Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 142 posts

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#121

Post by kirillzubovsky »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #32
tboyd47 wrote: post #2

Show them by example how to be skeptical without accusing people of lying, and mention often the many reasons why people say things that might not be completely true. Also, you need to make sure you yourself don't lie to them. A lot of parents still teach their kids to believe in Santa Claus. I know this is one of those cultural sacred cows, but I strongly think this should not be done. Kids need to be able to trust…

My wife and I agreed to be rigorously honest with our daughter. When "Santa" came up I was initially very uncomfortable with the lie. After discussing it with my wife we opted to go on with the lie under the conditions that it not be used for any kind of negative reinforcement-- none of the "Santa is watching you..." kind of stuff-- and that the "reveal" needed to be handled appropriately. When she does deduce the li…

LOL. My mom was visiting us when my 5 year old asked about Santa. I explained with a stone cold face that Santa isn't real, presents come from mom and dad, and instead of waiting for Xmas we just get her things when she needs them, and that's why she didn't get anything for Xmas while her friends did. My mom was petrified, but my daughter didn't seem to care. Kids are really okay with adult stuff, there is more than one way to sparkle delight in their life, and it doesn't have to be Santa (imo).

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#122

Post by feydaykyn »

tmaly wrote: post #60
sundarurfriend wrote: post #24

A similar question came up on the Less Wrong forums recently (more specifically focused on rational/critical thinking and scientific experimentation): https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yF6FLgWnRdKMYpm9g/rationalit...

this is the first I have heard of this forum. Are there any other posts you recommend on there?

You can read "Harry Potter and the Method of rationality", by the author, it's a fun rewrite of Harry potter, and it's instructive as a bonus!

https://www.hpmor.com/

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#123

Post by sundarurfriend »

tmaly wrote: post #60
sundarurfriend wrote: post #24

A similar question came up on the Less Wrong forums recently (more specifically focused on rational/critical thinking and scientific experimentation): https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yF6FLgWnRdKMYpm9g/rationalit...

this is the first I have heard of this forum. Are there any other posts you recommend on there?

(Assuming you mean posts relevant to the topic here:) Since I don't have kids, this isn't something I've looked out for, so all I was able to find were a post[1] linked from the comments on the above link, and then two posts linked from there [2] [3]. The Parenting tag [4] might also be of some interest to you.

[1] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wSEGsjDPtSWkAtXce/teaching-r...

[2] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NAfZr8tHe5fPZyab4/bed-time-s...

[3] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ZhoyWrqXRShbee4bS/raising-nu...

[4] https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/parenting

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#124

Post by nomoreusernames »

you dont teach them how to think, you give them space to make mistakes and learn from them, and when they lack a quality that they need to solve a problem, you wait until they exhaust themselves and then you give them a hint (not a direct one, but one bound to the domain they need to learn). you keep doing this. and you tell them to question their selves. and through experimentation you tech them not to take 'failure' as failure but to understand the bigger picture and that they are just confirming through failure. they are working on a problem. and they should never associate their self image with the thing they are studying. and tech them to study all sides to get the bigger picture. not just individual pieces. and have fun. if the kids not smiling or looking excited/anxious about the results. then something is not right. let them lead the course. you are just like a good psychologist. supposed to sit there and help them not to do stupid and dangerous stuff. but ultimately you let them self develop and grow at their own pace in their own way.

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#125

Post by tubularhells »

Strategy board games, not just go and chess but more modern ones like Pipeline, Nevsky, Lisboa to mention 3 radically different games) will both engage the mind of young kids and allow for them to build mental maps at their own pace. look for medium-heavy boardgames on boargamegeek for you to play with your kids, and the two of you can develop the kids taste and cognitive abilities at the same time while having fun.

I do not recmend the above games to 6-8yo, buy something like Azul Summer Pavilion might be up their alley.

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#126

Post by ibobev »

Isn't learning basic math and programming a good start for developing logical thinking? There are programming languages like Scratch[1] intended for teaching programming to very young kids. I never try it, but maybe it is a good start for developing logical thinking in young age.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_%28programming_languag...

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#127

Post by circlefavshape »

andi999 wrote: post #79
circlefavshape wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't really have easter bunny in Ireland

Ahh. Didnt know. So what about st patrick driving out the snakes?

haha - we have st. patrick's day obvs, with various traditions associated with it, but the snake myth is not something anyone really subscribes to or cares about

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#128

Post by andi999 »

AnxietyBytes wrote: post #21
andi999 wrote: post #20

I believe you should ban 'because I say so' as an answer. I dont know if it is good or harmful, but I generally say if I dont know an answer and if I know it is a question the answer nobody in the world knows, I will say this as well.

This. I remember my parents using this excuse all the time when I was a kid and it felt like such a cop-out. There is an answer for everything, even if it is "I don't know" or "nobody knows". I despise "because I said so" now and my wife and I don't use that phrase with our 5 year old, we always try to find the best answer to his endless list of questions.

The only thing I worry about there (i worry a lot...), maybe this dispise in the child can trigger to find out what really goes on. (Cannot explain well, its like you need to ban swearwords otherwise they wouldnt have any emotional power)

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#130

Post by tmaly »

m-i-l wrote: post #70

At our school there is a lot of support for the "growth mindset". In summary, you praise the effort more than the results, believing anyone can do pretty much anything with enough effort (contrast with the "fixed mindset" where abilities are considered innate). Keeps children actively learning, and not resting on laurels or giving up because they think they aren't good enough. Seems to make sense - I remember reading…

I praise my daughter telling her she worked hard, that is why she got her results.

I think that aspect of growth mindset is still valid. If you tell a kid they are smart, they will be in for a shock when someone smarter comes along.

Post reply on HN