Do you think, or do you follow the thinking of others? Do you use ideas, or do you repeat them? Are you willing to play with knowledge, or do you store facts in neat little memory bundles. How responsible are you for your own learning?

Dr Derek Cabrera says we need to actively teach our students to think for themselves (rather than encouraging them to memorise  and regurgitate facts on a test). I agree. Students who ‘grasp’ ideas, rather than ‘holding’ facts, tend to be more flexible, more creative and better equipped to thrive in a world that exists beyond the school gates.

Which learning experience would you prefer?

Think for a moment about the difference between the words ‘grasp’ and ‘hold’ (incidentally, recognising difference is the ‘D’ part of Cabrera’s DSRP thinking method). To grasp something is to take it firmly ‘in hand’. We also use the word ‘grasp’ to signify mental comprehension – i.e. ‘I grasp your meaning’. In contrast the word ‘hold’ generally implies to keep or maintain something.

Can you guess why it is better to grasp ideas, than hold facts? Again, think about it. While you are thinking, consider the impact of connotation. Remember connotation refers to a word’s ‘vibe’ –  its implied or associated meaning.  You may recognise that grasp implies a much stronger force than simply holding. Therefore, grasping ideas offers an impression of actively and relentlessly gathering and synthesising ideas to create a solid foundation for further thought. In contrast, holding facts presents an image of keeping information in storage. The key difference is that grasping an idea involves a proactive action whereas holding facts tends to be a passive.

You may be wondering why I am labouring the difference between grasping and holding (perhaps you want to know why I am asking so many questions). The easy response is I want to encourage you to think about your own thinking process. The more visible thinking becomes, the easier it is to identify areas of strength (and weakness) and the easier it is to direct thoughts towards generative actions. The other reason is to mentally prepare you, before introducing an acronym I use in my classes.

Put simply, I devised the acronym GRASP to describe the process of critical thinking.

G – gather information from a variety of sources
R – reflect upon the ideas within the information
A – analyse the validity of the ideas, test them against each other and your own experience
S – synthesise ideas to create new perspectives and fresh thoughts
P – propose new ideas and strategies

Students who GRASP concepts rather than holding ideas, recognise that any reading, listening or viewing activity can became an active ‘thinking’ opportunity. In this sense you participate, direct and ‘learn’, rather than simply being an observer of someone else’s thinking. Taking control of your own learning, is the first step toward becoming a lifelong learner and a positive step toward taking control of your own life.

Welcome to a World of Expression

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