The Mind Lab Method and Linguistic Skills

As part of the research project carried out in 2004 by Professor Donald Green of Yale University, the following hypothesis was tested: The study of Mind Lab strategies and thinking concepts improves children's "language of thinking."

At the start of the process, the children's language of thinking was measured by using a long list of thinking concepts. The children were required to choose the most suitable definition to concepts such as: decision, goal, planning, problem, process. The research group (which was deliberately composed of children whose scholastic abilities had been assessed as weak) took part in a weekly lesson on the Mind Lab Method for a three-month period. Conversely, the control group was exposed to the same thinking games but did not participate in a reflective post-game discussion, which is an essential part of the Mind Lab Method.

At the end of the three months, the thinking language of the children in both groups was measured again while using the list of thinking concepts employed in the first test. The results astounded the headmistress of the school in which the research was conducted. "As a result of these findings, I have decided to include the Mind Lab lessons into the curriculum of all the classes in my school."

The three main conclusions of this research project are:

1. The learning of Mind Lab strategic and thinking concepts enriches and embellishes children's language of thinking and considerably enhances their language skills.

2. Those children who just indulged in the playing of thinking games tended to improve their language of thinking, but to a lesser degree than those children who took part in the Mind Lab post-game reflective discussion.

3. The Mind Lab Method is especially effective among children with weak scholastic achievements. Professor Don Green of Yale University metaphorically related to the Mind Lab Method as one that uncovers "diamonds in the rough" and then polishes them up.