During the first two years that I taught LD students, I used a lot of games and activities to encourage them to use thinking skills and problem solving. I moved to a new state and school district where the students fought me every inch of the way until I finally gave up and resorted to worksheets, which is what they were used to. I realize that I shouldn’t let a bunch of high school kids beat me, but I admit defeat, because they weren’t even attempting the problem solving activities that we did. I have recently come to the conclusion that maybe they don’t even know how to solve problems and have never had to think for themselves. I am at a loss at what to plan for next year. I don’t want to do worksheets because they never learn anything from them, but I don’t want them to fail because they can’t/won’t do their work. What can I do to teach them to think and solve problems?
Re: getting students to THINK-HELP!
What a great question! What about hands-on activities starting from scratch?
Maybe treating the curriculum in a science/social science mode. Get some petri dishes and expose them to the air. In a couple weeks, they’ll grow very interesting looking things. Ask them to problem solve around what might get rid of those interesting looking things. What household substance? They could brainstorm through some common household substances and you could try out a few. We also make old-fashioned paper airplanes and vie to design the one that flies farthest by weighting the front with pennies or paper clips. We do a similar thing by choosing an object and bringing it in to vie for the thing that rolls faster or farthest down a hill.
Another “thinking activity” I do with kids is reading a short but very exciting passage from a book outloud. Then ask them what they think will happen next.
I also show short but “cliff-hanger” clips from films and then ask them what they think happened next. Then after we’ve all brainstormed our way to a guess, I read the next few pages in the book or show the rest of the film. It also works to show a part of a film that presents a problem and ask students how they would solve the portrayed problem.
Another exercise from the social sciences that I like a lot is bringing in a bag of cookies and asking them how we’ll arrive at the decision of who gets the cookies. (be prepared for a little bedlam) We talk a little bit about the difference between a monarchy, a pure democracy, and a representative democracy. I ask them to pick a form of government first, then the king or the representatives next. Sometimes we give everyone a turn at being a representative as I continue to bring in bags of cookies.
Another one that can get them observing and do a little focused thinking is to have them observe me and then I go outside the room and change one thing about myself which could be to take off an earring or a ring or some small change. Some get quite good at that and they take turns being the one to go outside and change something.
Another one is to give them paper clips and newspaper and have a contest for the first to build a house from it (that stands up). Some of the books on cooperative learning have very intriguing problem solving activities in them that tend to hold student’s interest.
I’m not sure what kinds of problems you are including — math, logic, inference?
http://www.criticalthinking.com has a number of workbooks that help stimulate critical thinking and logic. Their visual perception workbooks are very good.
http://www.epsbooks.com has a series of workbooks on solving math word problems. The series title is “It’s Elementary!”
You can email Rainbow Resource from their website (http://www.rainbowresource.com) for a copy of their printed catalog, which is a goldmine of information for homeschoolers. They have an entire section of critical thinking and logic activities. Although the company caters to homeschoolers, a resource room teacher could find a lot of stimulating games and activities in it.
Favorite games we have used that stimulate thinking and reasoning skills are SET and Rush Hour (both available from Rainbow Resource).
Mary