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Activating Dormant Skills By Isolating and Targeting Different Thinking "Muscles"
Activating Dormant Skills By Isolating and Targeting Different Thinking "Muscles"
Like a muscle, the brain can be target trained and strengthened. And the more it is practiced correctly, the stronger the thinking pathways become.
Activating and igniting the weak thinking "muscles" requires coaching & intervention. Coaching and intervention involves isolating, targeting and Strategic development of skills.
ISOLATING means separating each of the skills from their CONTENT matter and focusing entirely on the mechanisms of the skill like it was a mental muscle of the brain. This includes the critical step of breaking down each skill in its tiny steps so children can understand better their application.
The other aspect of intensive coaching includes TARGETING each thinking skill separately. For example a particular problem may require several different thinking skills to arrive at a solution. Targeting helps children understand each skills separately such as at what stage are they analysing or comparing or synthesising etc. That is like separating the "gears".
The third important aspect of coaching involves a STRATEGIC APPROACH. Strategic approach allows development through different levels of complexity in a thorough and progressive manner.
SPORTS TRAINING & BRAIN TRAINING
SPORTS TRAINING & BRAIN TRAINING
In physical pursuits such as swimming, driving, or sporting, we expect coaches to isolate, target and mediate the development of important skills. They are critical for success. However, when it comes to THINKING SKILLS, we expect development to happen by default.
Leaving thinking development to occur by chance or as a by-product of engaging in other subject content learning could be short changing our kids future success as independent learners and thinkers. Loosely described it would be like asking children to learn sporting skills by simply participating in a match.
Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net David Castillo
Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net David Castillo
No athlete can ever reach the heights of their career by practice....and practice alone. A professional coach is always necessary to isolate and target the development of necessary skills. Thinking Skills development & Improvement requires similar intervention
The Following 3 Links Explore the Ideas of This Section in More Detail
The Following 3 Links Explore the Ideas of This Section in More Detail
Although THINKING SKILLS TRAINING is not a new phenomenon, it has certainly been brought to the forefront of education because of revolutionary changes to our current social and economic environments. For example where once upon a time learning achievement was measured in the mastery of SUBJECT CONTENT alone, it is now balanced with mastery of the PROCESS OF LEARNING which requires a much higher level of thinking from the learner.
Although THINKING SKILLS TRAINING is not a new phenomenon, it has certainly been brought to the forefront of education because of revolutionary changes to our current social and economic environments. For example where once upon a time learning achievement was measured in the mastery of SUBJECT CONTENT alone, it is now balanced with mastery of the PROCESS OF LEARNING which requires a much higher level of thinking from the learner.
When new information becomes available on the market on new diet or physical health & well being, we are very quick to adopt and trial them. However when it comes to our BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, and our mental functionality and performance, we generally remain complacent and leave everything to develop BY CHANCE.
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