What are 'thinking skills'?

Do children really need to learn how to think?!  Surely, that comes naturally!  Well, yes...And no.   Whilst the brain (usually) develops all by itself, and thinking is 'natural', there are certain ways of thinking about problems that are better than other ways.    Of primary importance is logic - reason and argument - we will teach your child how to make good arguments, and spot bad ones.  These are the kind of skills that become very useful later in life, particularly in careers like law, sales, advertising and politics, but are important persuasive tools in just about every walk of life.  Every single relationship we have with another human being involves negotiation, and the selling of ideas.

Supposing, for example, you are trying to persuade your child to go to bed.  He/she might respond:

'But Mum, all the kids in my class go to bed at 9 o'clock.  I'm the only one who has to go to bed at half past eight.'

The logic looks like this:

Premise 1     It is unreasonable for me to have to go to bed at a time different to that of my contemporaries;

Premise 2     I do have to go to bed at a different time to my contempraries

Conclusion   The expectation you have - that I go to bed at a different time - is unreasonable.

This is what we call a valid argument.  A valid argument is one where the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises.  In this case, it must be right that IF it is unreasonable to expect your child to go to bed at a time that is different to his contemporaries, and that he DOES have to do so, then your expectation is unreasonable.

Another valid argument would be the following:

Premise 1      All men are green

Premise 2      I am a man

Conclusion    I am green

Just as in the first argument, the conclusion follows from the premises!  SO it is a valid argument.  But it is not a SOUND argument.  In both cases, the first premise should be attacked.   In the second argument, we can argue that all men are not green!  In the first, we can argue that your child needs more sleep than his contemporaries (for whatever reason).  What time, we might ask, would your child suggest he goes to bed if all his contemporaries go to bed at midnight?  Could he argue then that it would be reasonable for him to go to bed at midnight?  By the use of this 'counter-example' you have exposed the weakness in your child's argument!

See if you can spot the VALID arguments:

1   All men are green.  I am green.  Therefore I am a man;

2   All cats have four legs.  My dog has four legs.  Therefore my dog is a cat;

3   Numbers are made of jam.  12 is a number.  Therefore 12 is made of jam;

4   All books have pages.  My website has pages.  Therefore my website is a book;

5   All birds have feathers.  Some dogs are birds.  Therefore some dogs have feathers.

6   All women have brains.  I have a brain.  Therefore I am a woman.

Now see if you can spot SOUND arguments.  A sound argument is one where the conclusion follows from the premises, AND the premises are true:

1   All dalmations are dogs.  All dogs are animals.  So, all dalmations are animals.

2   If Southampton is in England, then Southampton is in Europe.  Southampton is in England.  Therefore Southampton is in Europe.

3   If Liverpool is in England, then Liverpool is in America.   Liverpool is not in America.  Therefore Liverpool is not in England.

4   All dogs are mammals.  All cats are mammals.  Therefore all dogs are cats.

5   All birds are animals.  No tree is a bird.  Therefore, no tree is an animal.

Click here for the answers.