A lot of education focuses on fact memorization, but there is much more to it than that. Good teachers try to encourage higher order thinking in their students. Higher order thinking is not just about repeating facts back but involves analyzing those facts, connecting them to other concepts, and applying them. Teachers are highly encouraged to learn more about higher order thinking and how it improves students’ mastery of a subject. It can be hard for teachers to figure out how to teach or encourage higher order thinking in their students, but here are a few techniques that can make it easier.
1. Explain Concepts Thoroughly
For some subjects, like math, explaining the concept can be complicated, leading teachers to fall back on simply demonstrating the formula over and over again. Higher order thinking, however, is about teaching the concept behind the formula, and that requires a verbal explanation. As you demonstrate how the concepts work, explain why they work as well.
2. Move Back and Forth Between Abstract and Concrete
Explaining abstract concepts with the use of concrete examples is helpful, but if students don’t grasp it, it may be necessary to do this multiple times, drawing the connections each time. Explain the abstraction, demonstrate with a concrete example, then use the example to explain the abstraction another time. The more often you draw the connections between the two, the more completely the students will understand it.
3. Connect Concepts Together
If you’re teaching two or three concepts in a unit, it is vital to show how those concepts connect to each other. You may think their relative connection to each other is obvious, but for someone learning all of this for the first time, they may not see that. One of the traits of higher order thinking is the ability to make these connections on their own, so teaching them how to link concepts together can be just as important as teaching the concepts themselves.
4. Teach Inference
Complicated concepts may rely a lot on inference and basic logic, which teachers sometimes expect students to be able to do on their own. Many students, however, need to be taught in the first place how to correctly make inferences from the information they are given. This is a skill that they will use in most subjects, so it’s well worth teaching it to them as much as you can now. Walk them through the necessary steps every time you make an inference and challenge them to do the same.
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Stockimages – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
The world of business has grown. The walls have been knocked down and geographical boundaries have been erased by the interconnection that the internet providers. Today, even an individual can do business from one location and transact with a customer from clear across the globe. In a way, this levels the playing field between bigger players and smaller business owners. Even with their own limited budgets, small business owners can reach their target customers and generate revenues through various channels. The question now for small business owners is which is more profitable, online e-commerce or offline bricks and mortar stores.
There are pros and cons to both. While a bricks and mortar store requires a bigger capital and cash outlay for inventory, it gives customers a tangible place to visit and inspect the goods they want to buy. However, this also limits the store’s customer base to those who are within a certain distance from the store’s location. With an online store, you can reach your customers anytime, anywhere. While you address the accessibility factor, you lose the tangibility aspect that some customers are looking for.
The best marketplace is a combination of both online and offline presence. Although you might not have the capital for a bricks and mortar store, you should at least have a facility to address the need of your customers see you as a real company worthy of doing business with. At the very least, you should have a customer service or technical support facility where your customers can talk to real people about their product inquiries and concerns. You also need a strong logistics and delivery support services especially if you are dealing with fast moving consumer goods. These should be combined with online accessibility that gives your customer the convenience of getting information about your products and services anytime they need it. And with aggressive use of online marketing tools, there is no limit to how far small and medium scale businesses can go.
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Stuart Miles – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
With a lot of businesses joining the internet marketing bandwagon, the realm of e-commerce is getting crowded. The pool of customers to tap is vast. Even with such competition, there are enough customers to sustain these online businesses. If this is the case, why are internet marketers closing shop before they even get to their first anniversary? The answer lies in their strategy and planning – or, in all likelihood, their lack of these two business pre-requisites.
No internet marketer should go without a strategic plan. The focus of this plan is making the online business stand out from the crowd so that it can aggressively seek out its customers. There are a lot of factors involved in strategic planning. The first step is to know what you are offering. This goes beyond the specifications of your product. It’s easy enough to list down sizes, shapes, color, ingredients, and components. What you should pay more attention to are your product’s benefits. Focus on what your customers can get out of your product and why they should choose your product over your competitor.
Aside from identifying your product’s value to your customers, you should also think about who your customers are. You might think that you would be better off with a sea of customers to target. But, zooming into a specific segment of your market could yield more revenues for you. Strategically designing your marketing communications and campaigns to attract these customers could prove to be more profitable than having sweeping campaigns and crossing your fingers that you’ll get a good turnout.
Next comes crafting a message that screams out to your customers. You need to make some noise. But, you have to make sure that you create positive noise. This third step should not be all that hard when you have a clear idea of who you are talking to and what would likely draw them to your product. These days, you can stir excitement about your products without spending much in terms of financial resources. Utilize the resources that are within your reach. Make sure that you are present in your target customers’ online hubs and groups. Make sure that you are part of their regular conversations and interactions. When you forge “personal” relationships with your customers, you can be sure that you will be the first in your customers’ mind.
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Pat138241 – Free Digital Photos.Net
