Dr. Jeanne L. Paynter

As we saw in Tip 1, metacognition is “above and beyond” thinking. We use metacognition when we ponder: “What is the best way to solve this problem? Am I being successful with this strategy, or do I need to make modifications? What goals motivate and engage me? What are my stre...

Dr. Jeanne L. Paynter

“Stop, look, and listen before you cross the street.” This is an early example of how we teach children metacognition: literally, thinking about (our) thinking. Metacognition is that “above and beyond” analytical thinking we use to set goals, plan, select appropriate problem-s...

So far, we’ve explored the importance of explicitly teaching the concept and attributes of logical reasoning as an aptitude that innovators use in the convergent (focused) stages of creative problem solving (Teaching Tip 1).  We’ve seen how we can make it an instructional goal that focuses students ...

I'd like to share a tried-and-true instructional strategy you can use to develop learner's logical reasoning: concept attainment. This strategy enables you to “teach the content” while you develop learners’ aptitude for logical reasoning. You can use concept attainment with any of your required curr...

Tomorrow’s innovators (our children today) must become adept at open-ended (divergent) and focused (convergent) thinking. For example, their curiosity and creativity fuel open exploration of many interests and possibilities. Then, they must use logical reasoning to draw conclusions based on evidence...

Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s just not logical.”  (Perhaps that person was you!). What makes reasoning logical?

Logical reasoning is a type of critical thinking that helps us to see the relationships among facts, deduce patterns and rules, and apply them to make objective judgements.

Wh...