Ways of Thinking

I firmly believe that sustainable skills with technology do not come from teaching separate courses about software, but through carefully interweaving effective technology use into our children's daily experiences. The more authentic the experience the more value they will place in what they've learned. My approach to enhancing a student's skills with technology is to encourage different ways of thinking. Here are a few ways of thinking that are essential in 21st Century education: Global Thinking, Spatial Thinking, Conceptual Thinking, Systems Thinking, Communicative Thinking, and Integrated Thinking. Though there are definitions for each of these labels, I prefer using a real example:
    Three first grade boys get into an altercation on the playground and would typically have been separated and reprimanded, however systems thinking offers another possibility.(Watch Video #3) As a group, the boys investigated how saying "mean things" lead to "hurt feelings" which then lead to more "mean things" being said. They drew out a reciprocating loop diagram and discussed ways they could break this cycle. Through Systems Thinking each boy could now design strategies to better adapt to all manner of future situations. Additionally, if any of these three were to see other students fighting they could help prevent it from happening.
    The next post will clearly identify each way of thinking and provide examples, resources, and ideas for finding these opportunities in a classroom setting.