The PhD Preschooler: Teaching Advanced Cognitive Skills to Kids
It's easier than you think
(Audio Voiceover includes reading of the article and a Deep Dive Workshop on How to teach your kid to think like a PhD)
Teaching Advanced Cognitive Skills to Kids
At the end of my first two years in graduate school, I had to take an oral exam with 3 evaluators. It didn't matter that I had all As. If I failed, I was out. If you think the exam was testing things I’d learned in grad school, you’d be wrong. I was asked questions that had no answers. In fact after I’d been answering one question for 30 minutes, the evaluator turned to another said “Is she right? I don’t actually know.” Turns out I wasn’t right but scientists 100 years ago agreed with me. That must have been good enough because I passed. Still, if there were no “correct” answers, what were they evaluating?
They were evaluating my Thinking Process.
In school, we are taught to give correct answers but in the real world there aren’t always “correct” answers. Rather, we must use logic and reasoning to make complex decisions. I’ve written how to teach logic numerous times (LINK) but the technique that I learned during graduate school (and that you can teach your 5 year old) is perhaps the easiest to do and still incredibly effective. It’s what I call Dialogical Reasoning.
What is Dialogical Reasoning?
Dialogical Reasoning is the use of conversation to reason through something. During my oral exam, I was asked questions that had no answers. My job was to “think out loud” as I reasoned an answer. This was NOT a natural talent. It took time to develop but once developed, it truly is a super-power. Lucky for us, there is no reason to wait until your child is in graduate school to teach them. I’ve already taught both my children this technique. The Deep Dive for paid members includes a mini-workshop with a recording showing the process with my 9 year old.
Why use Dialogical Reasoning?
Dialogical reasoning encourages children to articulate their strategies, assumptions, and decisions, making their thinking visible to parents and teachers. This helps children understand their own thought processes and critically allows teachers and parents to identify problems or gaps in their understanding.
Instead of saying “you got this wrong” say “can you tell me how you got this?” Often as children explain their thinking process, they catch their mistake (bonus, they are learning logic). If they don’t catch their mistake, likely they don’t understand that concept. Using dialogical reasoning with your kids not only improves their learning but enhances a whole host of logic skills - you’ll be giving your child a secret super-power.
More Reasons to Use Dialogical Reasoning
Enhances Problem-Solving & Logic Skills: By verbalizing their thought processes, children learn to think logically and systematically. After a few weeks, you will see your children start to use logic to solve other problems in their world. By giving children a system for thinking, you give them the foundation to think through anything!
Promotes Critical Thinking: Dialogical Reasoning teaches children to consider different strategies, alternative solutions, and evaluate their effectiveness aka critical thinking. During my oral exam, it was just as important that I talked myself out of bad ideas than that I got an answer “correct.”
Improves Communication Skills: Articulating their thoughts helps children develop communication skills. They learn to express complex ideas clearly and logically, a skill that will serve them in all areas of life. How many people have you met that are truly effective communicators? Moreover, how many of those effective communicators can stand up to debate? Dialogical reasoning helps prepare kids to be able to do just that. It teaches you how to “think on your feet” and reason in public. The ability to do this will look like magic to those who have never been trained to do it.
Builds Confidence: As children become more comfortable with verbalizing their thinking, they become more confident in their abilities in general. The more competence your child builds through logical analysis skills and the ability to think through problems they haven’t been taught to answer, the more confident they will become. Because Competence builds Confidence.
Gives your kid SUPER-POWER: This might seem outlandish but in nearly every job, you will have to justify, defend, or advocate for something (more money, resources, a new direction). Dialogical reasoning prepares children to think on their feet through questions and respond with reasoned arguments. As mentioned above, it is a rare few who can do this. Almost no one is ever trained for it. Children who can do dialogical reasoning appear like they have super powers.
How to Implement Dialogical Reasoning - Mini-workshop
In today’s Exclusive Deep Dive for paid subscribers, I give a mini-workshop on how to implement Dialogical Reasoning. I include a conversation with my 9 year old showcasing what it looks like in practice. Deep Dive is included in the audio voiceover at the top of the page. Subscribe and you can listen right now!
Conclusion
Teaching children dialogical reasoning is a simple but highly effective way to help them develop logic, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and confidence. Seriously, why wouldn’t you do this?
~With love, Claire Honeycutt (aka HippyMomPhD)
ClarifiEd is 100% supported by you - not ads, not grants - just you. By supporting me, you are also supporting 1,000s of other parents who read this post♥️
