17533712-49D2-4593-B2A4-04990625028C.cr2

Think like a web

Global Indigenous Knowledge Curriculum: for a wiser, more equal world.

We are currently putting together a thinking curriculum made of ways of knowing that have been passed down through the centuries.

We are not using any knowledge without the permission of the peoples to whom it belongs.

Keep an eye on our instagram or website to see when it becomes available.

For educational materials, group games and other resources please email us:

howtheearththinks@proton.me

Higher Order Thinking and Decision Making Course

We can’t do this justice by written explanation, so we humbly suggest you do our course. All our courses are very reasonably priced because they all will help us change the world for the better.

In the meantime we will give you some things to think about…

Influences on our Decision Making -things that built your neural network to operate as it now does -through established connections and a developed response to hormones, neurotransmitters and other neuro-modulators

Experience -all of it from when you were a foetus to the present moment, and especially your relationships, stress levels and your diet and lifestyle.
Emotions
Our needs -our current needs and our perceived future needs
Thinking style
Microbiome
Medical history
Genetic history
Instinct (brain areas have now been associated with this)
Knowledge/Lack of Knowledge (nobody knows everything about something!)

…all of the above could also be said to determine the many traits of our personality. Like a fingerprint -you never get the same two.

Many of these influences are sub-conscious. Although we know the fairly conscious pre-frontal cortex is able to plan, assess, compare and decide, the sub-conscious still has the greater influence over decision making. In order to be more aware of the role of our subconscious when we are making decisions, we need to 'increase the size of our brain.'

This is where the thinking and decision techniques that we teach on the course, come in.

If we use drawn and written notation to record something that we are thinking about -something important to the issues at hand, then we are able to release our brain from that specific network of thought. This allows our brain to move on to another part of the issue and contemplate that in depth. Hey, bigger brain! By refining this method we can maximise its use.

So this is the first step of HODM -deconstructing the problem and looking at all parts separately before looking at how they fit together. By doing this we spot other things connected to the whole issue -things hidden behind that previous network, that we hadn't yet considered. Things that, otherwise, may only be seen after we are acting on the decision.

A second group of tools enable us to generate ideas. Some brains do this more naturally than others. But all brains can improve at this, by extending the thought processes out of the brain and onto paper or equivalent.

These are highly useful tools, our brains are not able to analyse highly complex systems on their own. At least, not so that our conscious brains can extract that analysis.

We are programmed to prefer simple solutions because when the sub conscious decision making part of our brain (the limbic -emotional- system) evolved, before our planning part evolved, it was of importance to have one clear solution.

Group thinking and decision making is flawed when it is just about a group getting together, talking, looking at some facts and data, and then making a decision based on that. You can guess why, I am sure. We can change group thinking to be positive and highly connected -again with techniques -and with everyone valuing the techniques and recognising the difference between people according to the box above.

On the course we look at many different practical techniques that span the whole process of Higher Order Decision Making -some that have been devised by others, most are ones that we have developed over 25 years.

We have taught them successfully to children of all ages and to teachers who say that they use them in their own life as well as incorporating them into the curriculum.

The course is not about the anatomy or the science of the brain -it is about strategies for top notch, connected thinking and decsion making

Our 6 session course is £150. We run one for those wishing to improve group thinking and decision making and a separate course for teachers wishing to incorporate more problem solving into their teaching.