I have been talking to teachers in public, private, and charter schools and they all say the same thing. Even now, three years after the pandemic, they are still struggling to get students back to where they were before in terms of behavior and learning. These teachers are looking for ways to help their students focus better and to engage them in learning.
I have also spoken with many homeschool parents who, for one reason or another, have chosen to teach their children themselves. They are looking for ways to engage their children in learning too. At the last Arizona Families for Home Education conference in Phoenix this past July, I presented a session on Teaching Higher-Order Thinking Skills to a packed room.
Unfortunately, we cannot simply show our students how to do something and expect them to magically become proficient. Neither can we open their skulls and pour the knowledge in. How cool would that be?!
Learning takes work, practice, engagement, and commitment from the student to be effective.
So, how do we address these student deficiencies and help them to regain what was lost?
We must convince them that they want to learn, and we must teach them how to think. If they don’t know how to think, they will not be able to learn.
I can’t tell you how many times I had a student ask me what they needed to know for the test. The student was looking for a concise phrase or droplet of facts that he or she could memorize and regurgitate back on a test. They were never happy with my answer.
Why?
Because it is easier than ever today to “google” a fact in less than 20 seconds. What is needed instead is the ability to see a problem, brainstorm possible solutions, and test them to find the solution. This requires higher-order thinking skills, and frequently, learning to work with others. Both these components are lacking in our students and need to be developed.
I have been surrounded by education and higher learning my whole life. My father was a physics professor and my mother was an elementary teacher and though she only taught professionally a few years, she never lost that teacher heart, continuing to teach her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren in every moment.
My brother and I could never go anywhere without either my mother or my father finding an opportunity for a teaching moment. We quickly learned not to ask direct questions like, “Daddy, why is the sky blue?” because we always received an answer in much more depth than we expected! But the lessons didn’t stop, they evolved and became the norm.
As we examined tide pools for living creatures, listened to stories of mole people who came to steal away naughty children, created pipe-cleaner fairies, learned survival skills in the forests and deserts, marveled at the Anasazi cliff apartments and the leaning tower of Pisa, or pondered Dad’s question of “what’s wrong with the Venetian doorknobs?” (which were in the center of the door, rather than at the edge) and, more importantly, “why is that a dumb way to open a door?”, we were learning to view the world with wonder. We were learning to think and to love learning!
How do we bring this love of learning to our own children and students?
Engagement starts with good stories, and higher-order thinking starts with good questions!
Over the next few weeks, I am going to share with you the why and the how of teaching higher-order thinking skills, and (hopefully) will equip you with ideas and suggestions for engaging and inspiring your own children and students to want to learn.
If you are really to engage younger children with silly stories while imparting practical wisdom, check out our series, Troll Tales and Other Stories from Grandma's Cottage.
“Oscar is a very funny looking character. I like him a lot.” Girl, aged 8
“Such a naughty fish! I thought the fish was the best character. I also liked how clever [Oscar] is – for a troll!” Boy, aged 8
Happy reading!
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