Teaching thinking
Introduction:
As a result of the enormous and rapid developments experienced by Arab societies like the western societies that preceded it in the areas of development needed to focus in different ways such as conferences, seminars and training workshops on one or more topics related to thinking, creativity and move away from tradition and teaching.
It could be argued that the transition from the traditional model of education to the paradigm of creative education, or teaching the thinking process and difficult, but possible if you narrow the gap between theoretical concepts and practice at the level of class and school the first place. But it needs to develop the system of administrative relations, technical and procedural matters between the parties related to the educational process, educational, and especially at the school level as a key development.
Teaching thinking skills between rhetoric and practice:
Everyone agrees that education for thinking or learning skills, an important goal of education, and schools should do all it can to provide opportunities to think about their students.
Is considered by many teachers and educators that the task of developing the student's ability to think about an educational purpose and put it in the forefront of their priorities. However, this objective is often collides with reality when the application, because the existing educational system does not provide sufficient experience in thinking.
The schools rarely provide opportunities for students to carry out their educational missions stems from curiosity, or based on questions they raise for themselves, while the majority of workers to the field of educational convinced enough the importance of developing thinking skills in students, and emphasize that the mission of the school is not filling the minds of the students with information, as much as is needed to stimulate your thinking, and creativity, but they are living with prevailing practices in our schools, not one of them tries to break the wall of the familiar or leave it.
Examples of behavior prevalent and common in many of our schools and teachers are keen on generation after generation, and did not take the educational development plans the following:
1 teacher is the first and last word in the row.
2 teacher is the center of action and a monopoly on most of the time share and student recipients are lazy.
3 rarely away from the teacher or give up on the blackboard chalk, or uses the techniques of modern education.
4 teacher depends on a limited number of students to give them questions classroom.
5 does not give the teacher the students enough time to think before you refer to someone to answer the question.
6 teacher fond of issuing comments disappointing and unfair judgments to those who respond in a different way than thinking of.
7 Most Frequently the teacher of the kind that requires low-level skills.
The adoption of the goals of our educational institutions to develop the capacity of students to think requires them to develop a variety of mechanisms to assess student achievement and that requires us to shift part of our conceptions about the methods and philosophy, calendar, and is not inevitable for the success of any educational program centered development thinking in students.
Impediments to teaching thinking skills:
1 the general trend in the development of curricula and textbooks in public education is still affected by the prevailing assumption that the process of accumulation of vast amounts of information and the facts necessary and sufficient for the development of thinking skills among students, and this is reflected on filling the minds of students with the information, laws and theories by rote , as reflected in the construction of school tests and general knowledge and training class and homework, which weighs memory and develop higher levels of thinking of analysis and criticism, and calendar.
2 focus by the school, and learning objectives, and a message of science to the process of transfer and delivery of information rather than focusing on the generation and use, and notes in the teachers monopolize most of the time to speak without attention to the questions and the activities conducted require careful consideration and reflection, or interest in giving a positive role for students who Teachers declare that they are the center of the educational process and its purpose.
3 different views on the definition of the concept of thinking and to identify its components are clearly facilitate the process of development activities and effective strategies in education, leading in turn a major problem facing the educational and administrative bodies in its application.
4 often depends on the education system and education in the evaluation of students on school tests and the general strength of questions requiring cognitive skills are low, as knowledge and understanding, and if it represents the ultimate approach for the decision and the objectives of education.
Therefore, education for thinking, or learn a skill for a nice echo always in theory, but on the ground, the field practices do not reflect this trend.
Why learn the skills of thinking:
First: The Thinking is a vital necessity of faith and discover the laws of life.
Has called for the Koran, he urged to consider mental and meditation and examination, and turn it on his face to understand and perceive.
II: Thinking subtle does not grow automatically: This leads us to distinguish between two types of thinking:
1 think a normal day, which naturally acquired rights, which is similar to the ability to walk.
2 clever thinking, which requires meaningful and organized instruction Mrana constant so that it can reach a maximum range, this type resembles the ability to climb mountains, or throw, and other skills that require unique thinking.
Thus, the efficiency of thinking - Contrary to popular belief - is not just a natural ability associated with the natural growth of a child of necessity, the knowledge content of the course material or subject matter is not in itself a substitute for the knowledge of thinking processes and efficiency in it, yet we do not doubt that the knowledge in one area form the foundation of the thinking in this area, and the most successful people in the thinking of a subject are more people aware and know it, but knowledge alone is not enough, and must be accompanied by the knowledge of the thought processes, and adequacy of which even be thinking on the subject highly skilled and productive.
It is clear that meaningful education can play an effective role in the development of processes and thinking skills that enable individuals to develop competence think-tank.
III: the role of thinking in life and academic success:
Thinking playing subtle key to the success and advancement of individuals within the institution and outside, because their views on the educational work and school tests and attitudes of life during and after the study is the product of thinking, which determined the success or failure.
Based on the above thinking skills education is one of the most subtle concepts that can be carried out by the teacher or school for reasons such as:
1 Education clearly direct the operations of the various thinking skills and helps to raise the level of the student think-tank.
2 the clear teaching of the direct processes and thinking skills necessary to understand the subject of study could improve the level of student learning in this subject.
3 education processes and thinking skills give the student a sense of conscious control on his mind.
And when this is coupled with the improvement of education level of achievement among students a sense of growing self-confidence in the face of school assignments and life.
IV: Thinking a renewed vigor to the survival of the individual and the community together in the world today and tomorrow. This world which is characterized by the flow of information and renewal, the world of communications that made the United sprawling small village.
Faced with this reality highlights the importance of learning thinking skills and processes, which remain valid renewed their usefulness and their use in processing information of any kind.
Thus, student learning thinking skills is like giving him the tools he needs to be able to deal effectively with any type of information or variables that brings the future.
Fifth: teaching thinking skills benefit the teachers and schools together:
It is noted for going on inside the classrooms in our schools, the role of the student in the educational process is very limited and negative, not exceeding a receive operation, or control of the scene that is being planned if that was actually planned and implemented by the teacher in all its details, the marginal role of students is secretion of the traditional classroom environment based on the work, which is determined by the practices of the learning process based on repetition and repetition and conservation of abstract understanding.
The opposite is safe classroom climate based on the student, which provides opportunities for interaction and reflection by the students.
The teaching of thinking skills and education to think of invoking the degree of excitement and attraction of the classroom experience, and make a positive active role of students, is reflected in many ways, including: improved academic achievement and their success in school tests of excellence, and achieve educational goals that teachers and schools bear responsibility, and the outcome of all beneficial to the teacher and the school and the community.
Is it possible to teach thinking skills?
There is almost complete agreement among researchers who have been in their writings on the subject of thinking that teaching thinking skills and create exciting opportunities to him are of the utmost importance, and thinking skills should be a prime target for educational institutions and education.
The many researchers in the field of higher thinking skills that can be improved training and anchors, education, and skill is no different than any other skill can be learned.
There is strong support for the assumption that it will start automatically on the basis of maturity or natural evolution.
And one researcher points out that the neglect of teaching thinking skills due to the presence of two propositions:
1 that the thinking skills can not be taught.
2 argue that the need to teach thinking skills.
However, the researcher ends to confirm the invalidity of these assumptions based on scientific evidence and the process that had accumulated over the years.
The researchers believe the necessity of discriminating between the education of thinking, and teaching skills, teaching is thinking means providing students adequate opportunities to exercise and motivate and excite them to it. As for teaching thinking skills in a meaningful and concentrates directly on teaching students how and why the skills and strategies to carry out the thought processes of clear-cut, Kalttbaiq and analysis and induction and deduction.
One of the researchers say that intelligence is a set of thinking skills and learning to be used in solving the problems of everyday life, is also used in the educational field, and that these skills can be diagnosed and learning.
Programs of teaching thinking skills:
Varied education programs and thinking skills, according to the theoretical approaches and experimental thinking on the topic, and major theoretical trends that were built on the basis of education programs and thinking skills as follows:
1 programs cognitive processes:
These programs focus on the operations or cognitive skills to think about, such as: comparison, classification, and the conclusion because they are essential to acquire knowledge, and information processing.
2 programs on cognitive processes:
These programs focus on thinking as a subject in its own right and the teaching of thinking skills over knowledge, which controls the cognitive processes and run, and most important:
Planning, monitoring, and calendar, and aims to encourage students to think about learning from others, increase self-awareness of thinking processes, and the most important programs that represent this trend the "philosophy" of the children, and skills over knowledge.
3 treatment programs and symbolic language:
These programs focus on linguistic systems and symbolism as a means of thinking and expression of the products of thinking.
It aims to develop thinking skills in writing, analysis and logical arguments and software, which means Bntegat complex thinking such as writing literary and computer programs, those programs and computer software language and sports.
4 discovery learning programs:
These programs emphasize the importance of teaching methods and specific strategies to deal with the problems, and aims to provide students with several strategies to solve problems in different fields of knowledge, which can be applied after educating students with special conditions appropriate to each area. It is based on the reconstruction of the problem, and the representation of the problem with symbols, pictures, and the graph.
5 education programs systematic thinking:
Adopt this program curve Piaget in cognitive development, and aims to provide students with expertise and training of the movement from one stage to the stage of the physical processes that starts with abstract operations where the development of logical thinking, scientific, and focus on exploration and thinking skills and reasoning, and to identify relationships within the traditional course content.
Methods of teaching thinking skills:
The one of the researchers think that like any other skill of the individual trying to learn, it must be learned and even mastered the exercise, as well as the reflection on the individual to learn and practice skills, methods and rules and tools to be able to think effectively. And also that the skills of any game (like tennis and football and bike riding, etc.) can be learned, the thinking skills can be learned as well.
Some researchers believe that the thinking skills and processes directly, regardless of course content, while others believed that it can integrate these skills and processes within the course content, as part of lesson plans that are attended by all teachers depending on the subject of specialization.
Method of Bayer (beyer) to teach thinking skills:
This method of combining the skills of thinking and different subjects. Or the teaching of thinking skills according to the context of teaching school subjects.
This method consists of several steps and are:
1 The teacher Thinking of assessments within the context of the topic that he is studying, and starts by mentioning the name of the skill and write a goal of the study, and gives the words are synonymous in meaning, and know the skill in a simple, practical, and end the submission to review the areas that can be used and the importance of the skill learned.
2 The teacher in some detail the major steps to be followed in the application of skill and rules or information useful to the student when used.
3 the teacher to assist the students in the application of the skill step by step, pointing to the target and the rules and the reasons behind each step, and preferably teacher uses an example of the topic that he is studying.
4 The teacher to conduct a discussion with students after the completion of the application to review the steps and rules followed in the implementation of the skill.
5, students solve a practical exercise with the help of another teacher supervision to ensure mastery of skill, and students can work individually or in small groups.
6 being the teacher a general discussion in order to detect and clarify the personal experiences of the students about how their implementation of the skill, and try to use inside and outside school.
The definition of thinking:
In its simplest definition is: a series of mental activities carried out by the brain when exposed to the stimulus, is received through one or more of the five senses.
Is in the broad sense: a search for meaning in the suspension or the news.
And start thinking usually when the individual does not know what to do just that.
Just an understanding of justice and injustice, hatred and the courage to activities carried out by the brain when thinking activities are invisible and intangible, and in fact is not visible outputs do not think.
The difference between thinking and thinking skills:
Thinking is a holistic process through which the mental processes of the sensory input, information compiled for the formation of ideas or reasoning or judge it, a process not fully understood, and include recognition and treatment of past experience and informed and to embrace and intuition.
The thinking skills are specific exercises we practice and use it deliberately in information processing, Kmharrat identify the problem and find assumptions mentioned in the text, or rectify the strength of the evidence or the prosecution.
To clarify the relationship between thinking and skills could be compared as a metaphor between thinking and playing tennis (tennis).
Tennis game is composed of many specific skills such as: throw first, throw projective ... etc. all contribute in determining the level of play or quality.
And thinking as well as consisting of multiple skills contribute to proficiency in their respective effectiveness of the process of thinking, and thinking requires integration of specific skills within a holistic strategy in a given situation to achieve a goal.
Characteristics of thinking:
Thinking is characterized by the following:
1 think a targeted behavior, does not occur in a vacuum or without a goal.
2 behavior of evolutionary thinking is becoming increasingly complex with the growth of the individual, and the accumulation of expertise.
3 effective thinking is based on the best information possible available.
4 perfect in thinking is not possible in reality, and thinking can be very effective schoolchildren training.
5 is formed of overlapping elements of thinking, which includes the Pacific time "reflection period" and the situation or occasion, and the subject, which is the thinking.
6 different patterns of thinking occurs (verbal, symbolic, spatial, formal ... etc.).
Levels of thinking:
The researchers argue that the level of complexity in thinking is due mainly to the level of difficulty and abstraction in the task or what is known Palmthir.
Therefore dispersed in the area of thinking between the two levels have two:
1 basic thinking or is the minimum level.
2 composite or thinking-class boat.
The number of basic thinking skills, including knowledge (acquisition, remember), and observation and comparison and classification, a mastery of skills necessary to go before it becomes possible to address the complex levels of thinking.
The composite reflection is distinguished as follows:
1 can not determine the route which is adequately in isolation from the process of analyzing the problem.
2 includes a vehicle or multiple solutions.
3 contains the judging.
4 uses multiple criteria.
5 needs to be effortless.
6 establishes the meaning of the situation.
The evolution of thinking in children:
Thinking develops in children with emotion environmental and genetic factors, and is the evolution of mental processes, and building knowledge on a regular basis or pace, and becoming increasingly complex and intertwined with the progress in the level of maturity and learning, one researcher points out that the perfection of thought is elusive, but a satisfactory solution of every problem is is not possible, and that the person who is expected to find a solution for every problem and take the right decision every time a person is not realistic.
Rating thinking in terms of effectiveness:
Can be classified as thinking in terms of the effectiveness of two types:
I think effective: a type is achieved when two conditions:
1 follow the methods and methodology are reasonably healthy.
2 uses the best information available in terms of accuracy and efficiency.
This type of thinking requires training as the basis for understanding the methods of the hand, and the development of skills on the other hand, apart from that there must be a number of trends that can be developed personal training program to strengthen the thinking skills and, most important of these trends as follows:
1 mile to identify the issue or problem.
2 taken to monitor the well-informed.
3 Use reliable sources of information.
4 Find several alternatives.
5 the search for causes and presentation.
6 careful review of the different views.
7 openness to new ideas and inputs.
8 a willingness to modify the situation.
9 sentencing when the availability of data and evidence.
Second thought is effective:
It is to think that does not follow a systematic and clear and precise, and builds on Mkhaltat, or false assumptions, or arguments irrelevant.
These are some behaviors associated with effective thinking is:
1 of deception and abuse the use of propaganda to steer the debate away from the subject.
2 resort to force to abort the idea.
3 ill use of language, intentionally or otherwise away from the heart of the problem.
4 left in decision-making be appropriate.
5 to resort to resolve the situation on the way right or wrong, with the possibility of the existence of several options.
6 formulate hypotheses contrary to reality.
7 oversimplification of complex problems.
Complex kinds of thinking:
1 critical thinking.
2 creative thinking.
3 solve the problem.
4 decision-making.
5 thinking over knowledge.
And includes every kind of think the previous several skills that distinguish it from others.
Was the first part and will be followed by Part II: Types of thinking
Setting
Mr. / Mohamed Yahya Mahioub Ali
