Developing critical thinking
THROUGHOUT their time at school, learners are expected to compare, contrast, evaluate, understand, organise, and classify information – in other words, think critically.
This empowers students to make decisions and deal with problems confidently, which are essential skills in school and the rest of their lives.
But how soon can we start encouraging our children to think critically about the world around them?
It seems like a lot to ask of a six-year-old, but by taking some small steps, adults can develop children’s critical thinking skills from an early age, setting them up for secondary education, higher education, and eventually a career.
In the primary classroom, teachers use many different techniques to encourage critical thinking, especially in English language teaching, as language is a gateway for understanding other subjects that require a critical thinking mindset.
One technique used is to give students tools in order to think critically. An example is giving students questions they should use when faced with a problem, like: “How would someone else feel about this?’, ‘Is it fair?’, or ‘What can I do about this?”
These – and other questions – can be displayed around the classroom for students to see and use throughout the lesson, until they are in the habit of using them automatically.
Giving students critical challenges is often difficult, but vital in pushing children to think more critically.
Teachers should ask for answers that go beyond repeating information or expressing likes or dislikes, as students should to be challenged to think about what would make the most sense, or to decide between multiple options. This also extends to assessing performance.
When making quizzes and tests, teachers need to make sure questions are designed to show critical thinking skills, as opposed to purely memory.
Sometimes, a wrong answer with an interesting explanation shows a stronger mastery of critical thinking processes than a correct answer with no explanation.
Most importantly, teachers need to create a supportive environment in which students are free to use their critical thinking ability without fear of getting the wrong answer.
This is done by praising effort as well as accuracy; asking students for their opinions; and encouraging students to give reasons for their choices.
To continue the work of a child’s teacher at home, there are many things that a parent can do to foster critical thinking skills in the child.
The most important is to allow the child to try things without fear of failure.
When children are scared of failure, they are more likely to turn to memorisation, which feels safer, as opposed to analysis.
The parent can also ask, and get the child to ask, the big six critical questions: “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, “why”, and “how”.
Parents can often be scared of being questioned, but questions show children what to gain from a deeper understanding of their world and how to become independent thinkers.
Finally, a parent can encourage the child to study a range of topics, consume media from different platforms, and play many different games.
By broadening their experience, children will start to make links and comparisons, aided by questions and encouragement.
The British Council’s Primary teachers use these techniques and many others to help children develop a key skill they need to become successful young people.
The materials for its primary courses focus not only on language acquisition, but also on analysis, making connections, and formulating opinions, in order to set its students on the path to becoming independent and critical thinkers.
■ To learn more about how the British Council incorporates critical thinking into their Primary courses, visit www.britishcouncil. my/kids