ENGAGE
Picture this: you are driving to work, the same path you take almost every day. At this point, you are essentially on auto-pilot, not actively thinking about the route you need to take to arrive at your destination. But on this day, there is construction and the road is closed, forcing you to identify and take an alternate route. What do you do? Do you stall out, unable to think of a different road to work? Do you have a meltdown, stuck in your car on the side of the road because you have to change your plans? Both of these are unlikely; though we might feel some distress at the situation, we likely take an alternate route without much thought. This process involves cognitive flexibility: the ability to shift our thinking, see other viewpoints, or create alternatives in our mind.
Hurley (2016) describes how mental flexibility involves two skills: the ability to think flexibly, and set shifting. “Kids who are able to think about a problem in a new way engage in flexible thinking, while kids who get stuck in their ways tend to engage in rigid thinking. Set shifting refers to the child’s ability to let go of an old way of doing something to try a new way.” Both elements are critical in a child’s cognitive development, as this flexibility enables children to process new information, adapt to new situations, and cope with change; children who struggle with this skill have rigid thinking, have difficulty adapting to new situations, and may be unable to solve problems.
Having weak or poor mental flexibility has significant impacts on a child’s social and academic development. The ability to adapt to new situations and “switch gears” is critical for school success. A key example of mental flexibility is the use of descriptive, expressive language. As a teacher, when you use a word with a child that s/he does not know, you come up with a synonym and explain the meaning of the unknown word. Or think about the game Taboo: the premise of the game is to have a partner identify a word by giving clues, and avoiding the list of “taboo” words (if you’re not familiar with the game, you can watch the video here). The ability to adapt quickly and shift gears has implications for learning skills such as reading, writing, problem-solving, language, math, and studying in general.
One concept related to mental flexibility is the idea of divergent thinking. Often, divergent thinking is used in place or creative thinking, but it is a much larger concept. Divergent thinking is defined as a thought process or capacity to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible options. These options, especially in preschool, extend beyond what is typical or expected. For example, if you ask a child how many ways they could use a block, they will likely list the tangible, typical ways first. The child with high mental flexibility, who is using divergent thinking, might ask questions like “can the block be the size of a house? Can the block be any shape? Does it have to be made of wood?” By exploring and expanding the possibilities and properties of the block, the child can provide a list of ways to use a block that builds this type of cognitive flexibility.
Hurley (2016) describes how mental flexibility involves two skills: the ability to think flexibly, and set shifting. “Kids who are able to think about a problem in a new way engage in flexible thinking, while kids who get stuck in their ways tend to engage in rigid thinking. Set shifting refers to the child’s ability to let go of an old way of doing something to try a new way.” Both elements are critical in a child’s cognitive development, as this flexibility enables children to process new information, adapt to new situations, and cope with change; children who struggle with this skill have rigid thinking, have difficulty adapting to new situations, and may be unable to solve problems.
Having weak or poor mental flexibility has significant impacts on a child’s social and academic development. The ability to adapt to new situations and “switch gears” is critical for school success. A key example of mental flexibility is the use of descriptive, expressive language. As a teacher, when you use a word with a child that s/he does not know, you come up with a synonym and explain the meaning of the unknown word. Or think about the game Taboo: the premise of the game is to have a partner identify a word by giving clues, and avoiding the list of “taboo” words (if you’re not familiar with the game, you can watch the video here). The ability to adapt quickly and shift gears has implications for learning skills such as reading, writing, problem-solving, language, math, and studying in general.
One concept related to mental flexibility is the idea of divergent thinking. Often, divergent thinking is used in place or creative thinking, but it is a much larger concept. Divergent thinking is defined as a thought process or capacity to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible options. These options, especially in preschool, extend beyond what is typical or expected. For example, if you ask a child how many ways they could use a block, they will likely list the tangible, typical ways first. The child with high mental flexibility, who is using divergent thinking, might ask questions like “can the block be the size of a house? Can the block be any shape? Does it have to be made of wood?” By exploring and expanding the possibilities and properties of the block, the child can provide a list of ways to use a block that builds this type of cognitive flexibility.
19%