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Within reasonable limits, the ability to question and test everything that they try to inspire you is a useful skill. Especially today, when there is so much conflicting information around. It will come in handy even more in the future. How to instill this skill in a child from preschool age, explains learning consultant Carrie Williams Howe.
We face a lot of difficulties in the world, which means we need people who will question the ideas that are presented as facts. We need those who will ask difficult and «uncomfortable» questions, will carefully consider decisions and evaluate their impact on their own and others’ lives. Our world needs strong people with critical thinking.
During my doctoral studies, I spent 4 years looking for an answer to the question of whether innovative approaches to teaching help develop the skill of critical thinking. I am convinced that this is one of the most important skills and should be given attention in the higher education system. At the same time, as a parent, I believe that it is necessary to start working on this long before the child enters the university.
Learning to think critically and make decisions is a lifelong task. We cannot expect children to acquire these skills instantly. However, we can sow seeds that will germinate and help them master integrated thinking when they get older. Here’s how to do it.
Create a trusting environment
Children need to feel that they are being listened to. Invite them to participate in family decisions, teach them to ask questions to adults — for example, doctors and teachers — without fear that the question will seem stupid to others.
Praise them for their curiosity, put off other things to keep the discussion going. Show that you appreciate their thoughts. If the child seems to have drawn the wrong conclusion, do not speak directly about it. Better ask if he considered other points of view.
Challenge
Sometimes children just want to get an answer from us, but in some cases it is useful to answer a question with a question. For example, my six-year-old son asks, «Why don’t you buy me a gun?» I can start a long monologue about the importance of gun control, or I can ask him what he thinks the ban is about.
After listening to his guesses, I can find more accurate words for the discussion, and also help the child realize that he is able to answer his own questions and form an opinion.
Meet the new
Try to show the children the world. For example, I take a child to the polls and explain why I vote for this or that candidate. I try not to complicate and overload it with details, but I tell how I made this decision.
Also, we live in a predominately white area, so my son has a bit of a grudge against children of a different skin color. Therefore, I am looking for other ways to show him diversity — for example, through books and TV shows. If he notices a person with a different skin color or with a disability, I don’t say, «Shh, don’t talk about it!» No, I help him formulate the question correctly and figure everything out.
Support intellectual and emotional development
Critical thinking and discussion are emotionally costly processes. Of course, it is important to ask children the right questions and encourage them to find their own answers. However, sometimes they are too tired for that. Be attentive to their emotions: sometimes you just need to help them find the right solution.
When a child is faced with a difficult question, help him sort out his feelings: “Do you feel like you are completely confused? If you want, we can take a break and come back to the conversation later.” It’s also important to acknowledge your own feelings: “It’s hard to figure this out, isn’t it? Sometimes I myself can not decide what to do, and it makes me sad. But I know that I don’t have to make a decision right now, and that helps me.»
I want my children to find new ways to interpret accepted theories.
An important element of critical thinking is the ability to understand the emotions of others. We can develop it in children if we teach them to put themselves in the place of another. “It seems that picking an apple from someone else’s tree is nonsense. But imagine: you looked out the window and saw that someone was picking our apples. What would you feel?
When the children grow up, I will offer more complex examples. I want dinner conversations to teach them how to have a respectful dialogue even with those they disagree with, so that when they enter university, they will be prepared for their studies and for life in the real world. To ask questions even teachers can’t answer and find new ways to interpret accepted theories.
Source: gottman.com