Wouldn’t you like a world that….
Comments (0) This is one my favorite articles I wrote last year, and I received some wonderful comments – I thought I would share it with you again ….
By KimberlyWickham, March 10, 2009
Wouldn’t you like a world filled with enlightened people who were able to think critically when a difficult situation presented?
Imagine, just for a moment, a playground where an argument was breaking out. Little Joshua takes a small plastic shovel from the edge of the sand box to begin excavating an imaginary road when Emily, a petulant little girl, screams, “NO! That’s mine!” and dives across the sand to grab it from Joshua’s hand.
Joshua looks at Emily considering his next move. “Maybe,” he thinks, “maybe I’ll… just take that back. It’s not hers, really. It belongs to Sam. After all, why should she have it and not me?”
Emily glares at him and Joshua reconsiders. He decides she is too tough to take it back from and settles on a different approach. “Emily, the shovel really belongs to Sam. I don’t think he minds if we both use it. Do you think we can share it?”
“Oh, sure, Joshua. Now that you put it that way. Of course we can.” Emily answers, smiling.
Yeah, right…
Charming as this would be, I certainly haven’t witnessed anything exactly like this.
Seriously though, critical thinking does come in to play more and more, the older a child gets – if they are guided. While we may progress towards enlightened behavior as we grow by observing others, we can make quantum leaps in our ability to navigate the world successfully by learning critical thinking and thereby developing a high level of emotional intelligence/maturity.
So what is critical thinking exactly?
Way back in 1980, California State University decided and decreed (in their executive order) that instruction in critical thinking was required for every post secondary student. They established that critical thinking was:
- to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas
- to reason inductively and deductively
- to reach factual or judgmental conclusions based on sound inferences drawn from unambiguous statements of knowledge or belief (Dumke[1980], Executive Order 338)
One of the best methods for teaching critical thinking is to use philosophy and instruction in philosophical thinking at an early age. Waiting until post-secondary school is way too late to introduce such processes, but only recently it has been recognized that children as young as Kindergarten age are capable of philosophical thought.
As parents we have recognized this for a long time. Ask any parent how old their child was the first time they asked a tricky question. In my experience, my son was about two when he wanted to know why nobody lived inside the rock he was holding in his hand. That question stopped me in my tracks. I could have given him an answer that would have satisfied his little mind at the time. I could have told him that the rock was too thick, or full, or ‘solid.’ But instead I wondered whether he, because of his limited experience with being in his body, was finding it limiting to think he could simply not change his density, and enter the rock. At two years old I knew the language was too limiting to entertain the discussion, so it would have to wait until he got a better grasp on the nuances of language. I answered, “I don’t know.”
Personally, I have never even attempted to change my density to enter a rock, but I attribute my ability to even consider such a thing to my mother who encouraged philosophical thinking in me as a child. Unfortunately, during the era of my education ‘critical thinking’ was not taught… at least ‘on purpose’ anyway.
Philosophy classes and encouraging philosophical thought teaches kids how to ‘think’. It is learning to think about thinking. According to the Tuckswood Community First School in Norwich, England, including lessons in philosophy has affected other subjects in the following manner:
- English: Speaking, listening, group discussion and interaction, language variation.
- Math: Problem solving.
- Science: Scientific enquiry, investigation skills, ideas and evidence.
- Information & Communication Technology: Develop ideas, exchanging and sharing information.
- History: Historical enquiry and interpretation. Geography: Enquiry skills.
- Art & Design: Exploring and developing ideas, evaluating and developing work.
- Music: Appraising skills, listening, and applying knowledge.
- Physical Education: Evaluating and improving performance.
- PSHE & Citizenship: Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities, preparing to play an active role as citizens, developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people.
It is critical to maintain balance within a child’s educational curriculum and introducing philosophical thinking or philosophy as a subject matter should not be taught at the expense of other subjects but as a means to compliment these areas of study. The Tuckswood School has this to say:
“In recent years there has been a tendency to stress the importance of basic skills and this has been reflected in a reorganizing of the school day to accommodate the introduction of the literacy and numeracy hours. We strongly support the need for high standards in these areas. But it is important to strike a balance between teaching children the basic skills in reading, writing and math and giving them the opportunities to be creative and explore their own ideas and capabilities.”
They continue by explaining: “This has been recognized by the UK Government, in its 1997 White Paper, Excellence in Schools:
~If we are to prepare successfully for the twenty-first century we will have to do more than just improve literacy and numeracy skills. We need a broad, flexible and motivating education that recognizes the different talents of all children and delivers excellence for everyone. (Department for Education and Employment. Excellence in Schools (HMSO, London) 1997
Philosophy provides an arena for discussion, for asking questions and for seeking possible answers. It gives children the time and opportunity to think, talk and be really listened to. It demonstrates the difference between a disagreement and a personal attack. Philosophy teaches children to respect the ideas and opinions of others and to listen and build on those ideas, to be collaborative and to stand up for what they believe in.”
Bravo! This school, and those that follow these same policies and guidelines, offer some hope for populating the world with critically thinking and emotionally mature people. As parents, providing stimulating material which encourages philosophical thinking and having conversations about those thoughts will ensure that advancement!
Free Teacher/Study guide with purchase of 10 books!
Themocracy