Critical Thinking Is Essential!

Do you want your child to learn? Of course the answer is yes. But are they thriving in their learning? If not, it could be that they are missing the essential skill of critical thinking.

To begin we must think beyond the normal questions and begin to ask our students and our children, "Why?" or "How?"

Critical thinking begins with a base knowledge, but we must then take that foundation and build on it by analyzing, evaluating, and even creating new ideas and thoughts about the problem presented.

Students should also look at how their reasoning and ideas compare to others. Then, they can integrate what they have learned to help solve the problem or make a final decision.

One of my favorite problems I used for critical thinking involved a simple map. The map showed streets and included an apartment building and a park that was located opposite of each other. Before offering the student the mileage and speed of transportation, I ask them to come up with an estimated guess of how long it would take for someone to get from the apartment to the park. When a student guessed 20 minutes, I immediately asked why? Before long, I had students offering details like traffic jams, school bus stops and various modes of transportation. They also were quick to ask each other questions. To this day, it was one of my favorite classes.

Creating is a wonderful way to encourage critical thinking. If a student is having trouble understanding a problem (especially math), drawing it out and even acting out a problem can make a huge difference in understanding.

Underline important details in a problem and ask students why that information is needed. You can also have them draw out the details allowing the mental picture to come to life.

Critical thinking can be and should be used at even a young age. Encourage students to make inferences, educated guesses and brainstorming. Cheer them on even when they don't arrive at the correct answer first.

Kristy Wolfe

Beyond the Class