TEACHING TEENAGERS TO USE CRITICAL THINKING
In The Times newspaper of 25 January 2025, the social scientist and researcher, Matilda Gosling (author of ‘Teenagers: The Evidence Base’), stressed the value of
January 28, 2025
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 are in stark contrast to the attempts by the legislators of many US states who have introduced bills designed to ‘shield children from complexity, controversy, and differing perspectives’. These legislators should realise that critical thinking enables children to skilfully deal with complexity, controversy, and different perspectives.
In The Times newspaper of 25 January 2025, the social scientist and researcher, Matilda Gosling (author of ‘Teenagers: The Evidence Base’), stressed the value of
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