A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING B 劉忡淇

VOCABULARIES Whiz : expert; somebody who is very skilled at something 專家 Customize : to alter something in order to make it fit somebody's requirements better 定做 Snap : an easy, profitable, or agreeable position, piece of work, or the like 輕鬆的工作 Soufflé : A light, fluffy baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a main dish or sweetened as a dessert 蛋白牛奶酥

Baffle : to confuse 使困惑 Bewilder : to confuse or puzzle completely 使困惑 Preschooler : a child below the official school starting age, usually a child up to age five 學齡前 兒童 Pediatrician : a physician who specializes in pediatrics, the branch of medicine concerned with the development, care, and diseases of babies and children 小兒科醫師 Attention deficit disorder: ADD, also known as ADHD, a condition, usu. in children, marked by inattentiveness, dreaminess, and passivity 兒 童好動症

Quandary : a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. as to what to do; dilemma 窘境 Assessment : evaluation; estimation 評價 Psychometrist : a physician who specializes in pediatrics, the branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and personality traits 心理 測量學家 Ambidextrous : able to use both hands equally well 兩手都善用的

In general the left and right hemispheres of your brain process information in different ways. We tend to process information using our dominant side. Left brain strategies are the ones used most often in the classroom. LATERALIZATION OF BRAIN FUNCTION

Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere Linear Vs. Holistic Processing Logical Vs. Intuitive Sequential Vs. Random Processing Verbal Vs. Nonverbal Processing Symbolic Vs. Concrete Processing Reality-Based Vs. Fantasy-Oriented Processing Different degrees of dominance → different way of thinking

MAIN IDEA By introducing Paul Holtz, who thinks in a different way from others, the article brings about 2 ways of thinking—linear thinking and non- linear thinking.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION 1 st paragraph: Paul Holtz is a whiz who solves complex computer problems quickly. 2 nd paragraph: Sophisticated calculations and complex problem-solving are a piece of cake for Paul, but not tasks requiring linear sequencing. Q: when solving “2x( )-78/2”, can you tell us the steps that you get the answer for the problem?

3 rd paragraph: Paul’s problems became more apparent academically and socially as he grew up, leading to being stressful and headaches. 4 th ~9 th paragraphs: Paul was taken to Mayo Clinic and diagnosed to have a different pattern for learning and processing information—did not do well on anything straightforward but tasks that required complex reasoning.

10 th ~11 th paragraphs: Paul was a capable individual and the school should teach and evaluate Paul differently. With the help of Mayo Clinic specialists, Paul feels better about himself. 12 th ~13 th paragraphs: After the introduction of Paul, 2 ways of thinking are presented: linear thought which is the way most people process information and non-linear thought like Paul’s way of thinking. Linear thought? Non-linear thought?

DISCUSSION Do you think that most students nowadays lack training of non-linear thought? How can we improve this situation? Have you ever heard of “Gifted education”( 資優教 育 )? What do you think about this? Beneficial or harmful to students?

SOMETHING ON NON-LINEAR THINKING… ●●● ●●● ●●● Linear thinking will trap us in a box. If we train our right hemisphere of the brain, we can think out of the box. We may be “another Einstein” one day!