3 Review(s)

The 5 Elements Of Effective Thinking is an inspiring book that talks about the authors' five elements of thinking, as the title suggests. The book has been co-authored by mathematicians, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird. Summary Of The Book The 5 Elements Of Effective Thinking is an educational book that offers very practical and sound advice on ways to improve the process of thinking and learning. The book explains the steps readers should take to improve their thinking process and couples those steps with the elements of nature. The authors believe that once a reader starts practicing an effective way of thinking, they will be able to carve their own path and achieve their goals. The authors explain that brilliant and successful people become so because of their thought process. Using examples from the real world, historical ones too, the book explains to the readers the concrete method that will enable them to unclutter their lives. The book aims at ensuring that the readers start leading their lives in a more intelligent and effective manner by trying to change the very core of their mind. The steps detailed in the book are associated with the elements, earth, fire, air and water. The last element, change, brings all the other four elements together. The authors encourage the reader to begin by trying to understand their thinking first. This step is associated with the element, earth. The next step teaches the readers that mistakes need to be made to learn the correct way of doing things. This step is associated with the element, fire. Then, the book tells the readers to raise questions about one’s understanding and warns them against wasting time on the wrong questions. It details how readers can challenge their own thinking and learn from it. This is associated with the element, air. The penultimate step involves chasing an idea and figuring out where it could take you. This is associated with the element, water. The last step involved is change, which brings all these steps together to improve the thought process of the reader. About The Authors Edward B. Burger was born in 1964 and is a renowned mathematician. He is the 15th President of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He has written other books including Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas and Abandoning Dead Ends: Embracing Lively Beginnings. Edward B. Burger graduated with a distinction in Mathematics from Connecticut College in 1985. He completed his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1990 from the University Of Texas. He has taught at several universities including the University of Texas, Westminster College and Macquarie University, Australia. Edward B. Burger has authored 12 books and has published 30 papers in scholarly journals. Michael Starbird was born in 1948 and is a Professor of Mathematics and a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas, Austin. Michael Starbird has received several teaching awards, including the Mathematical Association of America, Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics.