To read the article please click on this link but the article is in French

Cognitive flexibility is essential for young learners as it shapes their learning abilities, enabling them to adapt to new situations and think creatively when solving problems. Encouraging this skill can have a significant impact on their current and, most importantly, future learning.

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Encouraging children to consider multiple solutions stimulates their ability to think flexibly. Open-ended questions push them to go beyond their initial response.

Examples:

• While reading a story, ask: "What else could happen next in the story?" This invites the child to imagine alternative endings.
• When they are working on a puzzle, instead of offering help, you can ask: "What other ways could you try to fit this piece?" This encourages them to experiment with different approaches.

2. Teach Them to Detach from Their First Ideas

Children often cling to their first response or solution. Encouraging them to rethink their initial answers helps them reassess situations and remain open to other possibilities.

Examples:

• After solving a math problem, ask: "Can you solve this in a different way?" or "Is there another method you could try?" This reinforces the idea that there’s not always just one right way to reach the solution.
• While they are drawing, suggest: "What if you tried drawing it from a different angle, or in another way?" This pushes them to reconsider their perspective, promoting adaptability in their creative process.

3. Model Flexible Behavior

Children learn by example. Showing cognitive flexibility in your own actions can have a powerful impact. When they see you adapting to changes or uncertainty, they are more likely to adopt the same attitude.

Examples:

• If you face a problem at home, such as a recipe going wrong or not turning out well, present the situation as solution-oriented: "This didn’t work, what else can I try?" This shows your child that it’s normal to accept failures, try different strategies, and adapt.
• When plans change, like a trip being canceled due to rain, express positivity: "It’s raining, so what can we do instead?" This models resilience and adaptability in the face of the unexpected, rather than dwelling on frustration.

4. Promote Creative Activities

Games, puzzles, and artistic activities naturally foster flexible thinking by encouraging children to imagine multiple solutions to the same problem or objective. Creative activities push children to approach things in original ways.

Examples:

• During creative time, offer open-ended projects, such as: "Build something with these blocks" instead of giving strict instructions. This encourages experimentation.
• Introduce storytelling improvisation games where children must continue a story on the spot or invent new ones using the same characters. This type of activity develops flexibility by encouraging quick thinking and adaptation to new story twists or creating them.

5. Integrate Games with Changing Rules

Games with evolving rules encourage children to adapt quickly and think flexibly. This helps them understand that flexibility is necessary in unpredictable situations. Games like Uno or Monopoly, as well as "Simon Says," work well for this.

Examples:

• Play "Simon Says," but change the rules periodically, such as asking them to clap twice instead of once. This forces children to stay alert and adjust their responses.
• Offer board games where the rules evolve as you play. It can be as simple as creating new "house rules" during the game to encourage flexibility while respecting guidelines.

6. Use Everyday Life Situations

Encourage children to solve real-life problems in different ways. This shows them that flexible thinking applies outside of school and has an impact on daily life.

Examples:

• When they face a personal challenge, like building a tower of blocks that keeps falling, ask: "What else could you try to make it more stable?" This encourages resilience and creative problem-solving, while emphasizing what’s important for success, beyond predefined methods.
• During a trip to the supermarket, give them a simple yet flexible task: "Can you think of three different ways we could find all the items we need faster?"

Flexible thinking, or cognitive flexibility, is defined as the ability to adapt one's thoughts and reactions in response to new information or unexpected situations. It can be further described as developing a mindset of anticipation, which involves shifting perspectives, finding alternative solutions, and quickly reassessing initial assumptions.

The earliest studies on flexible thinking can be traced back to Jean Piaget, renowned for his work on cognitive development in children. Piaget observed that as children grow, they transition from rigid thinking to more abstract and flexible thought processes. This shift is a key aspect of cognitive flexibility.
Later, researchers like Ellen Langer expanded this concept to include "mindfulness," an active state of awareness that promotes greater mental flexibility. Today, one of the most recognized psychologists in this field is Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School and an expert in organizational psychology. Grant has emphasized the importance of cognitive flexibility in learning, innovation, and solving complex problems.

Flexible thinking allows individuals to break free from preconceived patterns and consider new solutions—essential in an environment where information is abundant and often contradictory. It is crucial not only for academic success but also for psychological well-being, as it helps manage uncertainty, a growing challenge for young people, especially with the influence of social media and the evolving demands of the job market.

Young people who develop this skill are less likely to be hindered by obstacles or locked into rigid ways of thinking. For example, a student struggling with math can reassess their learning strategies rather than concluding they are simply not good at the subject. This cognitive agility fosters resilience in the face of failure and promotes continuous growth.
However, despite its many advantages, cognitive flexibility is not always easy to teach or integrate into young people's daily lives. Some challenges, such as academic pressure, can drive students toward rigid, performance-focused thinking centered on memorization. Additionally, family or social environments that prioritize conformity over independent thinking can also limit the development of this skill.

A Concrete Example in the United States

In the American educational system, some experimental programs, like Stanford's "Design Thinking" project, aim to cultivate cognitive flexibility in students. These initiatives introduce pedagogical methods that emphasize iteration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They demonstrate that education can evolve to include teaching that fosters mental flexibility and adaptability.

In two upcoming articles, I will propose concrete applications to encourage and promote the development of this essential skill.

References :
• Grant, A. (2021). Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know. Viking.
• Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168.
• Zelazo, P. D., & Carlson, S. M. (2012). Cognitive flexibility: Developmental approaches. In R. Sternberg & S. B. Kaufman (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (pp. 119-139). Cambridge University Press.
• Giedd, J. N. (2004). Structural magnetic resonance imaging of the adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021(1), 77-85.
• Piaget, J. (1936). The Origin of Intelligence in Children. Delachaux et Niestlé.

Here’s a typical case study, the first of many to come.

I was speaking with a student during our first session to assess his situation and explore potential pathways for his academic and career direction.

At one point, I asked him if there were any questions or concerns that might be hindering his progress. He explained that one of his teachers suggested he enroll in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program because he excelled in a particular subject. (Let me clarify here—choosing a career path simply because you're good at one subject is a common misstep.)

I remained silent, allowing him to continue.

He then explained that his parents had opposed the idea.

Finally, he said to me: “I don’t really understand the difference between a CTE program and the general high school track, and I have no idea where each one leads!”

How is it possible that neither his parents nor his teacher explained the differences? If that’s indeed the case… And if he’s genuinely confused, why hasn’t he taken the initiative to research it on his own?

This is far from an isolated incident.

There’s a critical lack of awareness and student empowerment when it comes to career guidance, both at home and in schools across the U.S. Students often don’t seem to consider it important enough to do the research by themselves to answer their questions on the subject.

So how can you empower your child to make informed decisions about their future?

The purpose of this reading is to help you better understand the challenges of school-related memorization as well as my other articles on this topic.

Science distinguishes several types of memory, often categorized by their duration, nature, and the cognitive processes they involve.

In the context of schoolwork, it’s obviously impossible to isolate a single type of memory at play. As you’ll see, it’s more complex and highly dependent on individuals, effort, situations, and contexts, among other factors.

Here are the main categories of memory identified:

1. Sensory Memory

• This is the most fleeting type of memory. It allows us to retain a very brief trace (a few milliseconds to a few seconds) of sensory stimuli (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) before they are filtered or directed to short-term memory.
• Examples:
  • Iconic memory (for visual stimuli).
  • Echoic memory (for auditory stimuli).

2. Short-term Memory (STM)

• Also called working memory, this allows us to store information for a short period (about 20 to 30 seconds). It’s the system that actively manages information needed for immediate cognitive tasks (like remembering a phone number temporarily or handling data from an equation).
• Its capacity is limited (typically around 7 ± 2 pieces of information).

3. Working Memory

• Considered a subset of short-term memory, working memory is responsible for holding and processing information to perform complex tasks, such as problem-solving or reasoning. After a certain period, if the information is forgotten, you’ll need to revisit the initial statement or problem again.

4. Long-term Memory (LTM)

• This type of memory allows information to be stored for much longer periods, ranging from minutes to decades. It is divided into several subcategories:

  a. Declarative (Explicit) Memory

  • This is the memory of facts and events that we can consciously recall and verbalize.
  • Subtypes:
    • Episodic Memory: Relates to memories of personal events contextualized in time and space (such as recalling a trip or a party).
    • Semantic Memory: Relates to general knowledge, facts, and concepts (such as knowing that Paris is the capital of France).

  b. Procedural (Implicit) Memory

  • This is the memory of skills and habits, often unconscious. It allows us to perform tasks without thinking about them, like sending an email or playing a musical instrument.

5. Prospective Memory

• This is the memory that allows us to remember to do things in the future, such as remembering to complete an assignment by Thursday or send an email later.

6. Autobiographical Memory

• This encompasses personal memories and life events, often associated with an emotional dimension, although emotion can intervene at other levels. It draws on episodic memory but can also incorporate semantic elements.

As we discussed in a previous article, one of the key elements for successful memorization is often absent in the school context. I’m talking about emotion. Teachers who can create emotional moments in a typical school journey, and even later in college or university, are few and far between. But let’s not fool ourselves—even if every class were emotionally charged, we wouldn’t retain everything. It would create an overload and be unmanageable. Clearly, emotion alone doesn’t do all the work; it’s a combination of several factors. So given this situation, how can we simply optimize memorization?

We need to focus on the second main factor in memorization: desire. This is especially important for younger generations who need even more meaning in their learning. And once again, we can't rely on teachers to spark that desire in students. This isn’t a simplistic critique, but rather an observation of the current state of affairs, which has become the norm in the vast majority of cases—though not universally.

I want to explore the idea of optimizing memorization through the lens of desire, as it’s a subject I’ve worked on with many students over the years and one where I believe I can offer some useful insights.

We can break down desire into two parallel categories to help visualize the process: daily desire and fundamental desire. Both need to be nurtured.

Daily Desire

To not just spark but generate daily desire, you must, among other things, create meaning in the learning process. This involves changing the way students perceive the school system and trying to shift their approach so they can identify what interests them and actively generate their own daily motivation. It requires building a new mindset, a fresh vision of the stakes and objectives of school. This won’t happen overnight and may take a few months.

Fundamental Desire

Fundamental desire, as I conceptualize it, is the desire born from a goal you set for yourself. Few children consciously enjoy absorbing school knowledge. It’s the goal they seek to achieve that will fuel their daily desire, helping them to understand and accept the system, but more importantly, to decide to put in the work—and sometimes even find pleasure in it. The goal that gives meaning to schoolwork is the choice of a career. Not the choice of a general path—that’s far too vague. A career. And it must be chosen intelligently. You need to know why that career and not another. This is how you give yourself the means to succeed. Because failure is no longer an option. Only in this context can a student truly invest themselves.

To bring things back down to earth for a moment, consider this: without desire and without a meaningful goal, how on earth can you expect someone to make an effort to raise their overall grade from a 10 or 11 to something higher?

Rather than simply rehashing knowledge, let’s stick to something concrete. Let's start with a simple observation: even those who worked efficiently by making study sheets or mental maps have forgotten a significant portion of what they learned from middle school to high school. This article was inspired by a lecture given by Carlos Tinoco at the HEP of Vaud in Switzerland, titled: "School and Intellectual Giftedness: Understanding to Act." I watched this on YouTube on March 8, 2022. You can watch it here. It's in French.

Yes, this article has been a long time coming, due more to procrastination than anything else.

There was a particular passage at the end of the lecture that sparked my reflection on memory. Tinoco talks about what remains of what was learned in school after a few years, and he suggests the audience try this experiment, which I will share with you: ask students who were diligent and had good grades (now aged 35 to 40, since his audience was clearly in their thirties or forties), grab a stopwatch and ask them to tell you everything they know about the Middle Ages. Stop the timer when they finish.

And he concludes: you’ll see what remains. Nothing.

He then logically moves on to discuss the concept of desire.

Of course, this is not a groundbreaking discovery; we've all realized at some point that most of what we learned up until high school is now a faint memory. And that some individuals, particularly those who crammed or memorized everything last minute, remember even less than others.

Desire plays a crucial role in the memorization process. You need to want to learn—this is essential—but I believe this involves a more complex process than what Tinoco touched on. This doesn’t mean he hasn’t reflected on it in his thinking about memorization, just that he didn’t present it during his talk.

This raises two key questions in my view. The first, which he addressed, relates to the learning system and the format of school lessons. Teachers, regardless of their personalities, values, convictions, or unique life stories, may or may not possess the speaking skills or enthusiasm required to transmit their passion. However, they are also constrained by a system of standardized repetition, year after year. The second question, which is critical to memorization, involves emotion.

What truly embeds knowledge or memories in the brain is emotion.

Research in neuroscience and cognitive psychology often highlights the importance of emotion in the memorization process, showing a clear correlation between emotion and memory retention. This will be the subject of a dedicated article.

In the meantime, what explains students' difficulty in memorizing is the overall lack of emotion in the classroom during lessons.