Comments on: Can Your Homeschooler Become a Critical Thinker? http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/ Teaching Resources for Classical Education Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:20:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Can Homeschoolers Be Both Critical and Creative Thinkers Simultaneously? | The Classical Scholar http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/#comment-225 Can Homeschoolers Be Both Critical and Creative Thinkers Simultaneously? | The Classical Scholar Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:09:20 +0000 http://classicalscholar.com/2008/03/20/what-does-your-child-need-to-become-a-critical-thinker/#comment-225 [...] because your homeschoolers are critical thinkers doesn’t mean that they can’t be creative thinkers as well.   Road two of the [...] [...] because your homeschoolers are critical thinkers doesn’t mean that they can’t be creative thinkers as well.   Road two of the [...]

]]> By: Teach your Homeschooler the Art of Arrangement and Persuade Every Time | The Classical Scholar http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/#comment-224 Teach your Homeschooler the Art of Arrangement and Persuade Every Time | The Classical Scholar Tue, 13 May 2008 18:34:59 +0000 http://classicalscholar.com/2008/03/20/what-does-your-child-need-to-become-a-critical-thinker/#comment-224 [...] The ancient orator used persuasive techniques like appeals to exhort the audience to recognize the benefits that would accrue to each of them if they adopted his position. He often appealed to material, spiritual, or emotional self-interest. (Contemporary copywriters call this technique “what’s in it for me?”) Sometimes, the orator exposed the inherent danger of acting on the opposing idea. Ethical and logical appeals were also made when the orator wanted to move the audience toward decisions of public good like caring for widows and orphans. Above all, the ancient orator appealed to reason or the logic of his case, so it’s not surprising that ancient orators and audiences highly regarded critical thinkers. [...] [...] The ancient orator used persuasive techniques like appeals to exhort the audience to recognize the benefits that would accrue to each of them if they adopted his position. He often appealed to material, spiritual, or emotional self-interest. (Contemporary copywriters call this technique “what’s in it for me?”) Sometimes, the orator exposed the inherent danger of acting on the opposing idea. Ethical and logical appeals were also made when the orator wanted to move the audience toward decisions of public good like caring for widows and orphans. Above all, the ancient orator appealed to reason or the logic of his case, so it’s not surprising that ancient orators and audiences highly regarded critical thinkers. [...]

]]> By: Top 10 Traits of a Homeschool Critical Thinker | The Classical Scholar http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/#comment-223 Top 10 Traits of a Homeschool Critical Thinker | The Classical Scholar Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:31:21 +0000 http://classicalscholar.com/2008/03/20/what-does-your-child-need-to-become-a-critical-thinker/#comment-223 [...] Give them the tools that they need to achieve their fullest potential. In my next post, “What Does Your Child Need To Become A Critical Thinker?“,I’ll outline the steps a critical thinker takes when facing a problem and share some [...] [...] Give them the tools that they need to achieve their fullest potential. In my next post, “What Does Your Child Need To Become A Critical Thinker?“,I’ll outline the steps a critical thinker takes when facing a problem and share some [...]

]]> By: Diane http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/#comment-222 Diane Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:53:49 +0000 http://classicalscholar.com/2008/03/20/what-does-your-child-need-to-become-a-critical-thinker/#comment-222 Denise, WOW! You are so generous in sharing the tools that have worked in your family! I'm going to look for the 2 games that you mentioned as well as the acting handbook for my family. Thanks so much! Denise,
WOW! You are so generous in sharing the tools that have worked in your family! I’m going to look for the 2 games that you mentioned as well as the acting handbook for my family. Thanks so much!

]]> By: Denise M http://classicalscholar.com/homeschooled-critical-thinker/#comment-221 Denise M Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:34:46 +0000 http://classicalscholar.com/2008/03/20/what-does-your-child-need-to-become-a-critical-thinker/#comment-221 Critical Thinking Press offers excellent books to develop critical thinking skills! Games are a great and fun way to encourage thinking. Kids learn best when they have a passion for what they are doing. Two of our favorite strategy games are Blokus (ages 5-adult)and Carcassonne (ages 8-adult). Blokus is easy to learn yet offers enough depth to challenge both beginners and experts. Carcassone is a simple yet clever and engaging game that offers new challenges with every turn. The Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder is a great resource to encourage analytical thinking that we have implemented not only to our drama study/experience but to other disciplines as well. The author poses 3 questions when analyzing a scene: 1. What is the character literally doing? 2. What is the essential action of what the character is doing or in other words what is the purpose/motive of all the literal actions; what is the character trying to accomplish? 3. What is the action like to me? It is as if... Relate the characters' actions to your life. How to Read a Book - The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren describes the various levels of reading from elem. reading to inspectional reading and finally to analytical reading. The book outlines different approaches to different kids of reading material from imaginative literature, history, science, poems and more. Engage your children regardless of age in converations and thought provoking questions throughout the day. In the "class room setting", move away from the lecture style of teaching and imlement a tutorial style of teaching. Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Method for Literary Education is a great resource to guide you not only in teaching the classics but how to implement the socratic method of teaching which is a method of leading the student down his own pathway of thinking by asking questions. With a little creativity, you will be able to think of clever ways to encourage more thinking in both your family and classroom life. Critical Thinking Press offers excellent books to develop critical thinking skills!

Games are a great and fun way to encourage thinking. Kids learn best when they have a passion for what they are doing. Two of our favorite strategy games are Blokus (ages 5-adult)and Carcassonne (ages 8-adult). Blokus is easy to learn yet offers enough depth to challenge both beginners and experts. Carcassone is a simple yet clever and engaging game that offers new challenges with every turn.

The Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder is a great resource to encourage analytical thinking that we have implemented not only to our drama study/experience but to other disciplines as well. The author poses 3 questions when analyzing a scene: 1. What is the character literally doing? 2. What is the essential action of what the character is doing or in other words what is the purpose/motive of all the literal actions; what is the character trying to accomplish? 3. What is the action like to me? It is as if… Relate the characters’ actions to your life.

How to Read a Book – The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren describes the various levels of reading from elem. reading to inspectional reading and finally to analytical reading. The book outlines different approaches to different kids of reading material from imaginative literature, history, science, poems and more.

Engage your children regardless of age in converations and thought provoking questions throughout the day. In the “class room setting”, move away from the lecture style of teaching and imlement a tutorial style of teaching. Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Method for Literary Education is a great resource to guide you not only in teaching the classics but how to implement the socratic method of teaching which is a method of leading the student down his own pathway of thinking by asking questions.

With a little creativity, you will be able to think of clever ways to encourage more thinking in both your family and classroom life.

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