PowerPoint Presentation

Session ObjectivesExplain How MUDD works (how humans learn)Identify the benefits of good thinking (even though we often dont like it)Identify the key brain barriers to learning (and thinking)Compare and contrast memory and thinking Identify the main components of good thinking (critical thinking, creative thinking, metacognitive thinking)Explain how each type of thinking worksIdentify how to improve your thinking capabilityHumans dont think very often because our brains are designed not for thought but for the avoidance of thought

(Willingham, 2009, p.4)

Thats why many students dont like school

Are our bodies naturally designed to look like this?So what needs to be done to get it like this?Some things you need to do (LEARN) for your modulesChemical Engineering Principles & Simulation5.7 Apply critical thinking in making recommendation on the choice of utility suitable for the manufacture of a product6.3 Compare and contrast the two types of fuel combustion systems: fuel gas and fuel oil9.5 Compare and contrast the different types of cooling towers

Introduction to Chemical thermodynamics3.5 Infer and interpret experimental data to evaluate the behaviour of a solution using solution laws9.3 Apply critical thinking skill by inferring and interpreting experimental data obtained from practical activities9.4 Apply critical thinking skill by analysing and evaluating vapour-liquid equilibrium data for a flash drum under different operating conditions using simulation software9.5 Formulate hypothesis and conduct experiment inquiry for knowledge discovery through practical activities

How do I make sure I can do this?What do I need to do?How best to do this?

What Do Chemical Engineers Do?Diagnose & Predict - so how do they do that?How do Humans LEARN?To learning anything, it must Involve:

Acquiring the necessary knowledge (Involves Memorization of key facts and procedures)

Understanding how these facts and procedures are connected (Involves Thinking)

If a skill is to be learned, it requires practice (Involves Doing the skilled activity

And, of course, you must be motivated to do all of the above (Involves Desire)

MUDD: A Mnemonic for how we learnMemoryUnderstandingDoingDesirePutting things into your memory, keeping them there and being able to get at themWhen you need themMaking meaning of acquired knowledgeand seeing how they fit together results from thinkingDeveloping actual skills through practiceHaving the motivation and persistence to learnTo learn well is to mix MUDD wellBut there are problems lets see what they are

The Serial Position Curve80

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200 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Position on ListProportion CorrectPrimacy EffectRecency Effectvon Restorff EffectTwo more mental teasers for YouHow many capital letters in the English alphabet are curved? (e.g., C)

A bat and ball cost $1.10 The ball costs one dollar more than the ballHow much does the ball cost?

Look carefully at this list for 20 secondscandy, sour, sugar, bitter, good, taste, tooth, nice, honey, soda, chocolate, heart, cake, eat, and pie

What do you see, and how do you feel about it?

Magic Eggs - StoryMum, Mum, you dont have to buy eggs anymore coz Im laying them

We forget that beliefs are no more than perceptions, usually with a limited sell by date, yet we act as though they were concrete realities (Adler, 1996, p.145)

Beliefs

Brain Barriers to Learning (and Thinking)

Restricted Working Memory & Slow processing SpeedDespite Long Term Memory having unlimited capacity for information Working Memory can only deal with around 7 bits of information at once.Furthermore, the actual processing speed of the brain is slow compared to its capacity and organising ability.

Inherent Design Features The mind is inherently lazy when it comes to mental effort (thinking); it typically relies on what has already been learned, rather than doing good thinking and using empirical evidence.

Interference from out Emotions & BeliefsOur emotions often interrupt or prevent good think and cause us to react quickly but not necessarily rationally. Equally our beliefs typically shape what we will think about and how we perceive things

A Model of Human MemorySensesSightHearingTouchSmellTasteWorking Memory

Where Conscious Thought goes on

Limited Capacity5-9 bits ofinformationLong-TermMemoryENVIRONMENTInfinite CapacityForgettingIntegratedConsciously, Subconsciously&UnconsciouslyOur Memory Systems are fundamental to all learning how these are managed affects the rate and quality of learningThe Importance of Long-Term MemoryResearch clearly shows that a major factor that differentiates experts from novices is that expert problem-solvers are able to draw on the vast knowledge bases in their long-term memory and quickly select the best approach and procedures for solving a given problem.

We are skillful in an area because our long-term memory contains huge amounts of information concerning that area. That information permits us to quickly recognize the characteristics of a situation and indicates to us, often unconsciously, what to do and how to do it. (Kircher et al,2006, p.4)

What is thinking?Thinking is goal-directed mental activity we do in order to solve problems

Thinking occurs consciously, subconsciously and unconsciously

Thinking occurs when you combine information (from the environment and long-term memory) in new waysThat combining happens in working memory (Willingham, 2009, p.11)

The result of successful thinking is better Understanding19

I want goodThinking on this

This involves Critical Thinking have I seen this problem before, what are the likely causes, what information do I need to clearly interpret whats occurring....?

Good thinking, whats that?A Model of ThinkingMetacognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis2121

AnalysisWhat do we do when we analyse?Identify relationship of the parts to a whole in system /structure/modelIdentify functions of each part Identify consequences to the whole, if a part was missingIdentify what collections of parts form important sub-systems of the wholeIdentify if and how certain parts have a synergetic effectMeta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis

2222Comparison and ContrastWhat do we do when we compare and contrast?Identify what is similar between things - objects/options/ideasIdentify what is different between thingsIdentify and consider what is important about both the similarities and differencesIdentify a range of situations when the different features are applicable

Meta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis

2323Inference and InterpretationWhat do we do when we make inferences and interpretations?

Meta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysisIdentify intentions and assumptions in dataSeparate fact from opinion in data Identify key points, connections, and contradictions in dataMake meaning of the data/information availableEstablish a best picture to make predictions

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EvaluationWhat do we do when we evaluate?Decide on what is to be evaluatedIdentify appropriate criteria from which evaluation can be madePrioritize the importance of the criteriaApply the criteria and make decision

Meta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis2525Generating Possibilities

What do we do when wegenerate possibilities?Generate many possibilities Generate different types of possibilities Generate novel possibilitiesMeta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis26

All creative products involve thecombining of old ideas or elementsin new ways26What is Creativity?

A product or response will be judged creative to the extent that it is novel, useful or a valuable response to the task at hand. (summarized from Amabile, 1996, p.35)

One dark foggy night in Halifax, as Percy Shaw was driving home, he saw two small green lights, very close together near the edge of the road. He was curious so he stopped and saw the lights were a pair of cats eyes reflecting the light from his head lights. This triggered off his thinking, making some new connections in his brain subsequently he invented a small device involving two marbles placed close together in a rubber casing; this would then be set in the road at intervals between the lanes of traffic.

After a year of experiments, Percy patented the invention and then, in 1935, formed his company, Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd. (Thats Innovation & Enterprise)Creativity: Not Thinking out of the Box

It all happens Inside the Head, its just a question of whats in there, what you do with it and how

Little in there, little desire and effort to keep making new neural connections -especially across knowledge areas expect little by way of creativity

Creativity results from conscious (and subconscious) neural restructuring that results in NEW PERCEPTIONS

Reframing How your perceive something makes all the difference andyou are free to see things from any perspective you wish (Adler, 1996, p.145)

Slimy Pond Life or Tasty Dinner?

MetacognitionWhat are we doing when we are metacognitive?Aware that we can think in an organized manner (and the barriers to it)Actively thinking about the ways in which we are thinkingMonitoring and evaluating how effective we are thinking (including how our emotions and beliefs may be impacting the thinking process)Seeking to make more effective use of the different ways of thinking as well as any useful learning strategies, tools and resourcesMeta-cognitionComparison& ContrastInference &InterpretationEvaluationGenerating PossibilitiesAnalysis

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Metacognition plays a central role in learning by monitoring the quality of the overall (and specific aspects) of the thinking process, our emotionaldispositions, as well as the choice and application of learning strategies and skillsIt operates at both conscious and sub/unconscious levels.Good Thinking is the ability to use Critical, Creative & Metacognitive thinking in an highly competent manner to solve problems:This involves:

Using (and practicing) each type of thinking effectively and efficiently

Using them together to get maximum capability

Managing barriers to the thinking process

BIG TIPS

If it bleeds we can kill it

Yes, but you need to make it visible first:

Ask your teachers to make their thinking visible - so how do you do that?

Make Your Thinking Visible: The Power of QuestionsQuestions are the primary way we learn virtually everything

Thinking itself is nothing but the process of asking and answering questions(Anthony Robbins, 2001, pp.179-8)

All answers come out of the question. If we pay attention to our questions, we increase the power of meaningful learning

Ellen Langer

Whats the difference between Memory and Thinking?

Memory is whats left after Thinking