How do you teach children critical thinking?

Question

What is the best way to teach children the skill of critical thinking in schools, so that they can look objectively and skeptically at all of the various beliefs and religions around the world?

jarvah's mama: its not about teaching them about any specific religion, rather teaching them the skills to help them evaluate ideas and decide objectively what is true and what isn't, rather than just being brought up to believe one thing.

Critical thinking is a vital part of many areas of life apart from religion, I'm an engineering student and it was one of the papers I had to do in my university admission.

LuckyPirate: I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however ridiculous (hence why things like scientology are around), and I certainly wouldn't promote any form of discrimination. However, I believe that our children should have the ability to make the most informed decision possible.

Answer 1

Teach them to ask questions, and to keep on asking questions until the answers make sense.

If the answers don't make sense, doubt their validity.

Then teach them logic. Not fuzzy 'common-sense' logic (common-sense is never common). But hard-nosed deductive and inductive logic.

Then teach them about perspective (personal subjective perspective vs theoretical objective perspective).

Then teach them about propaganda.

Then teach them about power and motivation: how they work and why they work.

Finally, teach them morality: Selfishness vs Selflessness and all the intermediate steps.

Answer 2

There is no need to want them to look at anything SKEPTICALLY. Everyone has a right to have opinions and no one is right or wrong in having them. If you're gonna teach a child anything, it should be to have respect for people no matter how different they may be from the child. You want the child to grow up having respect for another person's differences, not start a war of any kind with those who are different...

Answer 3

The pronounced place is on the brink of meaningless. It opposes merely courses that pretend to teach severe thinking, yet that have the purpose of undermining parental authority. No such courses have ever been proposed, of direction. As a community Texan, besides the undeniable fact that, i understand that the Texas Republican occasion covertly opposes coaching severe thinking skills to babies. Doing so does not be interior the suitable hobbies of the Texas Republican occasion, which counts on maximum folk of Texans to vote opposite to their own suitable interest. Edited to function: In an interview in June, Republican occasion of Texas Communications Director Chris Elam became uncertain what the preparation Subcommittee became attempting to assert. “i think of the point is that the Republican occasion is adversarial to the values explanation technique that serves the purpose of complicated pupils ideals and undermine parental authority,” he mentioned.

Answer 4

You cannot teach kids religion in school anyway, unless you are doing it in religious school. The way I learned critical thinking in school was from analyzing books and class discussions when we sat in a circle and one by one the teacher made us say what we thought and we all analyize the book together.

Answer 5

Show them the choices they have and truthfully explain the ups and downs of each choice. When I say truthfully I mean even if you disagree as a parent or teacher because the truth is more important than what we think.

Answer 6

Teach them young about comparitive religions. Help them realize that even if one is right, that doesn't mean that the rest are wrong. That faith and science are different things. That litralism isn't alwasy necessary. That just because one person says something is true, it needn't necessarily be so.

Answer 7

its easy give them things to judge the value between then select an option. once they begin to weigh the pros and cons of small things they will get older and do it with ideas.

Answer 8

Teach them math and science. Stay away from religion. They will think more critically and logically that way.

Answer 9

what age are these children? and how do their parents feel about u teaching them about other religions if they are under age?

Answer 10

Show them science, and particularly how to do it. If they get used to testing hypotheses, they will do it whenever appropriate.