Teaching critical thinking skills in children

[MimiDaisy11]

I'd hate to raise someone who goes onto become a conspiracy theorist. I know parents can only do so much.

Long before I became pregnant I always thought schools should do more to encourage critical thinking rather than just getting them to regurgitate facts.

Are there any resources you've come across to teach such skills in children?

They don't get them to regurgitate facts. It really isn't like that any more. As a matter of fact, my dd's science homework used to frustrate me so much, because instead of teaching them actual facts and telling them they had to remember them, they were given several pertinent facts and then asked to question those facts and come up with their own ideas and interpretation.

Schools do encourage critical thinking.

As a parent I think the best way is to let them develop their own views, don’t expect them to believe something just because you do as a parent. Discuss things and encourage debate

The trouble with teaching critical thinking before they've learned enough factual information, is that they then question everything they are told. They then think they can make their own minds up whether to believe whether something is true or not.

Which is probably more likely to cause the very thing you are trying to avoid.

I’m not sure if what I do helps but mostly I talk to my dc about what’s going on in the world.
We watch lots of documentaries and the news. I teach my kids about Fake News and use examples of things that have actually happened.
We talk about Flat Earth theory and similar topics.
Reading and talking about the books and characters. Ds is reading Animal Farm at the moment. I think that’s quite a good book for discussion.

I think a lot of it is about being interested in the world and understanding science, society and politics.

I encourage mine to debate - it’s a lot of fun if you get them to argue the opposite of what they actually think, because then it’s not personal. But it has made them aware of persuasion and argument.

I’ve also thought them to question advertising and see when and how they are being manipulated.

No doubt there is something on internet, but the big thing is what you will undoubtedly teach yourself, by example, because you are so (commendably) aware of it. A science trained brain sifts what is 'belief' and 'opinion' from what is provable, evidence-based fact.

One child Believes gay people go to hell (His religious parents told him so, because that is what they were told to believe.) Another child has the Opinion that cheese and onion crisps are the world's finest food (He likes the taste, though some of his friends have other preferences) All children can prove the Fact that standing in a puddle makes shoes wet.

I'm really with you in your concern. Perhaps at it's worst with Trump, but generally, in recent years, there appears to be a disease of thought processing.

It sometimes seems that otherwise sane people have lost a grip of logic. Instead of saying "I was told the colour red is the best colour, so I believe it" or even "my favourite colour is red, so in my opinion it is the best", they say "Red is a superior colour, according to my Belief and / or my Opinion, therefore it is a Fact that red is the 'Best' colour". In vain would you point out that red is frequently not the 'best' colour to put in a mixed colour wash, nor to blend with the crowd at a funeral..

What age children? We played two truths and a lie a lot when they were little (great car game) and we'd end up having lots of fun and interesting chats about why x might or might not be true or false.

We don't teach them to regurgitate facts. Not even in maths. We explain why, we explain concepts and language,we ask what they notice, what patterns can they see, what do they the next number will be , we ask them to explain themselves why they think that or how did they come to that answer,what went well what could be better etc. We often ask them to make predictions, and what is a sensible answer and what isn't and why.
In all subjects . Well not in PE but you get the gist.

Do the same at home. Explain your rules not just make them. Ask them why they think or do a certain thing. Use good arguments when they/you want something. Avoid if possible "because I said so". Encourage them to do research and to verify sources/look for more than just one source. Allow them to talk freely and explore ideas and subjects even if they don't fit your views.

You don’t need to directly teach it early on. Like many things, you need to model it. This is basically why I think it’s important that families have dinner together when possible - it tends to be a relaxed time for discussion. Get your child involved in what you are talking about, and don’t just stick to dry facts. Assuming your child is small, start small. Ask them about something in their day, but focus on a detail e.g. “carter was sad at break time today” “oh really? What makes you think that?” - you’re building the habit of getting them to think about WHY they think something. Ask your DP or older children more difficult questions to model critical thinking e.g. “wow, you learned x at school today? Did that surprise you? What would you have thought before you learned that?” Or you can get them to link it to other things they have learned - is it consistent with what they know from other sources?

When you are telling them things, think about how you convey information. Avoid presenting things as facts without saying how you know/where you learned it from.

A good teacher will be modelling these skills in an age appropriate way when they have time.

It’s also important to show that you listen to their views and the views of others and how to respect views even if you don’t agree with them.

And saying “I was wrong” too often people won’t admit they where wrong so it’s important to model accepting that it’s ok to get something wrong

Instil morals when they are small. Help them to understand why honesty matters. Teach older ones how to fact check. Teach them the difference between an opinion and a fact. Teach them about advertising and how it manipulates them.

Oh and teach them not to base all their views on assumptions or previous experiences. A bit like you did in opening post.

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry didn't mean to offend. You're right though that I haven't had personal experience of school in over 10 years, so things can change. Granted some of the replies here might be from those teaching in the English/Welsh/NI Irish system and the Scottish system is independent of that so hopefully that too has changed.

@MimiDaisy11I am an ethics teacher in primary schools in NSW , We encourage and guide critical thinking on ethics topics . Here is the link primaryethics.com.au
It is brilliant, and I love it.

Schools do encourage critical thinking but they can’t be expected to do everything and children are only at school for a tiny proportion of their time - 25 hours of lessons a week for 38 weeks of the year.

critical thinking skills start with independant play, giving babies small choices everyday, and letting them explore with sufficient supervision. It also means letting them argue their point and listening to them but then arguing your point back until you reach a compromise. It can be exhausting but if you do these things they will start school with the ability to express their opinion and verbalise it confidentally which is very important - because a lot of what is taught at school in years 1-6 needs questioning.

For example I was so proud when I was called in by DN’s school to find she was in trouble because she had (politely but firmly) justified using quadrangle instead of square or rectangle. I think the teacher expected me to support him rather than show him the facts on Google.

@GrumpyHoonMain

critical thinking skills start with independant play, giving babies small choices everyday, and letting them explore with sufficient supervision. It also means letting them argue their point and listening to them but then arguing your point back until you reach a compromise. It can be exhausting but if you do these things they will start school with the ability to express their opinion and verbalise it confidentally which is very important - because a lot of what is taught at school in years 1-6 needs questioning.

For example I was so proud when I was called in by DN’s school to find she was in trouble because she had (politely but firmly) justified using quadrangle instead of square or rectangle. I think the teacher expected me to support him rather than show him the facts on Google.

Oh you are one of those mothers... who also misunderstands what critical thinking actually is

My DCs primary school taught critical thinking from reception as part of a massive research study.