Lo Gr9 m1 Thinking

8/3/2019 Lo Gr9 m1 Thinking

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THINKING SKILLS

LEARNING AREA LIFE ORIENTATION

GRADE


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MODULEFRAMEWORKAND ASSESSMENTSHEET

LEARNINGOUTCOMES(LOS)

ASSESSMENTSTANDARDS(ASS)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTASs

Pages and (mark out of 7)

LOs(ave. out of 7))

Tasks or tests(%)

Ave for LO(% and mark out of 7)

LO 3 We know this when the learner:

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The learner will be able to

use acquired life skills toachieve and extend personalpotential to respondeffectively to challenges in hisor her world.

3.3 responds appropriately to emotions in challengingsituations;

3.4 explains what has been learned from achallenging personal ineraction by criticallyreflecting on own behaviour;

3.6 critically evaluates own application of problem-solving skills in a challenging situation.


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GET A HEAD START!

The human brain is wonderful and is more complicated than the newestcomputer. It works 24 hours a day - even when you sleep. It receives andprocesses all the information you receive from the world around you through yoursenses.

Your senses send a flood of information to the brain. Everything that you see,hear, smell, taste and touch is given meaning in your brain. Your brain sorts,thinks, remembers, creates, compares, plans, solves problems - even if you arenot doing it consciously.

The brain "floats" inside your skull in a "shockproof" liquid and is further protectedby three cushioning layers of tissue.

If you could take your brain to pieces, you would find three main parts, the leftand right cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum and the brain stem which linksthe brain to the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

If you looked at the brain under a powerful microscope, you would see a

complicated mass of nerve cells, called the "grey matter" of the brain. Thesenerve cells are connected by a network of nerve fibres to nerve cells all over yourbody. The brain contains 10 billion nerve cells - which is only a tenth of thebrain's cells. This wonderful structure and its functions make the computer lookrather primitive, doesn't it?

BRAINBENDER

Encircle the words that refer to the brain and its functions in the word block below.

B H E M I S P H E R E SR E Y E S I G H T Z Y O

A A E F I B R E S C X L

I R N E T W O R K X Z I

N I S P I N A L C O R D

S N E R V E C E L L S X

T G R E Y M A T T E R Z

E C R E A T E S N E W Z

M E M O R I Z E S A L L

PSST! DON'TBECAUGHTWITHWORDSTHATDONOTREFERTOTHEBRAIN.

READON


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READ ON

Many people have a specific right or left brain dominance. This has certainimplications for the way in which they learn. But more about this when we get tolearning and studying.

The right hemisphere is the side which specialises in imagination, daydreaming,rhythm, colour, the whole picture and spatial awareness.

The left hemisphere specialises in words, logic, numbers, sequence, analysisand lists.

A study technique like mind-mapping helps a person to use both hemispheres tolearn, to understand and to remember.

How to know if you are right brain or left brain dominant:

Here are some questions that you can answer to find out. This is not astandardised test for brain dominance, but it should give you an idea.

1. You prefer to study from your text book. Yes No

2. Your notes are neat and numbered. Yes No

3. You learn better from direct experience. Yes No

4.Your notes are in the form of mindmap,drawings or squiggles.

Yes No

5.You prefer to hear the whole story beforeseparate facts are really meaningful to you.

Yes No

If you answered "yes" to the first two questions and "no" to the rest, you areprobably left hemisphere dominant. If you answered "no" to the first twoquestions and "yes" to the rest, you are probably right brain dominant.

Often people which are right brain dominant, very creative and not veryorganised, have a tough time at schools who cater for left brainers who aremethodical and organised. It is important for right brainers to learn to organisetheir thoughts and for left brainers to work on flexibility of thought and creativity.

We will do exercises designed to help you improve the functioning of both sidesof your brain during this course.

We have started off with a bit of background information, but the course willbecome more practical as we go along.

LO 3.4

THEOBTAININGOFINFORMATION


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THE OBTAINING OF INFORMATION

A person uses his or hersenses to obtain information. This includes your abilityto see, to hear, to taste, to smell and to touch. The senses send messages to thebrain where the information is processed and the brain relays messages to thebody in turn on what to do.

Have you heard people talking about a sixth sense? It is also called intuition, afeeling that you get about a situation or a person. Have you ever heard someonesay: "I don't know what it is, it just doesn't feel right" or "The moment I saw that, Ijust knew..."? We all are in the possession of a sixth sense and not all of us arevery aware of this ability. People also allege that women have a better developedsixth sense than men. What do you think?

What about common sense? A person with common sense is a person whosomehow knows what to do and when to do it. Do you think it has to do withlogic? Is it instinctive? Maybe it is the product of thinking rather than a way ofthinking, I do not know.

ANYWAY, LET'SCHECKOUTYOURCOMMONSENSE!

Which senses do you use when you:

buy perfume

go to a music concert

eat at a restaurant

buy clothes

choose a friend

cross a busy street

watch television

are being taught

If you were able to see immediately that each action requires more than a singlesense, I think you have common sense. If you have failed to see that, I think ateacher could help you by explaining what each action entails.

LO 3.3

PENTO PAPER


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PENTO PAPER

Have you ever experienced a situation in which your sixth sense played a majorpart? Write the story in the space provided below. If you have not experienced it yet,ask around to find a story and report on it. You can use colour and drawings to

create a certain atmosphere for your story.

Then...Read your stories to each other or to the whole class.

Now you can decide how much weight your sixth senseshould carry. Motivate your conclusion briefly.I feel

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LO 3.3


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COGITO ERGO SUM

COGITO ERGO SUM (I THINK, THEREFORE I AM)

If you had to explain to a person what "thinking" means, what would you say?

We take the ability to think for granted. After all, people say, it is a natural

process, as natural as breathing, walking, running... Yes, it is partly true. But - allpeople do not walk or run equally well or fast. A toddler has to crawl, then try towalk and then try to run. A fit athlete will run faster and jump higher thansomebody who never tries or practises. This is also true of thinking. One canimprove one's natural ability through exercise - by practising thinking skills.

How effective your thinking is, depends on various factors, but one thing is sure,knowledge and mastery of thinking skills, will make your thinking more effective.Compare your thinking and use of thinking skills to the use of a pair of glasses, apair of binoculars, a telescope, and a microscope. These instruments havedifferent functions, but they all help you to see.

A very simple way of describing thinking could be: knowing and understanding.

But it is much, much more than this too. What about the ability to apply yourknowledge, the ability to see relationships between things, the ability to createnew and original things...

I cannot even conceive of a world without thinking, can you?

TODO:

Let's do a "what if" exercise in small groups. The topic is: "What if everybody had thesame thoughts"

This kind of exercise depends on the ability of the thinkers to give their imaginations freerein without really bothering with too much logic. A "what if" exercise stimulates the rightbrain functions and improves creative thinking.

Guidelines

Set a time limit of 5 to 7 minutes

One person jots down the "what if" thoughts

Do not criticise anybody's contribution, let the ideas flow

You may take over and expand on an idea

HAVEFUN!

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LO 3.6


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READON

READ ON...

Did some of you find this exercise difficult to get into? Don't worry, practisemakes perfect!

The most important thing to remember is that thinking does not always consistsof a "right or wrong" factor. It is important that your facts are correct, but what youdecide to do with the facts... that's something else. Everybody is so scared ofbeing "wrong" and to think differently from their friends and teachers that manygood and valuable thoughts and ideas get lost forever.

It is therefore very important that we develop the ability to think laterally. Lateralthinking is much wider than "right and wrong". This kind of thinking helps us tothink of plans, alternatives, new ideas.

ONTOANOTHER "WHATIF" EXERCISE:

Choose one of the topics:

What if all window panes were made of glass?

What if all people had 7 fingers on each hand?

I dare you to think!

Write down some of the best ideas in the space provided below. You may also givethese ideas a "make- over" with drawings, colour, etc.

TOPIC:

LU 3.6


9/17

FLEXYOURCREATIVITYMUSCLE

FLEX YOUR CREATIVITY MUSCLE!

This section deals with the development of your creative abilities.

Many people think only about drawing, painting or writing when they hear that

someone is a creative person. Creativity spans a much wider field than the finerarts.

Creativity means the ability to create something new and original or to useexisting things in a new and different way.

The "what if..." exercises are examples of thinking differently about things.

Bear the following words and phrases in mind when you aim to improve your creativeabilities:

look at things in different ways

unusual

original

this makes me think about... (association)

do not judge too quickly

look at form and function

use your sense of humour

TOSHAKEOUTDUSTANDCOBWEBS!

In 8 seconds (without discussing it beforehand):

a) Divide a square into 4 parts

b) Divide an 8 into 2

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Did everybody do a) and b) in the same way? Yes / No

How many different ways are there to do a) ?

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Can the instruction for b) be interpreted in more than one way?

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Would you do a) and b) differently is you should get another chance? Yes / No

Did old habits play a role in the answers given by the class? I bet many of you were a bitthrown by the simple exercises.

LU 3.6


10/17

READON

READ ON...

If you want to learn to be a creative thinker, remember that it stunts your creativity if you passjudgement too soon, or decide beforehand, like dividing 8 into 2 = 4. Actually dividing an eightinto two can be 8 or 8. Think about alternatives if you are confronted with the obvious.

TOSTIMULATEYOURIMAGINATION:

Look at the given forms. Think about an object or picture which you can draw with theform as part of your new creation. Give each picture a title and write a short explanationor story of no more than 100 words each.

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LU 3.6

BRAINTEASERS


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BRAINTEASERS

Do not settle for the obvious.

Lateral thinking is a must.

CANYOUANSWERTHIS?

1. What starts with T, ends with T and is full of T?

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2. From a word with 5 letters, take away 2 letters and get 1.

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3. What bird can lift the heaviest weight?

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4. What is it that someone else has to take before you can get it?

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5. How many times may 20 be subtracted from 100?

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TTTT

T


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6. How many marbles can you put into an empty bag?

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7. What kind of jacket is always burning?

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LU 3.6

MOREABOUTTHE BRAIN


13/17

MORE ABOUT THE BRAIN...

A man called Roger Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize for hisproof of the "split brain " theory. It sounds rather gross, doesn't it?But, according to Dr Sperry the two hemispheres of the brain havedifferent, but overlapping functions. They each specialise in

different kinds of thinking processes.

Bear with me. Some interesting stuff coming up. Still Dr Sperry... ingeneral, with 95 % of all right-handed people, the left side of thebrain controls the right side of the body - and is also responsiblefor practical, linear, verbal and rational thought. In most left-handed people the functions are reversed.

It's a left-brain function to balance your check books (budding accountants,ahoy!), to remember names and dates (historians, hello) and setting aims andobjectives. Most of our concepts of thinking used to come from Greek sources,and so left-brain processes are most rewarded in our education system.

The right half (hemisphere) controls the left side of the body and is holistic,imaginative, nonverbal and artistic. When you are daydreaming, recalling scenesand faces or if you are engrossed in a piece of music, your right brain functionsare dominant.

DOASURVEY

1. How many learners in the class are a) right-handed b) left-handed?

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2. How many of the left handers feel that they are at a disadvantage when it comes tohandling common household equipment, like vegetable peelers or scissors? Can yourework it into a percentage (%) ?

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3. Can you draw a conclusion from the figures above? (Left brain activity)

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"If the brain is a computer, then it is theonly one that runs on glucose, generates 10 watts ofelectricity and is manufactured by unskilled labour."(David Lewis)

LU 3.6

WHOLE BRAIN PROBLEM SOLVING


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WHOLE BRAIN PROBLEM SOLVING

To solve problems in a creative way requires the working of both hemispheres. Inother words, we need both the creative, imaginative right hemisphere and thelogical and rational left hemisphere functions. To see how this works, let's breakdown the problem solving process into different steps and see which hemisphere

would serve that step best.

1. What is the real problem?This asks for logical, analytical thinking andthe left hemisphere does that.

2. What possibilities and solutions arethere?

You have to generate many creativepossibilities and alternatives - a job for theright hemisphere.

3. Which ideas may work?(set criteria)

Back to the logical, analytical side

4. How do I plan to make my solutionswork? Planning requires logical and sequentialthinking (left)

5. How do I convince others?Possibly a blend of functions is needed:logic, persuasion, refined communicationskills

All the explanations in the world cannot take the place of a bit of practice. So, have funworking on the following problems - and of course, coming up with workable solutions.

Incidentally, how do we know when a solution is possible? We set criteria such as:

How much will this cost?

Who will and can do this?

How much time will it take?

Is it fair to everybody?

Your teacher may ask you to work in smaller groups. Remember to:

follow the steps set out in the table above

listen to each other

respect different opinions

keep within the time limit

WHATASHOCKINGWASTE


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WHAT A SHOCKING WASTE!

(Excerpt taken from "The School Times" a newspaper who specialises in news about schools)

I visited a well-known school in a relatively upmarketcommunity to deliver a parcel of books. From the outside theschool made quite an impression, it had large columns, bigwindows and impressive doors. The first problem was that thewindows did not reflect shiny, happy faces. It reflected stainsand pieces of gum and I could see empty cans standing insidethe classes on the window sills. Inside the trend continued. Thesteps were littered with pieces of papers, empty cool drink tins,torn wrappers and sachets. It was dusty too and some marks

looked well-entrenched on the stairs and even on the walls.Inside the class that I was looking for, some chairs were lying ontheir sides, tables were scattered, pieces of paper decorated thedusty floor. The desks were festooned with witty and obscenegraffiti. I wondered if this place reflected the state of mind of theinhabitants of this institution?

(The rest of the letter was cut - Ed.)

YOURTURN!

Follow the steps to see if you can come up with some workable solutions.

1. What is the real problem?

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2. What possibilities and solutions are there?

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3. Which ideas may work? (What criteria will we use?)

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4. The plan of action:

Here you should answer the questions:

Who is going to do it?..................................................................................................................................................

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When is it going to be done?

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How are we going to get the money?

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How will we know it was a success?

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5. How are we going to convince others?

(It is important to get the co-operation and help of others.)

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Afterwards...Share the ideas of the different groups. Are there any ideas which you can apply to yourspecific school?

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LU 3.6

THEEND

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Lo Gr9 m1 Thinking