Non-Verbal Reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning is also called “fluid reasoning”.  It is an intentional cognitive process that does not occur automatically.  It involves the use of deliberate and controlled mental operations to solve novel problems.  Mental operations often include drawing inferences, forming concepts when language is not involved.

Indicators:

Students who have non-verbal reasoning needs may:

• rely heavily on the use of language to aid in their comprehension of concepts and to solve problems that are new to them and cannot be solved automatically
• have difficulty perceiving relationships among patterns
• have difficulty recognizing, forming and understanding concepts
• have difficulty drawing inferences from information
• have difficulty understanding the implications of an issue or an action
• (if you ___, then ___ will happen)
• have difficulty with complex problem solving and concept formation
• have difficulty with extrapolating, or following a logical pattern through to another conclusion
• have difficulty transferring and generalizing information to new situations
• have difficulty perceiving relationships among patterns
• have difficulty with quantitative reasoning needed for understanding and computing mathematics
• in addition, the student might have associated problems with organizational skills
• watch also for associated problems with social skills, and provide interventions, if needed

Instructional Strategies:

Three major instructional strategies are useful for students who have difficulty in non-verbal reasoning: The use of verbal explanations; the use of sequencing; and drawing upon contextual information and memory.

The use of verbal instructions:

• provide verbal instructions to all tasks
• explain in words, as well as showing how to do things
• promote the development of self-talk to mediate all tasks.  Teach the student to “talk through” their work.
• present concepts and procedures verbally, in a straightforward fashion to ensure comprehension
• use verbal descriptions along with real objects and manipulative materials to teach concepts
• provide verbal explanations of charts, tables, graphs, and maps
• when teaching concepts or providing instructions, avoid:
• figurative language, since the student is likely to interpret language literally
• complex instructions

The use of sequencing:

• teach verbal strategies that will help them to organize their written work into sequential steps
• teach strategies for solving problems, paying close attention to the proper sequence of events that can be memorized as verbal instructions.  For example, the sequence of operations in long division, or the sequence in calculating an average.
• explain homework and assignments in a sequential, step by step, fashion
• teach mechanical arithmetic in a systematic, verbal, step-by-step fashion

Provide a context that the student understands and recalls:

• teach strategies to increase understanding and retention of concepts
• self-talk, so the student guides himself or herself through the problem verbally
• lists of procedures or steps to follow
• rely on the student’s memory to teach problem-solving through repetition and rote recall
• teach problem-solving techniques in the contexts in which they are most likely to be applied
• teach and emphasize reading comprehension skills as early as possible so the student may rely on reading and rereading to ensure comprehension of concepts
• provide repetition and review of concepts to ensure over-learning, then check that a student’s memory for material includes comprehension
• structure and adjust the difficulty level of the task, where possible

Assessment Strategies:

• rely more on verbal instructions and less on the production of charts, maps and diagrams to demonstrate knowledge
• ask clear, specific questions, rather than using open-ended questions or asking students to make inferences
• test for knowledge of the material
• ask student to show all of their work (e.g. complete math calculations, or the outline for a long answer) and give partial marks for the process they followed