Page 6 -
P. 6





7. Questioning and Posing Problems
The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or
experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative
imagination and marks real advances.....
Albert Einstein

One of the distinguishing characteristics between humans and other forms of life is our inclination, and ability to FIND
problems to solve. Effective problem solvers know how to ask questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and
what they don't know. Effective questioners are inclined to ask a range of questions. For example: requests for data to
support others' conclusions and assumptions—such questions as,
"What evidence do you have.....?" "How do you know that's true?" "How reliable is this data source?"
They pose questions about alternative points of view: "From whose viewpoint are we seeing, reading of hearing?" "From
what angle, what perspective are we viewing this situation?" Students pose questions, which make causal connections
and relationships: "How are these people (events) (situations) related to each other?" "What produced this connection?"
They pose hypothetical problems characterized by "iffy"-type questions: "What do you think would happen IF.....?" "IF
that is true, then what might happen if....?"

Inquirers recognize discrepancies and phenomena in their environment and probe into their causes: "Why do cats
purr?" "How high can birds fly?" "Why does the hair on my head grow so fast, while the hair on my arms and legs grows
so slowly? "What would happen if we put the saltwater fish in a fresh water aquarium?" "What are some alternative
solutions to international conflicts other than wars?"
Some students may be unaware of the functions, classes, syntax or intentions in questions. They may not realize that
questions vary in complexity, structure and purpose. They may pose simple questions
intending to derive maximal results. When confronted with a discrepancy, they may lack an overall strategy of search
and solution finding.



8. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
"I've never made a mistake. I've only learned from experience."
Thomas A. Edison

Intelligent human beings learn from experience. When confronted with a new and perplexing problem they will often
draw forth experience from their past. They can often be heard to say, "This reminds me of...." or "This is just like the
time when I..." They explain what they are doing now in terms of analogies with or references to previous experiences.
They call upon their store of knowledge and experience as sources of data to support, theories to explain, or processes
to solve each new challenge. Furthermore, they are able to abstract meaning from one experience, carry it forth, and
apply it in a new and novel situation.

Too often students begin each new task as if it were being approached for the very first time. Teachers are often
dismayed when they invite students to recall how they solved a similar problem previously and students don't remember.
It's as if they never heard of it before, even though they had the same type of problem just recently. It is as if each
experience is encapsulated and has no relationship to what has come before or what comes afterward.



9. Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
I do not so easily think in words.... after being hard at work having arrived at results that are perfectly clear... I have to
translate my thoughts in a language that does not run evenly with them.
Francis Galton, Geneticist.

Language refinement plays a critical role in enhancing a person’s cognitive maps, and their ability to think critically
which is the knowledge base for efficacious action. Enriching the complexity and specificity of language simultaneously
produces effective thinking. Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable.
When you hear fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. Intelligent people strive to communicate accurately in
both written and oral form taking care to use precise language, defining terms, using correct names and universal labels
and analogies. They strive to avoid overgeneralizations, deletions and distortions. Instead they support their statements
with explanations, comparisons, quantification, and evidence.







5

   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11