Critical thinking is among the most crucial life skills one can have, especially for children. And it is a necessary 21st-century skill. Unfortunately, attending school has almost become the direct inverse of developing critical thought.
In classrooms, children are taught to repeat back what the textbooks say or what their teachers tell them. To get the right answer, they learn to follow the proper steps in the proper order. Homework, drills, and memorization pervade classroom programs rather than teaching learners how to think. In the same manner, when young people are integrated into society, they’re expected to do as they are told. It is, hence, the parents' responsibility to enrich children's education by providing them everyday applications of critical thinking.
Discover and understand What if Kids Never Build Critical Thinking Skills?, a TEDx Talk by Katie Kimball, an educator, online entrepreneur, and a mom of four.
And, this might stir your curiosity? Critical Thinking: The Next Step in Human Evolution, a TEDx Youth talk given by Vegard Møller, a young writer and speaker on philosophy and politics.
If you wish to dig deeper into this subject, watch also Critical Thinking in Language Teaching-- Higher-order Thinking Skills.
American psychologist, philosopher, and educator, John Dewey (1859-1952) called the process of critical thought "reflective thinking". He further defines it as deliberate, careful, and persistent evaluation of a concept or assumed body of information. It requires engaging actively in critical examination of a belief instead of merely accepting them at face value.
The main idea of critical thinking in children is to cultivate their reasoning skills. Instead of simply saying, "Yes, that's right" a critical thinker will raise the right questions. Far from merely criticizing, they’ll analyze things by considering the causes and all other alternatives.
A child who exercises critical thought will be able to resist peer pressure, deal with bullying, think independently, and come up with creative ideas when solving problems or challenges that come their way.
How to teach critical thinking to your child
Although it can be challenging to teach critical thinking in certain subject areas, there are things parents can do to encourage their children to build up critical thinking. Parents can facilitate children’s motivation to seek out high-order thinking approaches in solving problems.
The main goal is to show children how to use higher-order mental processes in situations that call for sound judgments in their daily lives. There are numerous educational games and thinking activities to cultivate critical thought in children, but it’s far more than just asking open-ended or "why" questions.
Here are ways we can help children develop critical thinking:
1. Teach open-mindedness. When addressing a problem, critical thinking entails an open and flexible mind. We can help nurture open-mindedness in our child by offering alternative explanations, different points of view, and various possible solutions to problems. Encourage them to solve problems in new, different ways and by enhancing their capacity for analytical thought.
2. Do not demand blind obedience. Asking children to blindly comply and obey adults' instructions is the perfect way to curb their ability to think critically.
Although it's convenient for parents when children just do as they’re told, we need to explain why we want them to do what we're asking them to. A child's reasoning ability won't develop if we simply tell them "because I said so". For a child to think independently and make sound decisions, they have to know the whys. Applying reasoning and logical thinking is a form of inductive discipline.
The advantages in exercising inductive discipline, instead of power assertion and punishment, are that children will have better emotional regulation, better academic success, stronger critical thinking skills, and fewer behavior issues.
3. Explain how causation is different from correlation.
The chronic confusion between causation and correlation is often one of the major hurdles to logical reasoning. Correlation happens when two things occur together, but this doesn’t mean one is causing the other. We cannot know this for sure until we have further information to support the notion that one directly causes the other.
4. Inspire their curiosity. I know we hate those "why" questions. But we need to help them test theories, form their own beliefs, and understand how the world works. Encourage questions, allow them to explore and experiment, encourage analysis of results, and help them think about things they could do differently.
5. Encourage learning from others. Instill in children the desire to understand the world and the love for learning. You must have the motivation to answer their "whys" through friends, family, books, the internet, etc.
6. Teach them to evaluate facts. In this information age, everyone is bombarded by information; hence, the importance of evaluating them to see if they're true or not and whether we should believe them or not. Help children weigh new information by examining where it’s coming from, how it relates to what they know, and whether it's important to them.
Read related article: How Parents Can Teach Kids Critical Thinking
7. Cultivate their interests. Children are more engaged and willing to try new things when they have a strong interest in a subject or activity. Help your child pursue their passions –whether it's learning about old coins or it’s a keen interest in tools.
8. Teach them to solve problems. Critical thinking is essential in the process of finding sound solutions to problems. Teach them to solve issues or conflicts by understanding the problem and coming up with step-by-step solutions.
If you want professional help for your child to cultivate the building blocks in critical thinking, contact JarvisHypnotherapy today.
CONCLUSION
Among the most crucial cognitive abilities is the ability for critical thought as it enables us to approach problems using discipline and logic. More importantly, it is a fundamental element in a child's cognitive, brain, and social development. This skill prepares the child to recognize how things work in the real world and form their own creative ideas.
When faced with complex problems, people who don't exercise critical thought simply rely on facile, and often out-of-date or inaccurate, views of the world –as endorsed by popular media. They tend to decide from narrow-minded, illogical, and emotional points of view. We can, however, avoid making irrational mistakes by utilizing higher-order thinking abilities.
Teaching children critical thinking skills is a gift that's undoubtedly useful for their life. With critical thought in hand, children will thrive!
For added resources on how to understand your young children, pre-teen, and teen kids, check out related article in JarvisHypnotherapy’s blog page: Helping Teens who Hurt Themselves.
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