Open-Ended Questions and Conversations..
Language is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. We can use language to stretch children’s curiosity, reasoning ability, creativity, and independence. One effective way to do this is by asking open-ended questions—those with no single right or wrong answer. Instead of predictable answers, open-ended questions elicit fresh and sometimes even startling insights and ideas, opening minds and enabling teachers and students to build knowledge together.
Cognitive Development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
It was once believed that infants lacked the ability to think or form complex ideas and remained without cognition until they learned language. It is now known that babies are aware of their surroundings and interested in exploration from the time they are born. From birth, babies begin to actively learn. They gather, sort, and process information from around them, using the data to develop perception and thinking skills.
Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the interaction of genetic and learned factors. Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development , and memory.
Below are a few more recent examples of open-ended Circle Time conversations in our Mighty Lions Classroom. After each child has had a chance to share their initial response, the conversation is expanded - along with their memory, imagination and reasoning capabilities.
