The Role of Logical Reasoning
A number of people think about logic problems and recall those huge grids where you place a dot for "yes" and an X for "no." There are a number of resources that do show these types of logic problems and there are plenty of other resources that can be utilized to encourage students to think logically. The following example comes from Mathematics, A Human Endeavour by Harold Jacobs.
Three golfers named Tom, Dick, and Harry are walking to the clubhouse. Tom, the best golfer of the three, always tells the truth. Dick sometimes tells the truth, while Harry, the worst golfer, never does.
- To figure out who is who, it is best to first determine which one is Tom. Why?
- How can you deduce which one is Tom from what each golfer says?
- How can you determine which one is Harry?
- Is Dick lying or telling the truth?
Think about how you would present this type of lateral thinking puzzle to your students. What types of conclusions would you want them to draw from solving this puzzle? How can you incorporate lateral thinking puzzles into your everyday instruction?