A keynote presentation I made at Confer 2009 in Cochin. A modified version of my Thinking About Thinking talk

1. Learning About Learning
And
Thinking About Thinking
By
Dorai Thodla

2. We Live In a Complex World
Did You Know (video)?

3. What Does It Mean?
• We Need to Learn Better
• We Need to Learn to Learn
• We Need to Improve Thinking
• We Need to Spend time Thinking about
Thinking
• Learning and Thinking Tools

4. How People Learn
(Deloitte Study)

5. Different Ways You Learn
Learning
Just In-
time
Learning
Task
Based
Learning
Problem
Based
Learning
Informal
Learning
Life Long
Learning

6. Learning Styles Differ
Learning
Styles
Reading
Material
Audio
(podcasts)
Videos
Animations
(Sketchcasts,
screencasts)

7. Next Generation Learning Tools
• MIT Sketchboard (video)
• Siftables (video)

8. Thinking

9. Why Do We Think?
• Because we can’t help it
• Reaction (to events)
• To make a living
• To solve problems
• To help others
• To generate ideas
• To Create (products)
• To Win
• To Learn
• To Improve
• To gain Knowledge
• Curiosity
• Because it is Fun

12. Thinking and Problem Solving

13. Problem Solving
• What is 19 x 21
• What is the last digit of 3 ^ 2002
• Role of knowledge?
• Role of thinking?

14. Thinking and Intelligence

15. Multiple Intelligence –
Howard Gardner
Verbal/Linguistic: This intelligence is related to words and language, both written and
spoken, and dominates most Western educational systems.
Logical/Mathematical: Often called scientific thinking, this intelligence deals with inductive and
deductive thinking/reasoning, numbers and the recognition of abstract patterns.
Visual/Spatial: This intelligence, which relies on the sense of sight and being able to visualise
an object, includes the ability to create internal mental images and pictures.
Body/Kinesthetic: This intelligence is related to physical movement and the knowings
and wisdom of the body, including the brain’s motor cortex, which controls body motion.
Musical/Rhythmic: This intelligence is based on the recognition of tonal patterns,
including various environmental sounds and sensitivity to rhythm and beats.
Naturalist: This intelligence deals with the recognition, appreciation
and understanding of the flora and fauna of the natural world.
Interpersonal: This intelligence operates primarily through person to person
relationships and communication.
Intrapersonal: This intelligence relates to inner states of being, self-reflection,
metacognition (thinking about thinking) and awareness of spiritual realities.

16. Thinking and Emotion
• Emotion affects thinking
– Happiness
– Sadness
– Excitement
– Pressure
– Leisure
– Purpose

17. Thinking and Attitude
Brick Layer Story

18. Thinking and Ideas
The outcome of thinking?

19. Ideas Trigger Ideas
Ideas
Ideas
Ideas
Ideas
Ideas Ideas

20. Ideas Trigger Ideas
(ex: MP3 Player)
Portable
Music
Small
Device
Flash
Memory
Micro USB
Compressed
Format
MP3

21. Idea Pyramid
Actionable
Filtered Ideas
Lots of crazy ideas
Thinking about Ideas
Filter based on interests,
goals, research
Free Thought.
No judging, no selection.
Write all ideas down
Prototyping,
Implementing, Testing

22. Thinking And Learning
Thinking
(Turns
Information
into
Knowledge)
Learning
(Provides
Information)

23. Group Think

24. Thinking Tools
• Concept Maps
• Argument Maps
• Idea Logs
• Wikis
• Blogs
• Portals
• Annotation Servers

25. Idea Logs, Blogs, Wikis
• Idea Logs
– A simple notebook or document to store your ideas
– Private (selectively shared)
• Blogs
– Blogs can be public or private
– Share Ideas and get feedback
– Claim territory
• Wikis
– More powerful than simple documents or blogs
– Interlinked Pages (hypertext)
– Searchable
– Sharable/Collaborative

26. Call for Action
• Keep an Idea Log (your secret)
• Start a Blog (Thinking Aloud)
• Keep a Wiki (Explore Ideas, Resources)
• Try Tools (Web Marks, Annotations)
• Map your Mind

27. A Few Things to Think About
• Do you know what you know?
• Do you know what you do not know?
• What is your TQ (thinking quotient)?
• What is your CTQ (collective thinking
quotient)?