from Kleiner's Korner blog:
I really like this quote from the interim prinicple :
someone really need to write to her about critical thinking skills and how they disappear in a cult.One of our major goals as a faculty is to train our students to be strong critical
thinkers
________________________
Dear Friends,
A sign of a great start to a school year is when teachers are ready to teach and
students are ready to learn right away. I thank you all for bringing your eager children
to school. We have, indeed started on a very positive note. The core teachers are
delighted with their classes and the teaching of French, Music, Art, and Physical
Education have already added a new dimension and life to the daily programs. The
children seem to be loving a new language to learn and we hope to have ?French
Days? at CSE. So stay tuned!
One of our major goals as a faculty is to train our students to be strong critical
thinkers and for each child to believe that they have the ability to be creative at
all times. We have to go beyond belief however, to actually be using strategies to
encourage creative thinking. With all things, practice make perfect so let?s work
together to support our children to practice the skills. My mentor in graduate school
Dr. E.P. Torrance who wrote extensively about the creative potential of all children
outlined four qualities of creative thinking:
Fluency: Encouraging children to generate as many ideas as possible. The
question to ask would be - In how many ways can you?
Flexibility: Encouraging children to generate as many different kinds of ideas.
The question to ask would be - How many different kinds of ideas can you
think of?
Originality: Thinking of ideas that are unique and truly out of the box - Can
you think of ideas that no one else has thought of?
Elaboration: Learning to embellish and add detail to an idea. Can you tell
me more or can you give a few more details? How can you make this idea
more interesting or more beautiful?
Use these ideas to have interesting conversations with your children each day and
invite them to add richness to their conversation with you. Ask good questions and
let them ask questions and have fun at the dinner table engaging in dialogue each
night. If they are not responsive to what, why and how questions, you could always
use the phrase, ?I wonder?!?
Next week I will introduce to you another set of thinking strategies. I hope that
you are taking the time to read with your children for at least twenty minutes
each day. This single daily activity will create the basis for strong thinkers and
creative production.
Welcome back!
__________________
personally, seeing all the picture of the children being indoctrinated is just ....beyond.
I see that they are raising enough money to make more solid and legal foundations.
So wnough of them believe.
What a travesty.
