Making Everyday Choices

This book will serve as a “Think Button” for any educator who has ever heard a student say, “I can’t think” or “I can’t decide!” Fifty prompts or thinking conduits are the catalysts that will give students a chance to practice thinking. The prompts (many with option answers) are formatted as brief stories, exercises, poems, and activities and are designed so kids can use the same thinking skill sets that are essential in making everyday decisions.Whether the prompts pose silly questions, “Would you rather bathe a gorilla or take an elephant for a walk?” or practical ones, “What’s the best way to express your opinion?” they are all crafted to spur children to think hard and sensibly so they can make levelheaded decisions and defend their thinking in a stress-free think forum environment.The intention is for students to take the essence of something they’ve learned from a prompt and adapt it, stretch it, and use it to help solve a problem or make a tough decision. Every prompt comes with guidance, explanations, and suggestions so educators can clarify why certain options or decisions are better than others, and respond to thinking choices and decisions students may have made.

Lin Josephson’s book, Making Everyday Choices: Helping Students in Grades 2-5 Practice the Art of Thinking is a practical guide to help students think about their own decision making.  With a short preface entitled Why?, Josephson immediately gets into the “how.”  With eight chapters of prompts and catalysts, teachers can create what Josephson calls a “thinking laboratory.”   These scenarios (or prompts) are relatable to elementary students and will undoubtedly push them to think more critically about how and why they make decisions. I am confident that you will not regret making the decision to read this book!, Lin Josephson's latest work will be a wonderful handbook for new and seasoned teachers! When encouraging their students in the process of how to be independent thinkers, they will be provided with a method that is clear and accessible to all. Parents of school age children, too, are often looking for ways to support their child's education and they may look no further.

Lin Josephson is a former business journalist and first grade teacher. She is a Philosophy for Children Practitioner, endorsed by The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (Montclair State University) and a 2013-2014 recipient of a PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization) Award for excellence in philosophy teaching by a non-classroom teacher. She is the author of several language arts and science workbooks and has written freelance articles for such publications as Barron’s and The Chicago Tribune.