Course 3 Unit 6 DQ Higher-Order Thinking

Instead of me telling or directing the children to do something, I should ask them why
we are practicing in writing the letter M. What words can you think of that begin with
the letter M? Let’s hear its sound. Mm mm. Which word do you think of Joseph? Mom,
you love her. Does she take you fun places to go? Milk, yes that is what we drink at
lunch Jacqui. Santiago likes the word Monster. I wonder what color it could be, is he
scary too? Jose uses the word of Money. This continues until all of the children have
come up with at least one word. Many of the children keep the responses to the
questions and answers going back and forth. This is showing us, how they are thinking
on a “higher-order” basis. The initial prompting led all of our children into thinking of
multiple words that begin with the letter M. Some of the children came up with other
words that were relevant to the letter M, like the word Money. We can then ask the
children, where do we use money? What kind of forms do we find it? Paper, coins,
plastic like a credit or debit card. Why do we use it at the grocery store? This discussion
engages all of the children in the manner of “higher-order” thinking which is beneficial
to their development.
Response:
You speak of challenging your students on many subjects. How do you differentiate a challenge in
math, with higher-order thinking to a subject like English?

What type of activity exemplifies a math problem? As I am learning to understand these concepts to
integrate them in my pre-school class. Thank you. Artemis

Re: Option 2: Previous Knowledge and Real-World Connections

by Christian Robinson - Monday, September 20, 2021, 11:37 AM
 
My twos class are big fans of stories and I will take advantage of that and take a bit more time to
have conversations with them about the book and what’s happening. I can use things in the book
and I’ll say “Oh, hey we do this in the morning when we wake up” or “we do this when we go
outside.” And that makes those connections for them. I like taking time out to play trains and
cars with them and I’ll ask questions like does mommy drive like that or is that how you came
here this morning? By driving in the car? And that’s another way to make those connections. 

Making these connections to their parents and what they say and do help the child to reflect and
think about how their reactions are similar to their friends. They may have different families, but they
all need to go grocery shopping, put gas in the car, go to work. It brings the children together as a
community. This feeling of a community with their friends can bring a sense of wholeness to a child
who feels disconnected from their family.