Parent Power!
Helping You Make Sense of Schooling Today

THINK QUICK

Which state-wide academic standards help teachers teach students to think critically?

Eleventh grade History Standards

Oregon, Certificate of initial mastery, 1991:
“A student will demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively, and reflectively in making decisions and solving problems.”

History/Social Science Framework, California:
“Students  should assess the likely causes of the Depression and examine its effects on ordinary people in different parts of the nation through the use of historical materials. They should recognize the way in which natural drought combined with unwise agricultural practices to cause the Dust Bowl, a major factor in the economic and cultural chaos of the1930s. They should see the linkage between severe economic distress and social turmoil. Photographs, films, paintings and novels (such as John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath) will help students understand this criteria era.”

In order to understand your child's schooling, you need to understand the educational principles at work at her school. You also need to know that popular education theories can go awry in practice. This month Parent Power! gives you some insight into a very popular, often misunderstood education concept-critical thinking.
          Socrates and his disciple, Plato, originated the concept of critical thinking in ancient Greece. They taught their students to examine their thought processes and to question naïve conclusions or unsupported rhetoric. These great teachers encouraged their students to think beyond emotional reactions and to use reason and knowledge to draw rational, well-supported conclusions.
          Understandably, modern educators want to impart the same skills to our children. However, many educators misunderstand the terms "critical thinking" or "higher-order thinking skills." One of the most common mistakes teachers make is to view critical thinking as the opposite of rote learning or memorization. In reality, the learning of facts is the essential first step to thinking critically. Socrates and Plato insisted that their pupils were well-versed in history, literature, science and math so that when they were presented with something new, they could draw upon stored knowledge to logically evaluate it.
          If we want our children to make wise decisions, we must also provide them with specific, in-depth knowledge about the humanities and sciences. We must guide them to ask the most relevant and probing questions to better understand new concepts. When a teacher presents a piece of literature to her students, she must give them specific questions to ask and clear directions about how to formulate a reaction to the work. To give a child a story and ask "how do you feel about this?" accomplishes very little. As parents well know, children do not need to be taught how to have opinions; they need to be taught how to evaluate and communicate those opinions in a logical, reasonable fashion.
          Another common mistake teachers make is to confuse critical thinking with sharing opinions. If a teacher asks her junior high students for their opinions on national healthcare policy, students may utter, "it is fine" or "we need better" with no elaboration. A good teacher should demand more than a three-word response. If students are asked to express opinions, they are not necessarily being pushed to think critically.
          Teachers can encourage kids to think critically in almost any subject by exposing them to high quality, thought-provoking material. The more a child knows about history, literature, math and science, the better equipped he will be to construct his own judgments. If you think your child's teacher might be confusing thinking critically with expressing opinions or might not be giving your child authentic, quality materials, schedule a meeting to discuss your concerns. To learn more about critical thinking, parents and teachers can consult the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University, at www.criticalthinking.org or (410) 364-5082.

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