Linear thinking -- not getting the whole picture

[Marina]

Linear thinking -- not getting the whole picture



http://www.nldontheweb.org/thompson-1.htm

This child does not form visual images and therefore cannot revisualize something he has seen previously. He focuses on the details of what he sees and often fails to grasp the "total picture."


http://www.picofdel.org/learn/newslette ... 20picture'

Parts is Parts
In visual/spatial processing and organizing material, NVLD children cannot see the whole for its parts. Because they cannot create a mental picture of what they see, they focus on details, and often fail to grasp the whole picture. While they may be able to read a paragraph well, they cannot extract the main idea or recognize cause-effect relationships in the material. Inference is also confusing, as they tend to be literal, linear thinkers. This makes it hard for them to answer questions at the end of a chapter, understand test questions when they are worded differently than those studied, and organize thinking for written reports. In math, word problems or math reasoning are challenging as are higher math skills that require spatial recognition or knowledge
of spatial relations. The concepts of time, money and measurement can be hard for them to grasp.


http://www.ldonline.org/article/6390

Whole/part relationships
1. Some children have a difficulty perceiving or integrating the relationship between an object or symbol in its entirety and the component parts which make it up. Some children may only perceive the pieces, while others are only able to see the whole. The common analogy is not being able to see the forest for the trees and conversely, being able to recognize a forest but not the individual trees which make it up.
In school, children are required to continuously transition from the whole to the parts and back again. A "whole perceiver", for example, might be very adept at recognizing complicated words, but would have difficulty naming the letters within it. On the other hand, "part perceivers" might be able to name the letters, or some of the letters within a word, but have great difficulty integrating them to make up a whole, intact word. In creating artwork or looking at pictures, the "part perceivers" often pay great attention to details, but lack the ability to see the relationship between the details. "Whole perceivers", on the other hand, might only be able to describe a piece of artwork in very general terms, or lack the ability to assimilate the pieces to make any sense of it at all. As with all abilities and disabilities, there is a wide range in the functioning of different children.


http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/ ... t7lk15.htm
"Children derive greater meaning in their school-based academic work from three sources. First, when they are actively engaged in the attempt to make sense of things they experience in school, they are encouraged to be meaning makers. Second, they derive meaning from seeing the relationship of parts to the whole, rather than being left with only parts. Opportunities to connect one concept or one skill to another increase their conceptual grasp of what they are doing, whether it involves communication, problem solving, appreciation of artwork, or carrying out projects. Third, they find meaning by connecting new learning experiences to their existing body of knowedge, assumptions, and meanings, much of which is rooted in their upbringing and cultural roots. We refer to teaching that seeks to maximize these three things as 'teaching for meaning.' "

On the corruption of education by psychology
http://condor.depaul.edu/~ppereira/cour ... psych.html