| In my last article, I said synthesis thinking results | | | | you were born in Asia?" |
| in the creation of something new and different. | | | | Geometry: "Arrange these shapes to make a |
| Students working on this level enter into creative | | | | rectangle." |
| and imaginative thinking. They produce original | | | | Math: "What's another way to solve this problem?" |
| ideas and solve problems. The results are a | | | | Social Studies: "If you ruled an imaginary country, |
| variety of outcomes, all acceptable to one degree | | | | what would be the "most important rules |
| or another. | | | | everyone would follow?" |
| No, I'm not talking about throwing out the answer | | | | Science: "Design an experiment to demonstrate..." |
| key... It has its place. Just not as large of one as | | | | English: "Use the following words to make a |
| our friendly textbook publishers would have us | | | | poem." |
| believe. What I am talking about is creating the | | | | Let's go a little deeper into the last subject, |
| kind of atmosphere in our homes where our | | | | English. You've probably heard your children say |
| children feel comfortable in drawing from a | | | | one or both of the following: "I don't know what |
| number of facts and subjects so that new and | | | | to write" or (when the focus is grammar) "I'm |
| interesting theories and predictions are produced. | | | | bored." We'll, grammar is often boring and tedious. |
| It's the question that keeps "it" going. It's the | | | | When it comes to learning and reviewing it, |
| "right answer" that puts "it" to rest, maybe never | | | | students are faced with seemingly endless |
| to awaken. And no, I'm not talking about | | | | workbook pages filled with exercise after |
| challenging the authority of Scripture and the | | | | exercise, repeating the same kind of drill over and |
| verities of the Christian faith. | | | | over again, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. |
| OK, I said I would give you something practical | | | | Drill isn't necessarily bad, and an understanding of |
| and unpack this a little more. Here are a few | | | | grammar can lead to effective writing. |
| questions and tasks you might try to help you | | | | Nevertheless, there are better ways to approach |
| cultivate synthesis thinking in your children: | | | | this task without the student feeling like they're |
| Industrial Arts: "How would you assemble these | | | | getting a daily dose of mental Novocain each time |
| things to create a chair?" | | | | they open their grammar book. |
| Social Studies: "How would your life be different if | | | | |