Education Redux: Critical Thinking in High School

[The_Warmth]

Note: This is my first attempt at writing a blog or even a post of this length, so some feedback on clarity, style, effectiveness, etc. would be greatly appreciated!


Contemporary American schooling contains a severe miscalculation of what constitutes an effective product. This breach lies within the difference of automation versus education. The dictionary definition of education reads:

1.the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.


Now compared to that of critical thinking:

The mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.


Fundamentally, education is a guide towards the skill of critical thinking. And, as of today, we have forgotten the fundamentals of education and thinking. How does this lack of education effect our society? This answer is found in the intended results of teaching critical thinking, which follows a four point cycle:

1. Gathering information; from several sources and paying special homage to evading bias.
2. Evaluating and reflecting; attaching and assessing the weight of different evidence.
3. Conceiving; indifference and tolerance are divided by pronouncement.
4. Dissemination; offering ideas for critique and synthesis.

The effects of this education help form thought founded on curiosity, skepticism, analysis and openness. From this point, human achievement is only limited by human knowledge. It is a process of how to think, rather than what to think. Obversely, the absence of critical thinking produces opportunity for indoctrination. And from here, humanity is left to the spectacle of its own malice. Society is robbed of achieving the great heights of which consciousness allow. For light is not the absence of darkness, but the overcoming of it. However, critical thinking does not play a prominent role in America's public school system. It rather centralizes on memorization, reiteration, and adherence to strict scheduling. These are the qualities of machines; to be defined by these standards requires the expulsion of humanity.

Now, what schooling formats are conducive to critical thinking? Students who are uninterested about a specific subject tend not to learn, or incorporate, the material. It would seem that minding the students subject interest would have a considerable play on the education's effectiveness. And, here is a proposition: let students be democratically responsible for the classes they shall take. More specifically:

* 9th grade will introduce the core subjects of philosophy, the sciences, health/physical education, the arts, government/business, psychology, history, and imagination*.
* Throughout the school year, students and faculty may submit potential subjects for the following school year.
* During the end of the school year, students in grades nine through eleven vote for the following year's curriculum.

Beyond the students direct involvement in fermenting their own education, several things can be done. Grades based on regurgitated information will be replaced by grades based on a students use of critical thinking, through papers and projects. The job of teaching must be reformed and elevated. Teachers, especially past the ninth grade, would serve more as a mediator and resource, also guiding and refining students critical thinking skills. Secondly, our teachers serve as a role model as to how to develop as an intellectual. When they are forced to shadow their opinion, the 'ideal' role model which students are exposed to is one without an opinion. This is completely contrary to an essential part of education, which is to form sound opinions. Some will say that this openness will corrupt students, leaving them open to unfounded opinions. Yet, this is the exact reason why teaching critical thinking is necessary, to uncover truth through the four point cycle and pull fact from fiction. More so, education is preparation for existing as a responsible adult in society. And, in society, falsehood has roots that can only be exposed by the use of critical thinking. Another reform would be aimed at the scheduling of classes, and breaks. This deserves its own section for discussion, but here is a generalized possibility. Inside the hours of school, students get x amount of time for meals, socializing, and relaxing. This allotted time can be used liberally throughout the day, allowing students more freedom to adjust each day to their subjective needs. Beyond the time in school, the time of school can be adjusted too. For example, every third day school would start in the afternoon, rather than the early morning. But, more on this at a later time.

Lastly, the student/teacher ratio and teachers pay must be adjusted. An influx of teachers would allow more focus and attention to each student and their development. With a rise in pay, especially if it's dramatic, would accomplish two things. As teachers have the formidable task of educating the next generation, a higher pay would seem to compliment the work they do. Secondly, as a high paying job teaching would attract brighter and more effective candidates. My personal proposition would be to cut defense spending to fund these programs, but tactics come after a strategy is agreed upon.

In conclusion, it is obvious that we do not hold the best schooling system internationally. This is not in the range of acceptability, especially when looking at the possibilities that our resources permit. From here, a reform in America's educational systems is beyond demand, it's essential for the survival of our civilization. With regard to the number and size of the global issues today Einstein said it best, "The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them."

[LWolf]

1. My thoughts and professional opinions

about the topic, not the style, effectiveness, etc.:

Critical thinking is equal to literacy and numeracy in priority. As a matter of fact, I don't consider anyone to be literate or numerate without critical thinking, regardless of how many paragraphs they can recite or memorized formulas they can compute.

If you wait until high school to require critical thinking of students, it's too late. There are many things that need to be part of the package from the very beginning for the best outcome. Critical thinking is one of those. If we assume that the very young "can't," and don't require critical thinking until they hit high school, then we've trained them to be rote memorizers and repeaters. I don't think high school, in 4 short years, will overcome 9 years of such training.

Critical thinking begins at birth. Watch the very young negotiate their environment and learn how to function within it. Everything they do is part of the process of inquiry, which is my favorite way to develop critical thinking skills. As language skills develop, the questioning, the testing, the evaluating, re-testing, reformulating conclusions should be further encouraged through conversation. Whether or not this happens in the home, that process tends to be squelched when kids walk through the schoolroom doors. As far as I'm concerned, critical thinking can, and should, begin in preschool and kindergarten, as far as formal education systems go.

What do I think of your proposal for 9th grade and beyond? It has some interesting possibilities. I'd start with birth - age 4, preschool, and kindergarten first, though. I'd use the process of inquiry, and the natural curiosity and drive to learn that children are born with, from the beginning to explore the world around them and the big, important concepts we want them to understand. Reading, writing, and arithmetic would be, not goals in and of themselves, but outgrowths of their explorations; necessary tools needed to move them forward.

As far as choice of curriculum? I think that there are some topics and areas that are essential. The choice, by the time 9th grade is reached, should be about HOW to study/learn them, and/or what aspects or parts to focus on.

This kind of a learning structure does not work well enough for my satisfaction in factory school settings, btw. I would prefer that the entire structure the public ed system is founded on be abandoned for a new, more flexible structure that would allow for individualized, rather than standardized, curriculum and instruction.