On Critical Thinking in Education
"In an examination question the answer is known even before it is asked. The asking is only meant to check if you ‘know’. A question in real life is one where the person asking really wants to find out what you have to say."
It’s fashionable to talk of ‘critical thinking’ in education, however, the meaning and implication of it is poorly understood by most parents. A simple and important article lays out the meaning and the bare truth. It is unlike most superficial journalistic writing on education. The author (Mr Modi, albeit another one) draws upon an example from India, but it is relevant to any parent anywhere in the world.
Critical thinking means the ability to think for oneself and express it. That is powerful. It also has huge employment and economic benefits in the 21st economy of today or tomorrow - where most work which do not involve this kind of thinking or expression will be outsourced to a machine or person from a poorer country. i.e. you won’t have a well paid job. So of course every parent wants critical thinking by the truck load. But that is half the story.
The other half is ‘dangerous’. Critical thinking in education will mean many more people speaking the truth and speaking up. That is the part most parents and institutions are not prepared for. Especially so in traditional societies. When the word ‘values’ is used too much without the word ‘thinking’ in the same breath, its implies: please-don't-think-and-follow-my-values’
In our decade of work in critical thinking in elementary education we often get marvelous results and feedback on children, including those from the most ordinary of backgrounds, “speaking up, speaking more in English, writing in their own words….being more creative and confident”. Parents love this, especially the fluency in English. They are less prepared the side effects which will come later.
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Creating an Institution of quality teaching and learning
3 年Critical Thinking does not become a habit unless it is allowed to be practiced in senior grades in school when it can actually bother the adults around! a parent or a teacher need not look at it as dangerous! They only need to understand, which doesn't happen easily.
Education Professional
3 年Ashish Rajpal, thank you for sharing .Excellent read! Critical thinking has always been a debatable topic .The true essence of critical thinking gets diluted when students are expected to follow and respond to a presumed response. In the present scenario students are hardly allowed to identify inconsistencies and erroneous reasoning .Its high time they get opportunity to justify their own beliefs and build on their arguments and reasoning instead of prescribed responses.
General Manager Authoring at XSEED Education
3 年I think it is equally important to listen to the many voices while not losing your own but building on it!
Under the comfortable garb of "values" and "beliefs" a lot of critical thinking is given up. Critical thinking is important not only for any job, but just to be a strong independent thinking individual.
Leadership Solutions Partner/ Sr. Faculty at Center for Creative Leadership
4 年Great points Ashish. What you say is also so relevant for workplaces of today. Encouraging critical thinking and cultures that allow critical questioning can help organizations face the disruptive contexts of today?