Using fairy stories to develop critical thinking
A recent study in The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy on using fairy stories in primary schools has highlighted that such stories can be used to develop a wide range of skills, including those of critical thinking. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s44020-022-00017-z) The approaches to using them can include developing the ability to perceive stories from multiple perspectives […]
US parents went their children to be critical thinkers
It is very encouraging to read that, in a recent report by Brookings (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/10/20/americans-broadly-support-teaching-about-most-controversial-topics-in-the-classroom/?utm_campaign=Brown%20Center%20on%20Education%20Policy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=231153862&utm_source=hs_email), the vast majority of adults in the US believe that children should learn critical thinking skills. (97% believe that high school students should be taught these skills; 84% believe that elementary school students should be taught them.) These very high percentages […]
Critical Thinking and Future Geniuses in Saudi Arabia
I have recently returned from Jeddah where I participated in the ceremony launching the Future Geniuses program. Students from across Saudi Arabia who had recently graduated were invited to apply for places on the program. This will enable those who are selected to study in one of the best universities in the world on a […]
Critical thinking as essential for us to distinguish truth from falsehood and to make better choices
In his new book (‘Rationality: What it is. Why it seems scarce. Why it matters’), the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has argued in favour of critical thinking being well-developed through education. ‘Just as citizens should grasp the basics of history, science, and the written word, they should command the intellectual tools of sound reasoning.’ These […]
The central role of critical thinking in countering ‘the self-destructive madness of mankind’
In a recent interview in the ‘Financial Times’, the writer Joyce Carol Oates responded to the question ‘What is the greatest challenge of our time?’ She answered ‘Most observers would say the challenges of dealing with global warming; but this is linked to the tragic repudiation of science, rationality and fundamental common sense that has […]
Critical thinking is high on the list of what’s needed for ‘a more skilled postpandemic workforce’.
In a report published by McKinsey (‘Three keys to building a more skilled postpandemic workforce’, August 2021) critical thinking and decision-making were shown to be skills that companies have prioritised. Indeed, the percentage who see critical thinking as highly significant for their employees clearly increased from the 2019 figure.
Critical thinking as essential to civilisation
In an article in ‘Standpoint’ of June 2020 (‘The mark of an educated mind’), Andrew Doyle provides a strong defence of the need for critical thinking both in education and in public life. As he says, ‘The discipline of critical thinking invites us to consider the origins of our knowledge and conviction’. He illustrates this […]
Critical thinking as central to the future world of work
A recent publication by McKinsey (‘Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work’) has highlighted the importance of critical thinking as part of the set of skills people will need to ‘future-proof’ their ability to work. It breaks down these skills into what it terms ‘DELTAs’ (‘distinct elements of talent’) such […]
Critical thinking needed for success
In a recent publication by the Brookings Institute, ‘Competencies for the 21st century’, the importance of these competencies has been stressed. As it explains, ‘The world is rapidly changing and faces increasingly complex global challenges…that require creative collaboration across borders’. In addition, for various reasons, ‘jobs are changing’ such that ‘to be successful in learning, […]
critical thinking and Martin Luther-King
These current difficult times very much emphasise that we need critical thinking more and more in order to make well-considered judgements and decisions. Unfortunately, we have so many examples of the opposite of critical thinking in political decision-making, such that judgements are often made based on a failure to think in any rigorous way. Given […]