Interactive Projects

Overview
In this activity, students will try their hand at one of two sets of on-line brainteasers as a bridge to a discussion of the role that critical thinking and creative thinking play in mental health. Students will assess their own current habits when it comes to problem solving and devise plans of action as needed for making changes in the way they approach cognitive problems in the future.

Objectives

• To work at solving on-line brainteasers as a means to recognizing the importance of critical thinking and creative thinking to good mental health.
• To probe the nature of problem solving.
• To appreciate the importance of patience and reflective thought when seeking a solution to a problem.

Getting Started
Ask for a show of hands of students who enjoy riddles and brainteasers. Note that in addition to being fun, such puzzles provide a window into our thought processes, and add that the ability to think and patiently seek solutions to problems are both barometers of good mental health. Explain that each student will be solving one of two sets of on-line brainteasers, emphasizing that these are not intelligence tests. Note that even though students will be recording the number of puzzles they correctly answer, this activity is not a reflection on their scholastic aptitude or intellectual abilities. Add that, at the same time, the activity may reveal changes students need to make in their study habits or in ways in which they approach problem solving.

Classroom Follow-up
Invite students to share their reactions to the two sets of brainteasers and to compare the types of puzzles contained in each. Elicit that one of the sets contained puzzles that were more visual in nature, whereas the other involved a type of code or cipher. Have students share and compare their scores and worksheet responses. Ask: What role do creative solutions play in various school subjects, such as math? Have students explain why developing the ability to think through a problem and seek creative solutions an important life skill?