The Learning Toolbox

I dentify an event. Clearly identify the event for which you want to find the cause or causes. Write this down so that you are clear about the starting point of your thinking process.
F ind one cause. Some events have only one cause. Ask yourself if this event fits this category. Use self-talk or visual aids to clearly demonstrate to yourself the nature of the cause and effect relationship. One way to show causation is to write the event and then draw an arrow to the left of the event and write the cause. This will show that you are reasoning backward to find the cause of the event. For example, if you are studying the causes of avalanches and landslides, you will find that there is one cause; i.e., substances that overcome friction between the snow or rocks and the underlying ground that holds the snow or rocks in place on a slope. You might explain this to yourself by saying: "Substances like water, ice, and sand overcome friction by making the underlying surface slippery and providing a cushion that snow or rock can move over. This movement is an avalanche or landslide." You also might try to visualize in your mind's eye the actions that take place with an avalanche or landslide. You might picture rocks on a slope and water under the rocks carrying them downhill.
F ind other causes. Some events have more than one cause. Ask yourself if this event fits this category. Use self talk or visual aids to clearly demonstrate to yourself the nature of the cause and effect relationship. Think about why all the causes are necessary and why one or a few might not fully explain the event. One technique for visually demonstrating multiple causation is to write the event and then to the left of this make a list of all the possible causes of the event. Draw an arrow from the event back to each of the causes listed. This will show that you are reasoning backwards to find multiple causes. For example, if you are studying the Salem witch trials, you may have learned that there were four major reasons for the trials: the Puritan life style, strong belief in the devil and witchcraft, the divisions within the Salem village, and expectations for children. You might explain this to yourself by saying: "There are four reasons for the Salem witch trials. First, the Puritan life style had a rigid moral code that made anyone who did not follow the code suspicious. Second, the people viewed the devil as equal to God and believed that witches were possessed by the devil. Third, there were strong economic and social differences between the people of Salem and the poorer people who were accused of witchcraft. And fourth, children were expected to behave as adults. The two girls who made the accusations of witchcraft were viewed as little adults."
I dentify an event. Clearly identify the event for which you want to find the effect or effects. Write this down so that you are clear about the starting point of your thought process.
F ind one effect. Some events have only one effect. Ask yourself if this event fits this category. Use self-talk or visual aids to clearly demonstrate to yourself the nature of the cause and effect relationship. One way to show effects is to write the event and then draw an arrow to the right of the event and write the effect. This will show that you are reasoning forward to project the effect of the event. For example, if you are studying the effects of drinking and driving, you find that alcohol affects the nervous system by slowing it down and this eventually results in decreased ability to drive. You might explain this to yourself by saying: "The effect of alcohol on a person's ability to drive is to act like a sedative and slow down the nervous system."
F ind other effects. Some events have multiple effects. Ask yourself if this event fits into this category. Use self-talk or visual aids to clearly demonstrate to yourself the nature of the cause and effect relationship. Think about why all the effects are likely and why one or a few might not be sufficient to explain the relationship. One way to show multiple effects is to write the event and then to the right of this make a list of all the possible effects of the event. Draw an arrow from the event forward to each of the effects listed. This will show that you are reasoning forward to project multiple effects. For example, if you are studying the effects of smoking on the inner body, you may have learned that there are six effects: shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness, and increased occurrence of cancer, heart disease, and lung problems. You might explain this to yourself by saying: "There are six effects of smoking on the inner body. These are shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness, more cancer, more heart disease, and more lung problems."