GREAT MINDS THINK AHEAD!

Critical thinking is a term that we hear a lot, but many people don't really stop to think about what it means or how to use it. Critical thinking is not a matter of simply accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. Critical thinking should also not be confused with being argumentative or being critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing fallacies and bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. What exactly is critical thinking? Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments that are logical and well thought out. It is a way of thinking in which you don't simply accept all arguments and conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving questioning such arguments and conclusions. It requires wanting to see what evidence is involved to support a particular argumen...

A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain. Whether you're a student studying for final exams, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there are lots of things you can do to improve your memory and mental performance. Improving memory tip 1: Give your brain a workout By the time you’ve reached adulthood, your brain has developed millions of neural pathways that help you process and recall information quickly, solve familiar problems, and execute familiar tasks with a minimum of mental effort. But if you always stick to these well-worn paths, you aren’t giving your brain the stimulation it needs to keep growing and developing. You have to shake things up from time to time! Memory, like muscular strength, requires you to “use it or lose it.” The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. But not a...

Children naturally love art – painting, drawing, making music, the theater. Physiologically, the human brain consists of 2 parts, the left and the right hemisphere. The left brain is used in logical thinking and analytical processes. This is typically what is trained in school work that consists of math, reading and science. The right brain is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity. It is the right brain that is mainly used when a person is involved in creative endeavors such as making art. It is this part of the brain that typical school environment neglects to train. It is shown that when gifted kids solve problems in their areas of giftedness, there is increased electrical activity in both hemispheres. It appears that for the brain to be efficient, the two hemispheres of the brains must work together. By stimulating and exercising the right hemisphere of the brain, the arts strengthen the connection between the hemispheres. Kids should be exposed to the arts a...

Have you ever heard people say that they tend to be more of a right-brain or left-brain thinker?  According to the theory of left-brain or right-brain dominance, each side of the brain controls different types of thinking. People who identify as left-brain thinkers feel that they have strong math and logic skills. Those who profess to be right-brain thinkers, on the other hand, feel that their talents are more on the creative side of things. A person who is "left-brained" is often said to be more logical, analytical, and objective. A person who is "right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful, and subjective. Today, neuroscientists know that the two sides of the brain collaborate to perform a broad variety of tasks. In fact, recent research has shown that abilities in subjects such as math are strongest when both halves of the brain work together. The UCMAS Abacus program is designed to stimulate both sides of the brain enhancing mathematical ability i...