Teaching Thinking Skills From Susan Reid, a seventh and eighth grade algebra teacher at Olive Branch Middle School in Olive Branch, Mississippi: ìI gather puzzlers and problems from the Internet, math magazines, old textbooks and other publications. Each day, I put a challenging problem on the overhead and give my students time to work on it. When I call ëtime,í I place a square of tag board on the desks of those who got the correct answer. The students write their names on the squares and place them in a can. I draw one name. That student has to explain the method he or she used to get the answer. The student receives a prize for a good explanation. Then, I ask for other students to share explanations. Students benefit from having to explain their thinking and from seeing multiple methods of solving problems. I am amazed at the variety of methods they use to solve problems.î