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Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

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Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#131

Post by tmaly »

stakkur wrote: post #116

Learning 'how to think' isn't exactly a goal for 6-8-year-olds. At this age, the focus should be on integration --learning to get the mind and body (and will or spirit) working together, being in the world. 'Thinking' isn't really the focus. Ages 6-8 also involve two separate developmental periods: a six-year-old is in a much different place than an 8-year-old. I like how Waldorf approaches this: https://en.wikipedia…

I am not too familiar with the Waldorf system.

If we were to invert the question, How to teach kids not to think?

What would the answer look like?

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#132

Post by shireboy »

tmaly wrote: post #43
shireboy wrote: post #16

Not 100% sure what aspect of thinking you mean, but in general, Read, read, read. Figure out how best to do for your family, but for ours (4,8,11yo, but we've done this since the first was ~3): * Every night, read them out loud classic books slightly over recommended reading age. We started with Jungle Book, Riki Tiki Tavi, other Kipling, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, etc. These days we just finished Lord of the Rings a…

That mensa list looks great, thank you for sharing. I have been trying to read to the kids as much as I can. It depends on homework and schedules. Right now we are almost through The Hobbit.

It is hard to fit in sometimes, but even just 10-15 minutes right before bed can work. Plus Audible in the car gets us another hour or so a day. I actually started when the oldest wouldn't go to bed as a way to settle him down.

We love The Hobbit. My 8yo the other day at dinner said "If Frodo or Bilbo had just killed Gollum instead of being kind to him, then Middle Earth would not have been saved." A great discussion of justice vs forgiveness ensued, but unfortunately did not carry over to their sibling rivalry ;)

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#133

Post by tmaly »

ibobev wrote: post #126

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...

I do teach Scratch, it allows for more creativity than other platforms. However, there are still some very abstract concepts that kids do not really get till they reach the 4th and 5th grades. 1st graders really struggled with it in my experience. If you have a parent with programming experience it is usually not an issue.

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#134

Post by tmaly »

seg_lol wrote: post #115
knaq wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I take issue with the idea that "Children want to please their parents". Especially around age 13 or 14, pissing off parents is a sport.

Yeah you only get 6 or 7 years before the relationship changes. Seemingly large for the child but a fleeting blip for the parents.

Is this true for all cultures or only Western ones?

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#135

Post by thorstenn »

biophysboy wrote: post #23

Kids really love silly. I think this is key to getting them to think. For example, with my very young niece, I would tell her nonsense stories, where there's a purple lion on the back of the turtle, etc. Keeping track of this weird story kept her gears spinning. Other times I would tease her and say that my name was her name, or that blue was purple. I would try to mimic her voice, or draw out syllables in a funny wa…

I've found the same thing. It's a good way of keeping kids thinking while having fun. Furthermore I think it builds confidence in their own way of thinking and a natural scepticism to new information. Is the world playing tricks with me again or is it valid information?

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#136

Post by thorstenn »

hosh wrote: post #25

The ideas I had been studying these days come from Carol Sandford. I am not sure how to summerize her work. In the case of developing a person’s (be they children, teens, or adult) capabilities, it comes in a couple ways: 1. First, linking intrinsic motivation with something meaningfully contributes to something outside of them. The catch? This is something the person chooses for themselves, based on what Sandford ca…

This sounds similar to Montessori. The Montessori schools have fostered many entrepreneurs.

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#137

Post by tmaly »

shireboy wrote: post #132
tmaly wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That mensa list looks great, thank you for sharing. I have been trying to read to the kids as much as I can. It depends on homework and schedules. Right now we are almost through The Hobbit.

It is hard to fit in sometimes, but even just 10-15 minutes right before bed can work. Plus Audible in the car gets us another hour or so a day. I actually started when the oldest wouldn't go to bed as a way to settle him down. We love The Hobbit. My 8yo the other day at dinner said "If Frodo or Bilbo had just killed Gollum instead of being kind to him, then Middle Earth would not have been saved." A great discussion…

I find reading before bed really helps to get them to sleep. It gets their minds off what ever they were thinking about.

I myself get extremely tired when I try to read something close to bed.

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#138

Post by tmaly »

saint_abroad wrote: post #14

Foster an environment where kids can practice asking (the right) questions: https://youtu.be/APVaTRNQmJc Good activities are open-ended for more opportunity to question. Drop an egg, improve its survivability.

that is a great video. Can you suggest any more like it?

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#139

Post by tmaly »

tubularhells wrote: post #125

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.…

Have you ever heard of this game called Cat Crimes?

Re: Ask HN: Teaching kids how to think?

#140

Post by tmaly »

whalesalad wrote: post #77
tmaly wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often try to explain mental models to her using some of the material from FS. We have covered Inversion, Second Order Thinking, Occam's razor

Occam's razor is a really fantastic concept for a kid to learn early on!

I think there is one flaw to Occam's razor.

Who decides what the simplest explanation is?

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