Data-driven analysis of standardized tests, test-taking strategy, and the science of thinking.
If we want to suggest our budding teenagers a classic to read, we may want to do so in a way that will make this reading experience be at the right level of difficulty, neither too easy nor too hard, spurring a life-long habit of reading instead of boredom or frustration.
The model of education we have in our heads has things backwards. We pour our effort into answers, because answers are what institutions can see and count and file away, but the answer on the page is only the thermometer reading.
It is not an exaggeration to say that arriving at simplicity in your thinking is when actual understanding happens. To understand something, you don’t need more facts: you need a simpler explanation.
Most books about critical thinking you can find today are either collections of puzzles or lessons about argument structure and analysis. These are useful things, but they don’t tackle the core problem: developing the child’s ability to understand how the world really works.
For years, I taught critical thinking by following the dominant practice, but I had a growing feeling that something was off, I could not describe it well, and I confused it with my own insecurities as a young academic. But, then it became personal.
Asking the right question is the starting point of good critical thinking. In this article, I'll share with you a good strategy to help your child learn the skill of asking good questions and develop cutting-edge thinking skills.
