A generalizationis a broad statement about an element (people, animals, events, or other objects )

that formed from several examples or facts and what they have in common. We are attempting to
look at the behavior/specific/characteristics of those elements and not similarities. While we do
this, we focus on being descriptive and not judgmental. Generalization motivates learners to have a
simplified representation of learned concepts. This strategy may helping students evaluate, make
judgments, and form opinions.

Generalizations are helpfulbecausethey

Are usedconsciouslyandanalytically

Are descriptiveandflexible

Seektobeaccurate

Are anattempttocapturesimilaritiesandprinciples

Are constantlymodifiedbynewinput

Cluewordsthatsupportinstructionforgeneralizations: all, none, most, many, always, everyone, never,

sometimes, some, usually, seldom, few, generally, in general, andoverall.
In thecaseofgeneralization, learnersconcludethatallelementswithin a categoryhavespecifictraits.

Therefore, usingactualexperiencecanhelp in explainingthemeaningofgeneralization.

GeneralizationandCriticalThinking

Moreover, helpinglearnerstobecriticalthinkers in generalizationcanhelppeopletodevelop. For

instance, criticalthinkingallowspersonstocomparesomefeatures in differentobjects. In thiscase,
thistrainingenablesthemtobecomebroadandadventurousthinkers, generateinnovativesolutions,
andrelyonreasoningtoanalyzeorevaluateconcepts. Besides, itexpandstheabilitiesof a learnertoengage
his creativitywhenanalyzingvarioussituations. For example, learningabout a
cobracanhavetheurgetofindothersnakeswithsimilartraits. Exploringothersnakescanmake a
learnerappreciatethediversity in theircharacteristicsbecauseofgeneralization. As a result,
studentscanavoidgeneralizingthatallsnakeshavesimilarcharacteristics. Therefore,
trainingpersonsdiscouragethemfromgeneralizingideasandlearnedthings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, generalizationhindersactivelearning. Basically, studentswhogeneralizeconceptshave a

narrowunderstandingofvariousideas. Throughgeneralization, theyassumethatrelatedobjects are
similar in alltraits. However, actualexamplesteachpersonstoappreciatethatthingsmayhave minor
differences. Hence, theapproachpreventslearnersfromsimplifyingconcepts. Moreover,
traininglearnerstobecriticalthinkerscanpreventthis problem. In particular,
studentscanrelateobjectsandseektofindsimilaritiesanddifferences. Alongtheselines, theydevelop a
deeperunderstandingofthesituationandavoidsimplifyingknowledge. Therefore,
generalizingexperiencemakespeoplemissideas, butteacherscansolvethe problem
throughcriticalthinking. In turn, peoplemayusethewriteessayservicetoavoidcasesofgeneralization.