Made you think

Asking why leads one into complex thinking. What or who could be the one persistent influence that could make a child “smarter”?

Teachers are especially vital to higher-level thinking skills such as “thinking about thinking”, or using cognitive strategies. All children can learn to use strategies, change strategies as they learn new information, and evaluate whether a strategy works. Children can ask themselves what worked, what was new information, what has changed, and why. Skillful teachers help children find methods to recall, ways to analyze and categorize, and eventually, methods to explore, affirm, create, and evaluate. As the need gets more complex, the strategies do too, like rising platforms.

Teachers know how to build in the steps to the platforms. Good teachers construct exercises that involve both “knowing” and “knowing what to do”. At every level, teachers approach content and cognitive strategies using experiences that are age-appropriate. Teachers construct, build, challenge, and reward. Teachers matter.