Teach a child to think....

Source: www.shriearlyeducation.com

Imagine an entire society of expert problems solvers, who could easily identify sound reasoning and naturally base their decisions on intelligent analysis of every side of the issue. What if we all based our decisions on good reasoning, rather than on what our shows tell us is cool, or what big companies tell us defines success. 


Think of all the problems that could be solved if we were critical thinkers. Would violence in media be such a great concern, or would we immediately understand that what we saw was not to be imitated? For that matter, would we seek violent media if we truly grasped the dangers and negative impact of such behavior? Would consumers still be convinced that even bigger cholesterol-packed cheeseburgers were a good idea, or that they needed that shiny new car to be happy, despite the thousands of dollars they would need to borrow to make it a happen? What if people were just naturally reasonable?


Many of society's problems are the result of people not being taught how to think critically, at least not early enough. The sad truth is that many of us act impulsively, irrationally, and based on bias. Often we do not even realize the errors we are making. Is it any wonder many of our decisions bring about undesired consequences? I think the main reason critical thought is not more common is that it is not taught until so late in life. When I was in elementary school, logic was never even mentioned. We learned our math, and did our science experiments. Sometimes we wrote book reports about famous people, but we were never once asked what we thought about any of it. 


We were told what to think but never how to think. I cannot remember a single assignment that asked us to figure out how we felt about an issue, and more importantly why. It is shocking really, looking back on it now, as almost every assignment I have completed in college has required this. 

Source: www.createwithalan.blogspot.com

In college, we are asked on a daily basis to form an opinion and justify it. I have been in many classes with students who simply did not know how to think of any reasons of their own to support their views. They thought vaccinations were good because their doctor told them so, or that they should buy designer clothes because their favorite actress did. Some of these classmates were able to improve their reasoning skills, usually the young ones. Those who attended college before these skills were valued, and who were returning to school as adults, often expressed that they felt unable to change their thinking patterns. They were simply too ingrained by that point. I was fortunate enough to have two very analytic parents who taught me this way of thinking practically from birth, and I feel this is one reason that analyzing information is much easier for me than it is for some. As our society becomes increasingly complex, and with it the decisions we must make on a daily basis, it becomes even more important that we learn how to make the right choices. 


          Education has evolved quite a bit in the last couple of decades. Two new realizations have drastically changed the way we view learning. First, we have realized that early childhood education is vital to a child's ability to learn and thrive in the classroom. The key is to start young while the brain is still forming so that creativity and learning become reflexive. The ease with which we interpret various stimuli is based largely on if and how we were exposed to it as children. Whether or not we hear the intricacies in classical music or just a bunch of noise is linked to how much of it we heard when we were young. The brain is simply better at operating in ways that have been practiced since an early age. The same goes for reasoning abilities. Critical thinking is a habit that takes years of practice to form. If we learn to habitually look to whatever authority tells us what to think, it is very difficult to learn to think critically. Therefore, it is extremely important to teach reasoning early, rather than let bad thinking habits form that will have to be changed later in life. 

Source: www.paulhobson.com 

          We have also learned about education that reasoning skills do not come naturally, and that they are very important. We no longer view education as being limited to core studies. It is now commonly accepted that critical thinking should be taught, at least at a college level, as part of just about every degree program. In short, critical thinking is now accepted as an important skill worth teaching, but it is still largely neglected until adulthood. Since people learn more effectively at a young age, and since reasoning is such an important skill, it makes much more sense for it to be taught early than it does to wait until later in life when bad habits will inevitably need to be changed. Schools have been reformed to provide this training in upper level education, but primary schools and high schools are in need of extensive reform. 

Source: www.austhink,com

         The best way to view critical thinking is not as a subject in its own right, but instead as a way of viewing everything around us. Instead of teaching about objectivity, train it in every subject, model it in every activity. Cover various viewpoints in social studies class. Have students design their own science project. Just about every task can be made into an exercise in critical thought. I have never seen an argument against teaching reasoning to children, only concerns that it is not practical. There are many strategies for integrating reasoning as part of the curriculum for all grade levels. 

Source: www.shapingyouth.org

If we really want a society of effective, rational people, we have no choice but to change the way we train them. It is not enough for school to teach us the answers, we must also be taught how to find the answers. 


          As long as we are not asked to cross examine and evaluate the information we are offered, we cannot be expected to do more than accept what we are given, especially when the information comes from an assumed authority. After all, we spend our entire childhood learning to memorize what we are told, never questioning. Whether we realize it now or not, many of our poor choices would be obsolete if we were to begin questioning what we are told. We would no longer accept false promises of status based on ownership. We would stop thinking that our t.v. idols represented reality, and would stop trying to imitate them. We would begin basing our lives on sound reasoning and on truth instead of on media myths. If we really want to improve our society, we must begin by teaching our children how to think.