

These are when parents and teachers should develop their cognitive flexibility mindset. This ranges from simple things like sitting on a different chair and with other classmates at a separate table. There are moments when children just refuse to experience something out of their comfort zone, something new. Have debates on different subjects, argue about a side and then challenge the same student to change sides and present arguments about the other side.įlexible thinking activities for Elementary students Sharing insights on a book allows students to see how many perspectives of a single thing can be and helps them see the benefits of flexible thinking. In a group book, students read the same books, share opinions, and discuss ways in which the outcome could have been different, in which the character could have acted differently. Middle school students always like being given new challenges and learning new things. Games such as Sudoku, Chess, Minesweeper are great to help students shift their thinking.įlexible thinking activities for Middle School students It is a great way to relate to how flexible thinking works and why it helps you. Playing word games shows students how many different meanings a word can have. Playing is how we learn from birth thus, we will always embrace playing as a great way to learn. Play word games and tell jokes with students At this age, they should be open to taking this moment and sort out their frustration with themselves and not take it out on somebody else. This means students should have a conversation in their heads with themselves, see the situation as an outsider, and see what went wrong and the solutions – other than what they initially thought they should be. When someone feels frustrated that something did not work out as expected, teach them to deal with their frustration by talking it out to themselves. Some of the activities they can opt for is: What teachers should do is develop and enrich it. This social skill enables you to get along with others and be open to change.įlexibility is how “we change our behaviour to different context or stimuli of the environment.”( Cognitive Flexibility ) Flexible thinking activities for High School studentsĪt this age, students already have a certain degree of flexibility in their thinking. More than a great help to education, flexible thinking helps you accept all the others that do not think just like you. More to say, it is what prepares them for life. Flexible thinking allows children of all ages and abilities to come up with solutions and ideas when a solution does not work out. Life is all about flexibility and being able to manage any circumstance life gives you. This is an excellent start to what flexible thinking refers to. Take the lemons life gives you and make lemonade. Learn all about Flexible Learning Environments, Flexibility in the Classroom, and Flexible Online Classes. The students respond very well to the cartoon character like basis.This article is part of the Flexible Learning Guide. There are times where I see students struggling with a problem or are frustrated, and I can simply say, "how can you defeat Rock Brain right now". This was a great lesson to have the students complete early on in the fall. Next, the students were given their visual journals and asked to draw two situations where Rock Brain was in their heads and how they defeated him. I wrote our strategies to defeat Rock Brain on the whiteboard for the visual students to see. Think about others and change your thinking to match theirs. Take a deep breath and remember that being apart of a group means that you have to be flexible and cannot always have your way. looking at your situation and understanding that there may be another way to solve your problem Once the book was read, we discussed the strategies given in the book as well as came up with some of our own. It also includes different strategies that the students can use to defeat Rock Brain. The story provides the students with a simple understanding of Rock Brain so that they can easily relate to being "stuck" on a simple problem. Rock Brain does not allow for good problem solving and will only try one solution.

Rock Brain causes us to focus on one thing and will not let us negotiate with other people. The book also introduced different "unthinkables", however places its focus on a specific character, Rock Brain. The book introduced Superflex and the idea of every person being a 'superflexible' thinker. To begin this lesson, I read "Superflex Takes on Rock Brain and the Team of Unthinkables" to my students.
