Dr.Reuven Feaustein – Logical thinking

I connected with someone on LinkedIn just a little more than a year ago. I made a comment in one of her posts a few days ago and I pray this will open up her mind to the possibility that she may have been misled into believing that phonological awareness deficit is one of the main causes of kids being unable to read.

Read my post on my discussion with one of the giants on phonological awareness, Dr.Joe Torgesen.

I made the following comment on the lady’s post:

You will be able to get many of the kids who are unable to read if you start teaching the sounds of the alphabets correct. Please start a group on Facebook or anywhere where we can get a few teachers to exchange ideas.

OR read my book 'shut down kids’ available on Amazon and then ask me any question you may have.

Here is her response:

Are you aware of the work of Dr. Reuven Feuerstein?  He points out that “When one is dealing with children who don’t grasp things, and who doesn’t understand what’s going on around them, who don’t have the proper ways to analyze and project themselves into the future, which makes them inadequate is lack of understanding, lack of intellectual functioning.”  I agree that it could be the inappropriate ways a concept is taught; however, Feuerstein points out that for several decades the concept of cognition —knowledge, perception understanding, grasping relationships, logical thinking was not concerned to be a directly determining factor in the behavior of the individual.  My point is that a student can have a highly effective teacher and still not get it!  I agree with the work of Feuerstein and others who consider cognition a dominant aspect and a very direct determinant of all facets of human behavior.  So, I believe the key is to what extent can I modify a given person’s cognitive functioning, thereby increasing his/her adaptability.  (edited)

The following would be my response if I had continued.

“When one is dealing with children who don’t grasp things, and who don’t understand what’s going on around them, who don’t have the proper ways to analyze and project themselves into the future, which makes them inadequate is a lack of understanding, lack of intellectual functioning.”

As far as kids who are learning to read, I disagree with the above quote by Dr.Reuven Feaustein. About 80% of children grasp things as they just accept what teachers teach them without questioning. These are the children who repeat, without thinking, whatever the teacher says.

About 20% of children around the world analyse what is being taught and this analysis is what makes them not understand what the teacher is teaching. This causes them to shut down from learning to read. AND then people like Dr.Reuven Feaustein calls it a lack of understanding and lack of intellectual functioning. It is Dr.Reuven Feuerstein who lacks understanding as to why these smart kids shut down from learning to read.

He and all those following him should ask as to how these same kids who are said to lack understanding and lack intellectual understanding are later able to excel in school after just a short period of intervention.

Here is a definition of cognitive functioning from the internet.

'Cognitive functioning refers to multiple mental abilities, including learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving, decision making, and attention.'

For many children initial learning is paramount. If they are taught the wrong things they shut down when someone teaches them things contrary to what they have initially learned.

I had a short discussion on the message box with my friend above. She is definitely intelligent. I hope she will read this post and comment.

Let us make this a lively discussion for all of us to learn from each other so that our future generation can benefit from what we leave behind.