Think About It: Critical Thinking
Does your child's teacher talk about building "critical thinking" skills? Here's what she means.
Critical thinking has become a buzzword in education. In the past, the emphasis in classrooms has been on imparting information and content — the times tables or the capitals of the United States, for example. In recent years, however, there's been a shift toward teaching critical thinking, a skill that elevates thinking beyond memorization into the realm of analysis and logic. The rationale for this change in emphasis: children need to be equipped with the ability to navigate the world and to think independently, not just recite facts.
The term is often interchanged with others such as analytical thinking, logical thinking, critical reasoning, higher order thinking, and so on. But basically, when educators talk about critical thinking, they are referring to the capacity to analyze a situation, synthesize information, or evaluate an argument.
Put another way, critical thinking is about knowing how to think, not what to think. Teachers use a number of techniques to help students learn this valuable skill, starting as early as kindergarten and ramping up especially in 3rd grade and up. Below are a few of the methods educators employ; you can try them at home to help your child become a critical thinker.
1. Ask open-ended questions. Asking questions that don't have one right answer encourages children to respond creatively without being afraid of giving the wrong answer. Evelyn Shoop, a former elementary school teacher and now the academic dean at the Achievement First Bushwick Charter School in New York, applies this practice when reading with a child. "As I'm reading," Shoop says, "I might ask, ‘Does this story remind you of anything from your life?' ‘What do you think might happen next?' or ‘Why did the main character act that way?'" Beyond reading, she says, parents can promote critical thinking in all areas "by asking ‘Why?' and encouraging a child to support his answers with reasonable evidence."
2. Categorize and classify. Classification plays an important role in critical thinking because it requires identification and sorting according to a rule, or set of rules, that kids must discover, understand, and apply. This practice is especially apropos in science and math classes, but is also used in other subjects. It's also a technique that applies to all ages: young students might be asked to distinguish animals from plants, for example, while older pupils might be given the task of separating igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. If you play classification games at home, be sure to follow up the activity with questions about the similarities and differences between the groups. You can sort everything from dirty laundry to Legos to produce to doll clothes.
3. Work in groups. In a group setting, students are exposed to the thought processes of their peers, says Jessica Hancox, a 3rd grade teacher at Clark Street Elementary in Henderson, North Carolina. Thus, they can begin to understand how others think and that there are multiple ways of approaching problems — not just one correct way. "Teachers and parents can help students think critically in groups by encouraging them to respectfully agree or disagree with the ideas of others, and to justify their opinions," says Hancox.
4. Make decisions. Help your child consider pros and cons, but don't be afraid to let her make a wrong choice. Then evaluate the decision later. Ask your child, "How do you feel about your decision? What would you do differently next time?" Instead of telling your child the schedule for the upcoming weekend, says Evelyn Shoop, list some possible activities and have your child make the plan.
5. Find patterns. Whatever you're doing, whether it's going to the park or watching television, encourage your child to look for patterns or make connections. For example, relate a favorite television show to a real life situation. Or, while driving in the car, have your child identify different shapes in roads signs and in the windows and roofs of passing houses.
It might be tempting to pass off the critical thinking buzz as just another fad in education. However, most teachers disagree. "Critical thinking skills are crucial," says Jessica Hancox, "because they help students to make real-life applications of the knowledge they've gained in the classroom, and to develop the independent thinking skills they need to use as adults." Evelyn Shoop concurs: "Critical thinking is the basis of our problem-solving and evaluative capabilities." It's still important for your child to know his multiplication tables, but it's just as vital for him to know how, and when, to use them.
