June 6, 2002
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How do you teach a person to think?

I don't know. I have to think about it.

Fisch, 47
Preston
, CT   USA

I'm not sure that adults can be "taught" to think. Babies want to think--and learn. Adults often have a lot of baggage in the way of sweet reason.

Jill, 61
Saylorsburg
, PA  USA

I don't. I think people are pretty much on their own for that one.

Karen, 22
Ames
, IA   USA

I'm not sure you can, but you can provide them with analytical tools, set an example, and reward them for thinking something out even if they do not reach the conclusion you would prefer.

Jane, 62
West Linn
, OR   USA

Give the person a situation to deal with, and have them work in a group to resolve the problem.

Melodi, 19
Gahanna
, OH   USA

I don't think anyone one person teaches another to think. Helping someone learn to read is one big step in the right direction to aiding the influx of new ideas. Opening up opportunities for others to access new and different resources / ideas is also along part of the puzzle. Hitting someone over the head again and again with your own opinion, I don't think works. Even if you throw countless citations and support documents their way.

Felicia, 36
Lowell
, MA   USA

If anyone knows the answer to this, I'd like to hear it. Some people are hopeless when it comes to thinking. Actually I guess "thinking" is subjective. I tend to think people are brilliant thinkers if they agree with what I think. I'm not sure you can teach it. It comes with maturity.

Judy, 62
Easton
, KS   USA

As far as I know, you can't. In the case of a child, all you can do is load him up with all the right things and hope that when he/she grows up, he/she will remember them and choose the right one.

Reba, 50+
Silver Spring
, MD  USA

My son comes up and asks me to do his homework for him. I ask him if he's tried, and he says yes. So, I sit with him and go through it, being as vague as possible. Once he has my attention, he seems to be able to do calculus. He just needs to be encouraged. People learn to think on their own, but you can encourage them....

Nicci, 27
Las Vegas
, NV   USA

Well, this works pretty well with my friends... I pop em on the back of the head and tell them, "Think, Dumbass!" That usually works pretty well.

Doug2, 29
Overland Park
, KS  USA

You can't.

Triana, 29
Austin
, TX   USA

From my own experience, this is how it works:  I'm a physics major, and with a physics major, you don't learn how to solve physics problems as much as you learn how to solve problems in general. All four years are spent learning a specific way to think. As a result, physics is a really versatile major, because once you graduate you should be able to solve any kind of problem, whether it be math, physics, engineering, or even real-world, non-science problems. It's a study in analysis. How is this accomplished? Well, you just get homework assignments with these ridiculously hard problems that really aren't intended to be answered. You're never graded on the answer; you're graded on how you approach the problem. So if you get a problem you don't know how to do, you can receive full credit if you approach it from the right angle and work through it with logical reasoning. I think in an entirely different way than I did years ago. How do you do it with non-scientists? I guess rhetorical questions serve that purpose...

Cancer, 20
NYC
, NY   USA

Introduce them to fantasy and imagination. Duh.

Eric, 20
Beverly Hills
, CA  USA

I don't think you can. I think people learn from painful, personal experience.

Laura, 37
Lowell
, MA   USA

Consequences

Stephanie, 25
TX  USA

In order for someone to think - first they must listen. Therefore I would teach a person to listen to the person and in return think about what the person is trying to say.

Brad, 21
Sydney  AUSTRALIA

I don't think you really do teach people to think...it's something that comes naturally. Unfortunately, many people don't think as much as they should-and I'm still trying to figure out how you fix that. ;)

Angela, 18
Bella Vista
, AR  USA

I don't believe you can. I have been trying for years with my kids, and it seems pretty unsuccessful.

Janet, 44
E. Brunswick
, NJ  USA

YOu can't teach a person to think, just like you can't teach a person to breathe. It's a reflex that's natural to a human being. But you can teach a person a variety of things that will improve their quality of thought.

Keri-Jade, 21
Brampton, Ontario  CANADA

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