TOPIC 2

THINKING SKILLS

UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN MIND

Questions: where is the center of your feeling, emotions, thoughts, memories, drives and desire located?

Rationally answer: your brain located in the heart and stomach area, because that is where you experience the direct physical manifestation of mental activity most regularly and dramatically

MORE THAN ONE BRAIN

Brain has upper and lower parts Operate in different degrees in different

mental areas Requires very different kinds of food it is to

survive Brain has two sides/cortices (linked by

nerve fiber Corpus Callosum) deal dominantly with different types of mental activity

CONT…

Left cortex deals the so called academic activities

Right cortex more in the resting state (ready to assist)

More startling discovery: - each hemisphere contain many more of the

‘other side’s’ abilities than had been previously thought

- Each hemisphere capable wider and more subtle range of mental activities

CONT….

Previous thought: scientist= left cortex dominant and artist/musicians= right cortex dominant

Thorough investigation discover that Einstein play violin, ailing and imagination games. He even failed French

Leonardo Da Vinci- example of accomplish man when both cortexes are used and developed simultaneously= scientist and artist

BRAIN CELLS

Estimated that brain’s basic range of activities between 100,000 and a million different chemical reaction take place every minute

Minimum 1 trillion neuron/nerve cells individually

Model of perception and mental imaging: Eye-Brain-Camera (Exercise:daydreaming-close eye-imagine in inner eye)

CONT..

Model for the brain: the hologram (concentrated laser beam is split into two. One half of the ray is directed to the plate, while the other half is bounced off the image and then directed back to the other half of the ray)

IQ and natural brilliance: a person whose IQ assessment was high was not necessarily independent in thought / action / possess sense of humor/ appreciate beauty/ reasonable/ original

CONT..

IQ test measure failed to consider three major areas: the brain being tested (neglected the real nature of the brain), the test itself (the test do not test basic human ability) and the results (not fair to others)

8 types of intelligence/smarts: word (verbal linguistic), logic (logical mathematical), picture (visual spatial), music (music rhythmic), body (bodily kinesthetic), nature (naturalist), people (interpersonal) and self (interpersonal)

CONT…

A model of excellence- the human baby- the most convincing case by looking at the

functioning and development of the human baby

- It is the most extraordinary learning, remembering and intellectually advanced being

- Ability to learn language involve understanding, rhythm, mathematics, music, physics, linguistic, spatial realtion, memory, integration, creativity, logical reasoning and thinking

YOU HAVE THE BRAIN OF A GENIUS

Lousy brain or untrained one (your brain is like a muscle. Use it or lose it)

Good if get confused and A students confused too (don’t avoid but face it)

I don’t know kill the brain’s growth (giving bad answer is better than no answer at all because it start the thinking process)

6 WAYS TO STIMULATE YOUR BRAIN

Listen to baroque music Keep asking and answering Challenging yourself Expose to info beyond textbook Never skip difficult topics Understand that to get smarter is to make

mistake and get confused first

6 WAYS TO STOP BRAIN STIMULATION

Skipping difficult/ confused topic Afraid asking Replying I do not know and not bother to

think Only learning things easy Copying answer Afraid raising hand to answer question

MOST GENIUS WERE WHOLE BRAINERS

90% left brain used in school Right brain need attention: day dreaming, bored,

get distraction In learning process need to involve both right and

left brain Double the brain power by using both Genius use both sides at the same time no

matter what they do (able to tap 4-5% potential brain power)

CONT…

Example: Da Vinci before painting use mathematic equation in color combination

Einstein formulated the theory of relativity after learned of day-dreaming

THINKING SKILLS

Simpler cognitive operation such as observing, comparing or inferring

Thinking process= involves using a sequence of skills intended to achieve a particular outcome

INTELLIGENCE VS THINKING ABILITY

Intelligence= relate more to the raw power of one’s mental equipment

Thinking ability= involve not only the raw power of intelligence but tactics and knowledge of content (the subject one is thinking about) as well.

METACOGNITIVE SKILLS

Divided into two types: explicit/conscious/factual knowledge and implicit/unconscious knowledge

Refer to a level of thinking that involves active control over the process of thinking that is used in learning situations

Naturally skills in plan, monitor and evaluate (also self motivating)