Promoting Reasoning in 6 Simple Ways!

Learning to think critically and reason may be one of the most important skills that today's children will need for the future. Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making, includes critical thinking on her list of the seven essential life skills needed by every child. In today’s global and rapidly changing world, children need to be able to do much more than repeat a list of facts; they need to be critical thinkers who can make sense of information, analyse, compare, contrast, make inferences, and generate higher order thinking skills. To get you started, here are six simple ways to get your children reasoning!

​Prove It!

A statement is given with the correct/incorrect answer. Children have to prove the answer is incorrect/correct by gathering evidence from their learning to support their argument. 

Example 1
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   (Science)
Prove that a flying fish is not a bird.

Example 2 
​
(Maths)
Prove that two 2 digit numbers do not always equal a 3 digit number

Convince Me!

Similar to Prove It, convince me asks children to use their learning to explain and evidence why something is true or false.

Example 1
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   (Maths)
​Convince me that two odd numbers never equal another odd number.

Example 2
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(Reading)
convince me to agree that superman is a hero not a villain.

What if...?!

'What if' are open ended ideas that require children to use their learning to predict an outcome based upon evidence.

Example 1
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(Science)
What would happen if Dubai ran out of electricity?  

​Example 2
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​(English)
​What would happen if commas were banned from being used in writing?

Odd One Out!

'Odd One Out' identifies a number of items/objects and asks the children to use their knowledge learned to decide which is the odd one out.

Example 1
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(Geography)
Brazil       Argentina        Mexico 
Which is the Odd One Out?

Example 2
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   (Art)
Blue           Purple          Orange   
​Which colour is the Odd One Out?

​Same/Different or Better/Worse!

Same and different provides a number of items/objects and tasks the children with comparing them either differences and similarities or which is better/worst.

​Example 1
​
(History)
Henry viii          Elizabeth i
Who was better/worst?

​Example 2
​
(Geography)
Dubai              London
Similar/different?

​Always, Sometimes, Never!

This tasks is similar to convince me but does not provide the answer for them to evidence. The children have to gather evidence based on their learning in order to draw a conclusions whether something always, sometimes or never is true.

Example 1
​
(PE)
Touching the ball with your hands in Football.
Is it always/sometimes/never a foul?

Example 2
​
(Writing)
Nouns should start with capital letters.
Always/sometime/never