Thanks, Deborah
for replying to my post.
You are absolutely right. Asking appropriate questions for sound decision
making is almost synonymous with critical thinking -- it forces an analysis of
what should be considered so that, what will be done, is most likely to lead to
the best possible outcome. So, helping students develop the habit to ask a
set of questions that are appropriate for all decisions will gradually develop
better critical thinking. That may then, possibly even extend beyond
decisions to critically evaluating something they hear, see, or read -- like questions
about their assumptions and feelings, questions about what other issues are
not obvious, etc.
You mention that you son is in Grade 2 and the teacher is engaging them in
critical thinking exercises. How about sharing some of those with us -- and let
us explore what might be parallels to use with adults.
You also say: Most (students), however, simply get confused when I do that
and would rather just memorize the theory and its application.
Maybe, you could try a set of questions (such as the ones I can share with
you or with the entire list if there is more interest in this subject, or with a
list you develop). You could ask students how the theories impact on these
questions and make them valid to use in real situations (and in hypothetical
cases/scenarios). Maybe that would take them away from criticisms and lead them
to constructive critical thinking.
Let us know what you think.
Cheers,
Erwin (Rausch)
didacticra@aol.com and
erausch@kean.edu