Raising Thinkers

 

“No matter who you are ... the Lord has blessed you with intellectual faculties capable of vast improvement. Cultivate your talents with persevering earnestness. Train and discipline the mind by study, by observation, by reflection. You cannot meet the mind of God unless you put to use every power. The mental faculties will strengthen and develop if you will go to work in the fear of God, in humility, and with earnest prayer. A resolute purpose will accomplish wonders. 

                                                —Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 275 (1915). 

I love reading the writings of Ellen White, and I am always especially curious to hear what she has to say about our minds. I’ve heard people say that religious education is simply indoctrination, and I suppose that’s a possibility; but when done correctly, religious education should create spitfire little minds who think critically and challenge the social norms around them. 

Critical thinking is one of the “4 C’s” of ideal 21st century learning. In short, it is the ability to take in information; process, analyze, and challenge it; and come out with a decently unbiased conclusion based on facts and not feelings. (I say “decently unbiased” because we all have biases, and it’s important to recognize that we still have them even when actively trying to avoid them.) 

Critical thinking is not a naturally occurring developmental milestone, but a skill that must be taught, practiced, and transferred to new applications. It involves quite a bit of self awareness and much trial and error. This video offers 6 important kinds of questions to help guide a person through a process of critical thinking. I found them clear and helpful. This article elaborates on the potential frustrations with unsuccessful transfers to new situations that require new background information and skill sets.

But I don’t specifically recall learning critical thinking skills in my educational experience. Rather, I learned through the example of the ongoing studies of my mother: a teacher, scientist, author, and follower of Jesus. From her, I learned that learning is meant to be a life-long joy, that questions are meant to be asked, difficult topics are not to be shied away from, problems are meant to be diagrammed, and that wisdom should be sought of God. Expanding our minds is of infinite value and deserves indefatigable persistence. 

When I think of what I can do to help my own students achieve this skill, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Sometimes I can’t even get them to remember to put their names on their paper! However, giving my students the building blocks for obtaining critical thinking skills is important to me, so I apply the following:

1. We always start the day (or class) by asking for God’s Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and discernment and to help us grow and learn well. 

2. We talk about the downfalls and dangers of pride and thinking you know everything.

3. I value and praise questions and feedback – even when that requires me to admit that I’m wrong. 

4. We read and discuss. A lot.

5. We immerse ourselves in story-paths where we can practice thinking from other perspectives, cultures, and situations.

6. We talk about metacognition. (In more digestible terms.)

7. We talk about multiple sides of an issue, and even when I strongly believe one way, I invite others who have differing opinions to share their thoughts.

Critical thinking is a dying art - perhaps even a dead one - but if we are to do right by our students and right by our God, we must do our best to train children to use their minds critically.