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HOW TO ANSWER CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS...IN A WAY THAT PROMOTES HIGHER ORDER THINKING

by Alice Thomas M.Ed.

Parents and teachers can do a lot to encourage higher order thinking, even when they are answering children's questions. According to Dr. Robert Sternberg, a professor of psychology and education at Yale University, answers to children's questions can be categorized into seven levels, from low to high, in terms of encouraging higher levels of thinking. While we wouldn't want to answer every question on level seven, we wouldn't want to answer every question on levels one and two, either. Here are the different levels and examples of each.

1. Reject the question.
   Examples: "Don't ask me any more questions."
   "Because I said so."
2. Restate or almost restate the question as a response.
   Examples: "Why do I have to go eat my vegetables?" "Because you have to eat your vegetables."
   "Why is that man acting so crazy?" "Because he's insane."
   "Why is it so cold?" "Because it's 15o outside."
3. Admit ignorance or present information.
   Examples: "I don't know, but that's a good question."
   Or, give a factual answer to the question.
4. Voice encouragement to seek response through authority.
   Examples: "Let's look that up on the internet."
   "Let's look that up in the encyclopedia."
   "Who do we know that might know the answer to that?"
5. Encourage brainstorming, or consideration of alternative explanations.
   Examples: "Why are all the people in Holland so tall?" Let's brainstorm some possible answers." Maybe its genetics, or maybe its diet, or maybe
   everybody in Holland wears elevator shoes, or ... etc. When brainstorming, it is important to remember all ideas are put out on the table. Which ones are "keepers" and which ones are tossed in the trash can is decided later.
6. Encourage consideration of alternative explanations and a means of evaluating them.
   Examples: "Now how are we going to evaluate the possible answer of genetics? Where would we find that information? Information on diet? The number of elevator shoes sold in Holland?" etc.
7. Encourage consideration of alternative explanations plus a means of evaluating them, and follow-through on evaluations.
   Examples: "Okay, let's go find the information for a few days - we'll search through the encyclopedia and the internet, make telephone calls, conduct interviews, and other things. Then we will get back together next week and evaluate our findings."

This method can be equally effective with schoolwork and with everyday matters that are not "schoolwork" such as how late an adolescent can stay out on Saturday night or who is getting to go to a concert. For example, polling several families that are randomly or mutually chosen may produce more objective results than either parent or child "skewing" the results by picking persons whose answers will support their way of thinking.


HOT Activities

Making Connections
Individually or in groups, find a way to connect the pairs of nouns in the list below. Brainstorm with others. Be creative. Look for "hidden" or not-so-obvious ways or concepts to connect them.
Examples:
chair, steak
The connection: "Chop-chop" We "chop" up a tree to make a chair, and we "chop" up a steak to get it into bite-sized bits so we can eat it.

bike, pencil
The connection: They are both transporters. A pencil transports your thoughts to paper, and a car transports people to their destination.

1. lake, school
2. feathers, make-up
3. photosynthesis, farm
4. drawer, CD
5. car, ring
6. file, floor
7. control, war
8. cord, knob
9. leaf, bed
10. bank, fork

You may continue the list with any two randomly generated nouns.

Investigating Thinking Skills
Individually interview three adults with different careers to see which type of intelligence is used most often for each of their jobs. Use the questions below and add any more that you feel might be important to ask.

Then, as a class, make a chart of the occupations that fall the most under each thinking skill (the answers to #5 below, for each occupation). List all of the occupations down the left side of the chart and write and Analytical, Practical and Creative in columns across the top of the chart. Then categorize the responses from each occupation under the correct column headings.

1. Describe the type of work that you do.
2. During a typical day, what kinds of things do you do that require you to analyze information?
3. What activities do you do that require you to be creative?
4. What kinds of things do you do that require you to be practical?
5. Would a person need to be more analytical, creative or practical in order to do your job? Please explain why.