What is Critical Thinking?

What is critical thinking? Critical thinking comprises a number of different skills that help us learn to make decisions. It is the ability to evaluate information to determine whether it is right or wrong.  To think critically about an issue or a problem means to be open-minded and consider alternative ways of looking at solutions. As children grow into pre-adolescents and teenagers, their critical thinking skills will help them make judgments independently of parents.

To be good at thinking, children must believe that thinking is fun and want to be good at it. Parents can make thinking fun throughout the academic year as well as during the summer and on vacations. Good thinkers practice thinking just like they practice basketball or soccer.

5 Ways to Help Kids Think Critically

The Foundation for Critical Thinking developed a short series of five “Intellectual Standards,” ways of helping elementary-aged children learn to think better.  Teach these standards to your kids, and then interact with them in ways that reinforce the five standards.

• Invite them to BE CLEAR by asking for explanations and examples when they don’t understand something.  Let children know it is okay to be confused and ask questions.

• Urge kids to BE ACCURATE, to check to see if something is true by researching the facts.

• Encourage children to BE RELEVANT by discussing other topics that are pertinent to the discussion or problem at hand.  Help them stay on track by linking related and meaningful information to the question they are trying to answer or the topic they are learning about.

• Support your child’s ability to BE LOGICAL.  Help her  see how things fit together.  Question how she came to her conclusions and whether her assumptions are correct.

• Set expectations that your child BE FAIR.  Promote empathy in his thinking processes.  Make sure he considers others when drawing conclusions.

REFERENCE:

http://www.rootsofaction.com/critical-thinking-ways-to-improve-your-childs-mind-this-summer/