Cognitive Development

Dear New Teacher,

I don’t know about you but when I first stepped into my first classroom teaching position, things like cognitive development fled my brain almost immediately as I struggled to just stay afloat. After I had been teaching for awhile I was able to revisit much of what I had been taught in my teacher education program and utilize it in my classroom practices.

One particular element that I found particular helpful to revisit was the concept of Higher Order Thought Processes. I first school I taught at was really into “HOT Skills” and we had several in-service trainings around the idea. Dolgin (2011) identifies three higher-order thought processes, each of which improves during adolescence (p. 132).

Inference

Inference is the “ability to generate new thoughts from old information” (Dolgin, 2011, p. 132).  Sounds familiar doesn’t it? You can also think of this as a form of activating prior knowledge, another educational buzz term. I used inference strategies often in my classroom. For example, I might read my students a specific account of a historical event and ask them to infer other details from the example.

Thinking

“Thinking is more advanced in that it is the conscious, deliberate coordination of information. You are thinking when you struggle with a problem, try to decide between two options, or plan the itinerary of your vacation” (Dolgin, 2011, p. 132). Trying to decide between two options is one of my favorite lesson ideas; you may know it as “debate”. I would often present an issue, have my students research and form an opinion based on said research.

Reasoning

Reasoning “occurs when you constrain and limit your thinking along lines that you believe are rational and useful” (Dolgin, 2011, p. 133). Adolescents certainly don’t perfect the art of reasoning, though there are several opportunities for educators to help them sharpen their skills. Reasoning is related to analogies, deductions and problem-solving- all of which are easily incorporated into curriculum.

Many of you are probably already incorporating higher order thought processes in your curriculum whether you know it or not, it never hurts though to take the time for a quick review of important concepts.

Are there any areas of your teacher education program that you wish you could focus more on now that you are in the classroom?

Happy Teaching!

Mallory

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.).              Boston, MA: Pearson.