What is the difference between each thinking skill?
Four of the most important types of critical thinking to explicitly teach within your classroom are: convergent thinking, divergent thinking, visual spatial thinking and judgement thinking. This article will explore the first two.
First, before we dive into the types of critical thinking, there are a few important things to note:
-Children do not develop each of these thinking types synchronously
-Teaching must be EXPLICIT for many children to learn these types of thinking
-These skills are used in 21st century jobs, therefore, children need to be given opportunities to develop this thinking and practice these skills
Convergent Thinking
What is it? Convergent thinking is a type of problem solving that requires combining clues to acquire one specific answer. Convergent thinking develops deductive reasoning through logical and analytical reasoning of information.
In the real world: When I teach students about convergent thinking, I like to compare it to a detective. Detectives find lots of clues in order to solve mysteries. In 21st century jobs, convergent thinking helps employees solve problems. Some jobs that might require convergent thinking are lawyers, financial advisors, scientists, engineers, and detectives.
At school: Convergent thinking is used (and can be practiced) in all subject areas. In reading, students use convergent thinking to find the meaning of words. During math, students use convergent thinking to solve word problems. When exploring science, students use convergent thinking to make observations and draw conclusions.
An example:
Find more:
- The example above, 30 days worth of practice, and a guiding teaching Convergent Thinking PPT can be found in my TPT here.
Math
- Esti-Mysteries – Created by Steve Wyborney, these puzzles require students to use convergent thinking paired with estimation skills. The goal of the puzzles are to use the clues in order to estimate the number of objects in a container.
- Solve Me Puzzles – Created by the Education Development Center, this website has many types of convergent thinking puzzles. Great for kids, they start at an easy level and build in difficulty. Additionally, the website is interactive for students to write clues, put in their answers, and receive feedback.
- Logic Puzzles – These puzzles were explored a few months ago in a previous newsletter but are also incredible for convergent thinking. Brainzilla website has a great list of interactive logic puzzles for kids!
Reading
- Breakout EDU – a great website for using convergent thinking and clues to solve academic, interactive, breakout rooms. They have hundreds of topics and it is a great way to review math and reading concepts!
- Context Clues Puzzles – HERE is one of my favorite K-2 activities by Brookyln Crew on TPT, and HERE is one of my favorite 3-5 bundles by Deb Hanson.
- Games – Some of my favorite convergent thinking games include: Clue, Logic Links, Guess in 10, Guess Who, and Things on a Hamburger
Divergent Thinking
What is it? Divergent thinking is the opposite of convergent thinking. Rather than coming to one answer, divergent thinking is generating many possible answers. It is a creative way of thinking, brainstorming, and creating many possible solutions.
In the real world: Divergent thinking allows us to generate many new ideas and problem solve through unfamiliar situations. Jobs that require divergent thinking might be similar to digital marketing, video game designing, law, fields of art, and producing.
At school: Divergent thinking is a 21st century skill that is not practiced enough – especially in schools. Creativity, thinking without a box, and generating new ideas are skills needed for many jobs, yet kids seem to lose creativity as they get older. (Check out this awesome TedTalk about a NASA Creativity test that proves people become less creative). Math, especially, is an area that does not often support creativity. Rather, problems have one expected answer. As teachers, we need to make sure we are providing opportunities for divergent thinking in all subject areas. Check out the resources below for more ideas.
An example:
Find more:
- The example above, 30 days worth of practice, and a guiding teaching Divergent Thinking PPT can be found in my TPT here.
Math
- Unlikely Additions – this is one of my favorite read alouds and support divergent thinking in math. How can 1+1 = 8? 1 triangle + 1 pentagon = 8 sides!
- The Answer Is – Give students an answer, and allow them to create the math problem. This type of divergent thinking supports a deeper understanding of math and allows students to think creatively. For example, if the answer is 15, the question could be: Mrs. Smith had 6 bananas and 9 apples. How much fruit did she have total?
- Which One Doesn’t Belong -Puzzles that allow students to think divergently about which of the four different options don’t belong. There is no right answer, but rather, students must think about each number or word to decide HOW they do not belong.
Reading
- Socratic Seminars – Read this blog post by bigideas4littlescholars about ideas for implementation at different grade levels.
- 6 Thinking Hats – One of my favorite ways to introduce divergent thinking to younger kids. It helps them begin to force their brain to explore many possibilities and think through different perspectives.
So which type is best?
Neither and both! As a teacher, it is our job to teach students to think in many different ways. Both convergent and divergent thinking have important roles in education. The past two years, I have been teaching thinking skills lesson to all 1st and 2nd graders, and it has been so eye opening to see that students all have different strengths. Even in the first grade, students are able to identify which way their brain naturally likes to think. By exposing students to all types of thinking, we are able to continue to develop strengths and teach students other possible ways of thinking.
If you haven’t yet, check out my entire bundle of critical thinking skills daily quick activities and teaching power points. It’s a great spot to start introducing it to your students and you might just find THEY LOVE THESE ACTIVITIES! Click the picture below!
