Direct Instruction of Logic/Critical Thinking Poll

[sweetpea3829]

If you DO provide direct instruction, please elaborate!  Do you teach logic every year beginning in K?  Beginning in Middle school?  What do you like to use?

 

 

[Tonia]

Well, we're in our first year of logic (5th grade). I don't provide too much instruction. My daughter is using the Blast Off with logic books and we're discussing a few Red Herrings each week.

 

Think we'll be doing Fallacy Detective & Thinking Toolbox next year before a 'formal' program.

[8filltheheart]

I don't teach logic as a course.  I answered no to the direct teaching of critical thinking b/c I interpreted your post to mean via things like Critical Thinking Press.  

 

However,everything we do is focused around critical thinking skills. Most of the time I teach my kids via Socratic dialogue.  We are also HUGE strategy gamers.  We play games constantly.  I think these develop logic skills via the back door.   :)

[go_go_gadget]

I did teach it directly once my kids were reading, but it was mostly just because they enjoyed it and it kept one busy when I needed to work one-on-one with the other. They used the Prufrock Press-type workbooks until they outgrew them, and as 8FillTheHeart mentioned, we're big strategy gamers. They enjoy puzzles like minesweeper and sudoku, etc. Judging by the amount of lawyering that goes on in conversations around here, they're doing fine with logic. ;)

[kiwi mum]

I don't teach logic as a course.  I answered no to the direct teaching of critical thinking b/c I interpreted your post to mean via things like Critical Thinking Press.  

 

However,everything we do is focused around critical thinking skills. Most of the time I teach my kids via Socratic dialogue.  We are also HUGE strategy gamers.  We play games constantly.  I think these develop logic skills via the back door.   :)

Same for us. For High School we did use Coursera's "Think Again" Logic course, but it didn't require me teaching anything.

[Sneezyone]

As a separate course, no.

As enrichment, yes.

 

One of my children likes doing logic puzzles for fun, and is good at it, so there's no real instruction involved. My other child needs help thinking about what items have in common, how they are different, or how to eliminate answers using givens/clues. My kiddo will look at a pair of scissors, a knife, a saw, and a razor blade and see their common form or feature (sharp ends) but fail to notice their common function (used to cut things). With this child there is definitely some instruction.

[desertflower]

I think it depends on your child for what age you can start. I started my oldest with books from the CTC when he was 4? They have books for prek level. Something like Can you find me or Visual Preception. Those were done orally.

 

I believe logic is important to learn. At this point in time, he digs mind benders, mathematical reasoning, and balence benders.

 

I just bought a few logic games such as goblet gobbles, mighty mind, and castle logix. Someone from this forum recommended those. My oldest loves no stress chess.

 

Without a doubt, for youngsters I believe logic games are the way to go.

 

ETA I don't know how to teach logic, so that is why I look to ctc and games to fulfill that need.

[JDoe]

Fallacy detective, Thinking toolbox, http://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/logic-and-rhetoric, Peter Kreeft Socratic Logic, Scott Sullivan Traditional Logic, + own material

 

Start will depend upon readiness, but I'd say 8-10 w fallacy detective and 10/11 with formal logic (Memoria Press Traditional Logic I). Should be noted that only the Scott Sullivan book is secular, and also I have a few points of disagreement with the Memoria Press material, especially in Material Logic)

 

Also note books on logic by Jevons and Whately that you can get free from archive.org (1800s) as well as Antoine Arnauld, Pierre Nicole, The Art of Thinking; Port-Royal Logic from 1660

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

Peter Kreeft Socratic Logic

 

please elaborate

[8filltheheart]

please elaborate

http://www.amazon.com/Socratic-Logic-Questions-Aristotelian-Principles/dp/1587318083

 

He used to email you the answer key if you requested. I don't know if he still does.

[happypamama]

We've done both. Chess, other strategy games, puzzles and brain teasers when they're younger, just as part of life.

 

DD was in about fifth grade when I started having her do crypto-mind ended puzzles once a week or so, to get her thinking in a different direction. She liked those a lot, and I will probably have my current fourth grader start them next year. DD read Logic to the Rescue last year and liked it, and this year, we are working through Fallacy Detective together and will go on to Thinking Toolbox next year.

[SilverMoon]

We like playing with Mind Benders, Word Benders, Logic Liftoff and such somewhere around fifth grade. Then we use CAP's logic series.

[redsquirrel]

I start in third or fourth grade with some basic problem solving workbook type thingies. In 5th grade I introduce it as a formal subject, meaning it gets it's own little square in my lesson plans, lol.  In 5th we are still doing informal type logic workbooks. I used the Logic Liftoff series and it was great. I then used the CTC series "Critical Thinking" in middle school

[MinivanMom]

I teach logic as a formal course starting in 5th grade. My intention is to continue only through 8th grade. We are enjoying studying logic as its own subject, but my kids also get lots of logical thinking through math (especially proofs!), grammar, and various strategic games. I also do a lot of Socratic-style discussions with them in other subject areas.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I start in third or fourth grade with some basic problem solving workbook type thingies. In 5th grade I introduce it as a formal subject, meaning it gets it's own little square in my lesson plans, lol.  In 5th we are still doing informal type logic workbooks. I used the Logic Liftoff series and it was great. I then used the CTC series "Critical Thinking" in middle school

 

How do you use CTC?  I have the book, but it seems better for groups. 

[Farrar]

I'm not sure what you mean by direct instruction. I specifically choose to do things to encourage logic, especially games and sometimes things like workbooks with logic puzzles. However, I don't directly instruct my kids with logic terms or have a specific course for it. Later in high school, we may do that though.

[Garga]

I read books about fallacies and logic out loud to them.  So far it's just been a few paragraphs at a time.  I have found the book we're currently reading dry and dull but they lap it up.  Kids are weird!   :)

 

The books I have are geared for college students or adults.  They're aren't a curric.  There are no practice problems.  We just read about fallacies and ways people try to manipulate others, either by intention or not.  

 

Right now we're reading Nonsense by Robert J. Gula.

 

If I don't have the energy to read a college level book to them and explain every little thing in it, then when our Logic class for the week rolls around I have them to analogies or logic puzzles in workbooks.

[Joyoustxmama]

I said yes, but to me for K that has meant using puzzle games like Camelot Jr. and Camouflage North Pole.  We did one of the Building Thinking Skills books for Pre-K.  I thought about adding the next Building Thinking Skills book, but ds is not a workbook kid, and I have enough uphill battles to climb trying to get him to do his reading, occassional math sheets, and handwriting practice (we were not so focused on these in Pre-K, as he wasn't ready in the fine-motor department). 

 

The games are something we can do in the evenings in a relaxed way.  

 

I'll probably add more structured work, such as this, when he reaches middle school. 

[Gratia271]

I don't teach logic as a course.  I answered no to the direct teaching of critical thinking b/c I interpreted your post to mean via things like Critical Thinking Press.  

 

However,everything we do is focused around critical thinking skills. Most of the time I teach my kids via Socratic dialogue.  We are also HUGE strategy gamers.  We play games constantly.  I think these develop logic skills via the back door.   :)

 

This is what we do as well.  Socratic learning is a way of life for my kids.