3 Ways to Build Thinkers
It was Socrates who said, “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” Meaningful learning takes place when our students are engaged and genuinely thinking – not simply spitting back facts. At ERG our focus is growing all learners, so we encourage students to question, ponder, contemplate, deliberate, reason, defend, and create. Effective educators are the facilitators who provide the tools and resources that open the door to true thinking and learning. Here are three ways to promote critical thinking in our classrooms.
- Model – Purposefully model how you thoughtfully work through a problem to find a solution. Talk through the processes and steps you took to solve a math problem or predict what might happen next in a story. Show how you draw on your background knowledge and cite evidence from a text to answer a question thoughtfully. Children need to see that we do not just automatically have all the answers. They need to view how we are actively thinking and reasoning to find the best possible solution and then see how we support the process we chose.
- Practice – We have to practice with our students daily to create meaningful dialogues. By actively building the habit of questioning, comparing our strategies, and defending our thoughts, we will make critical thinking a more automatic process. One inspired question will do more to promote thinking and learning than a dozen easily delivered answers. Practice persistence and work to refine processes rather than simply accepting a quick answer. Ask – “How do you know that is true?” “Show me how you figured that out.” “What strategy did you use to find your answer?” Guide children in developing the tools needed to solve problems with each other rather than stepping in with a quick solution. “I see you both want this book. Can you agree on a plan to share it fairly? Let me know your plan when you solve the problem.”
- Celebrate – Celebrate the process and persistence it takes to be a critical thinker. Call attention to good thinking and reasoning. Discuss with the students the value of using their thinking instead of simply relying on someone else’s quick answer. Let each student know you value their unique ideas and thoughts and you expect them to respect each other and celebrate the learning process as we all grow together as critical thinkers.
We need to purposefully provide children with rich opportunities to solve problems and exercise their own thinking. By exploring social relationships, questioning and understanding how things work, creating, and naturally discovering the world around us, our students have daily chances to practice critical thinking. Learning to be independent critical thinkers may be one of the most important skills our children need for the future.
Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making, includes critical thinking as one of the seven essential life skills every child needs. You can learn more here: