Divergent Thinkers

 

The scenario may be familiar to you.  Your child is working on his math homework but he has been stuck on the same problem forever.  What’s worse, the math problem is one that you know he knows how to do but he just can’t seem to come up with the answer.  And so he sits at his desk seemingly thinking about everything but math.    As frustrating as this is to you, I can guarantee your student is equally frustrated. 

The problem isn’t laziness and the problem isn’t lack of discipline.  The problem could very well be the way your learner’s brain is wired. 

 

While some students think convergently, which in our scenario is the ability to take all the small pieces of a math problem and funnel them down into one precise answer, our student mentioned above is probably a divergent thinker.  Instead of putting the small pieces together, he gets caught up in examining all the options of the pieces, and seeing how many small pieces the small pieces contain.  

If we were inside the head of a convergent thinker it might sound something like this:

 

4 X 3 = 12

 

While the same problem in the mind of a divergent thinker might sound something like this:

 

4 X 3 …   is the same as 3 X 4…  and probably the same as 3 X 2 X 2, which reminds me of two by two which reminds me of Noah’s ark which makes me wonder when it rained last or when it will rain next.  I wonder what the weather is doing right now.  

 

This process will continue until the student discovers  a cure for cancer or until he is called out for daydreaming.    Unfortunately, the latter is more likely, making the former more and more difficult.

But the truth is, these divergent thinkers could change the world.  That is if they are not constantly told that their strength is a weakness, and their talent will trip them up.

 

Ironically, after a learner graduates from a traditional school setting, it is likely that the powers that be will have extinguished any divergent thinking flame, simply because it’s more convenient… for the powers that be, that is.  But upon graduation, as the learner is pouring through want ads, looking for the perfect job, they will find that divergent thinkers are increasingly sought after in the real world.    Frustrating to say the least!

So, the question becomes how can we capitalize on divergent thinking skills and still teach math without ending up learning about the weather every time..  Simply change the types of questions you ask.  For instance, instead of asking what 3 X 4 equals, ask how many different ways can we arrive at the number 12.  Really, this works in any subject.  Just  ask open questions where there can be more than one answer. Then watch genius ensue.

 

But don’t be surprised if you take a few rabbit trails on your learning journey.  And don’t discount them.  The rabbit trails may not be what you are teaching at the moment, but they are where the most monumental discoveries can be made.

~~Melanie Walenciak