to use the brain, the more successful he/she will be.

How do we learn a new concept?
Research shows a dual nature in the working of the human brain in day-to-day situations. When learning a new concept, the two halves of the human brain perform different tasks. The LEFT BRAIN works to understand the logic, words, reasoning, numbers, linearity and analysis, while the RIGHT BRAIN interprets colour, images, rhythms and spatial awareness. Effectively using both sides of the brain increases productivity and memory retention.

So, how do we use our left and right brain effectively? Concept map is one such solution. A concept map is a colourful, visual form of representing things. At its heart is a central topic of the chapter with the branches representing main ideas, all of which connect to the central idea.