Raising an Independent Thinker

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Raising an Independent Thinker
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• Lets face it no matter how much parents and
  teachers complain, they love to be needed by
  their children. So, its only natural for a
  childs growing independence to be a hard pill to
  swallow for parents and teachers of today.
• But fostering independent thinking skills in your
  child is an important task for parents and
  Teachers. You can support their process by
  inviting them to imagine another idea or way to
  do something. This allows them to move into the
  realm of creative thinking and the teachers and
  parents need to take a risk without fear of
  being different or wrong.

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• If you think that schools are the best places for
  kids to learn how to be independent thinkers, our
  thinking should undergo a metamorphosis. And the
  current 'teach to test' system which most schools
  follow is setting our children up for failure.
  One of the biggest problems seen around the
  country is that students are being sat upon they
  must check their creativity at the classroom
  door. Independent thinking and innovation, which
  have been key ingredients throughout our
  country's history, are becoming just that...
  history.
• Because of this, teachers must help to fill in
  the gap. We can look for ways to nurture their
  individual learning styles and independent
  thinking skills at School. And there are lots of
  fun ways you can do that. Heres what the experts
  suggest

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Talk

• First of all, encourage your child to talk in
  descriptive terms. Start by picking an everyday
  activity such as running, jumping, doing a
  somersault or cartwheel and have your kids
  explain to you howhe/ she feels while doing that
  activity. Or you can pick a color, and ask your
  kids to describe what he/she thinks about when
  he/she sees that color.
• Other ideas ask your kids to describe her/his
  ideal vacation spot, talk about what one of
  her/his toys is thinking, or tell you what they
  like about their best friend.

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Listen

• Next, engage your childs listening skills, and
  teach him /her how to pay attention to what
  others are saying before sharing his/her own
  thoughts on the matter.
• It is important to expose children to diverse
  ideas and approaches to life and living. For
  example, it is wonderful for a young child to
  listen to and participate in open classroom
  discussions where many different viewpoints and
  opinions are both encouraged and respected.

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Think

• Its often tempting to jump in and show our
  children how to do something right, but that
  doesnt help them learn to do things, or to think
  for themselves.
• Encourage children to try and solve their own
  problems instead of doing it for them. And when
  they do... be sure to label what they are doing
  by saying, You are thinking! This will help
  children recognize the value of thinking for
  them.

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Write

• Writing practice doesnt have to be just about
  putting words to paper, although it can if your
  child is old enough otherwise, get her telling
  her own made-up tales in the ancient verbal story
  telling
• Try making up a story together, taking turns
  coming up with the next few sentences, instead of
  reading a story to your class. You could also
  pick three random words, and let your kids write
  or tell you a poem about those words. Remember,
  poems dont need to rhyme!

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• Another idea is to pause during a book or movie
  to ask your kids what they would do or say to the
  character in the plot if they just walked into
  that scene. This is a fun way to get kids
  thinking for themselves, and you can discuss the
  potential outcomes if it were handled one
  particular way or another. I like to think of
  this as a sort of dress rehearsal for real life.
  If kids play out various situations with
  characters that they have already bonded with in
  a book or movie, they are more likely to suggest
  something out of compassion instead of going with
  the crowd. And as a result, I have seen this play
  out the same way in real-life situations.

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ThankYou

• Kalvi International Public School
• 134, A R Hospital Road,
• KK Nagar,
• Madurai 625020
• Email ID helpdesk_at_kalvigroup.com
• Website https//kalvischools.com/
• Ph no 91-9500710004