How to teach critical thinking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody answered directly to my questions in the public school forum. I found this thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/101940.page and figured this is probably a better forum to get help from. Critical thinking & problem solving seem to be thrown around a lot nowadays, but many schools do not even know what they are. The math "problem solving" has zero word problem, only math calculations. The "critical thinking" projects are just glorified craft projects with no explanation of 'how' or 'why,' no concepts or laws behind it.

Can anyone explain what exactly "critical thinking" is? I know about the Socratic questioning method, but how do you use it and critical thinking to do something useful?

How do the schools teach it? What do you teach it with assuming it is not something that can be taught as a separate skill? How do you transfer the critical thinking skills taught in a controlled environment (classroom) to use it across the board in other subjects and in the world?

How do you teach the students what questions to ask, which statements to question (theory statement) and which statement not to (law statement)? How do you teach them information literacy and reasoning tools? Is there a program for it?

THIS is where you come for critical thinking? You’ll get critical but don’t expect much thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody answered directly to my questions in the public school forum. I found this thread https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/101940.page and figured this is probably a better forum to get help from. Critical thinking & problem solving seem to be thrown around a lot nowadays, but many schools do not even know what they are. The math "problem solving" has zero word problem, only math calculations. The "critical thinking" projects are just glorified craft projects with no explanation of 'how' or 'why,' no concepts or laws behind it.

Can anyone explain what exactly "critical thinking" is? I know about the Socratic questioning method, but how do you use it and critical thinking to do something useful?

How do the schools teach it? What do you teach it with assuming it is not something that can be taught as a separate skill? How do you transfer the critical thinking skills taught in a controlled environment (classroom) to use it across the board in other subjects and in the world?

How do you teach the students what questions to ask, which statements to question (theory statement) and which statement not to (law statement)? How do you teach them information literacy and reasoning tools? Is there a program for it?

THIS is where you come for critical thinking? You’ll get critical but don’t expect much thinking.

Agree, that former poster just defining “how to criticize” without any counter arguments, facts, cherry picking or substantiated claims.

It’s super easy to nitpick something by one’s feelings. That has never been Critical thinking though. That’s just a belligerent, argumentative person who lacks any ability to see another side, the big picture context or empathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harkness Table.

Hawkness table will never work with a political leaning teacher or classroom or school. Not in literature, social studies or history classes.

Good point. Why Exeter is worth the money I suppose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harkness Table.

Hawkness table will never work with a political leaning teacher or classroom or school. Not in literature, social studies or history classes.

Good point. Why Exeter is worth the money I suppose.

Lots of strong schools outside the beltway don’t have politics and social agendas. Not just most of the boarding schools.

[Anonymous]

Who cares about critical thinking or even thinking when you can teach fear and caring for others during these tough and scary Covid 2019 times. Stay safe everyone! Mask up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares about critical thinking or even thinking when you can teach fear and caring for others during these tough and scary Covid 2019 times. Stay safe everyone! Mask up!

Textbook example of someone lacking any sort of critical thinking discipline. Just zing in some off topic nonsense and make it as emotional as possible.

This is what you don't want kids to turn into.

[Anonymous]

In high school, I took an amazing class called "Proof and Persuasion" that taught logic and also how to identify common fallacies. The textbook was Practical Logic by Soccio and Barry. It has a lot of examples and exercises. Highly recommend!

[Anonymous]

Nobody can teach logical thinking better than Mr. Spock:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMpofmkxKHBJfta_JzekLbWGHUSLUJoLt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In high school, I took an amazing class called "Proof and Persuasion" that taught logic and also how to identify common fallacies. The textbook was Practical Logic by Soccio and Barry. It has a lot of examples and exercises. Highly recommend!

And things like Appeal to Emotion, Appeal to Celebrity, Recency Bias, Confirmation Bias, Cherry picking data, etc.
and circle the opinion verbs, underline the premises and number them (if any), cite the facts, cite the source and funding.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest you read Kant's "What is Enlightenment?" essay, in which he pinpoints the ability to think on one's own, not subject to external authority. That, in the end, is the basis of "critical thinking," especially in the purest sense of "critical" which is to rationally stand out from (ecstasis) a situation and evaluate it objectively, as much as possible not subject to emotional, historical, cultural, or other forms of ties that cloud your ability to think about an object. This has problems, of course, but the basic structure stands the test of time. It's the mode of thought of a free person (autonomy). Linked to this is the ability to argue, and construct an argument. You should ideally convince someone to do/think something for valid reasons, articulated freely to an autonomous rational subject, who can consider their validity, and not simply mandate ideas to those subject to your authority. The enlightenment was pretty awesome. So I was impressed when my kindergartener (at a private K-8) came home and offered three well-constructed reasons why they should be allowed to have a turtle. Reasoned argument at age 5. There is still hope.

[Anonymous]

And handle rebuttals in a logical non-emotional way.

These days too many just start name calling and walk away at a disagreement instead of parsing though it to find a solution or mutually agreeable point.

[Anonymous]

Have students genuinely look at teacher feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have students genuinely look at teacher feedback.

Huh? As it providing feedback on the teacher or receiving feedback from the teacher?

The problem in classes is that the book selections are so loaded thematically with the school mission that the formula is to parrot back the mission. Injustices here and there. Victims there. Systematic. Need advocates. Discrimination again. Inequity. Inequality.

Make sure those words and themes are throughout your response and you’re more than half way done.
And never say things like historical precedent, or personal agency, or family values, or cultural, or lawlessness.