The most comprehensive test of critical thinking.     Formerly Known as: Comprehensive Test of Critical Thinking   50, 100, 200, & 1000 test licenses available   Go to the Online Store for details   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Coming soon!    James Madison Critical Thinking Course

While this is true, how many ways do YOU need to know to solve that problem?

Each of us, including our children, process information differently.  We have been hearing for years about different learning styles and personality styles.

Most mainstream textbooks (especially Mathematics), will guide children through each strategy, showing them all of the different ways to arrive at a soution.  The problem with this method is that children begin to doubt their problem solving abilities when they are being presented with strategies that defie their personal logic.  They worry that they've been doing it wrong, since they don't do it THAT way.  Also, many math books spiral, which gives children with advanced skills a disadvantage, as it bogs them down with metriculate steps which to them are just "common sense". 

The materials we carry are VERY different.  If you are looking for a program to just hand to your child to complete, you've come to the wrong place.  However, The Critical Thinking Company GUARANTEES that if you spend just 10-20 minutes a day with your child, using these materials, their grades and their test scores will improve!

Keeping with the Mathematics theme, our Mathematical Reasoning Through Verbal Analysis series provides open-ended activities that require your child to process the directions and the problem being presented.  They will not so much solve problems involving computation, but reorganize information given to them to allow for the understanding of basic math concepts.  Your child will give his answer based on his own processing strategies.  An example is given at the start of each section and, with the help of the Instruction/Answer Guide, you will ask key questions that will help your child focus and analyze what needs to be done.  The Guide also provides you with key questions to ask your child to help him explain his reasoning.  This develops verbalization skills, and also provides you with a "window" into how your child processes information.

What I've loved about this series is developing a natural questioning strategy that evokes thoughtful responses from my children that I can use across the curriculum.  When children really understand the processes involved in problem-solving, they not only become problem-solving experts but also seek out the next challenge.

"That was fun!  Can we do another one?" should be expected. °Ü°

Our comprehension building series, "Reading Detective", "Math Detective", and "Science Detective" teach children basic strategies for comprehension (not to be confused with memorization).  Each sentence in the activity topic is numbered so that the students can give "evidence" for their answer without writing a lengthy explanation.  This encourages them to peruse through what they have just read to find the sentence # (and subsequently unknown answers). 

Many children are under the false assumption that if they can't remember after reading once, they are either poor students or poor readers.  Where do they learn that they are expected to memorize what they have read?  Probably nowhere - they have just not been taught that comprehension involves strategies for pinpointing relevant information after they've read the selection, and NOT memorization.

I am confident that after using these products for even a short time, you will see attitudes towards learning improve and more independent thinking.

Teach your child HOW to think, not just what to think!

Your kids are gonna LOVE this stuff! °Ü°