Also taught a little mfl- the sooner they get used to hearing and speaking different languages, the more confident and tolerant they become- well, that was my theory!
I had exactly this conversation yesterday with a teacher friend. The trouble is that the curriculum has been dumbed down for the last 50 years - just compare 'O' Levels with GCSEs - and critical thinking isn't covered unless individual teachers find the time to cover it.
They are all in their 30s now but we benefitted enormously from the internet and some brilliant learning books. Amazingly we only did around 3 hours each morning of anything 'formal' - the rest of the day was ours to enjoy as a family. It's amazing how keen people are to explain their job to you .
My kids were born when Social Media hadn't taken off but *even then* it niggled me that we teach so much obscure stuff but no critical thinking which is a base skill.
I wasn't thinking about the political aspect at all, just education.
When I was teaching I specialised in Primary Science. Always believed that the foundation and premise of science at Early years simply to learn how to ask questions (quite literally) was THE single most important thing in education
Ditto humanities. I've always thought that the skills in history are very similar to science, but with unreliable evidence.
And there's something similarly basic with the creative urge and aesthetics for the arts and again with sports and dance about the joy of physical expression and exercise.
Absolutely. The focus on numeracy and literacy without understand context, purpose or intent is a huge error
This is why countries that allow ‘play’ with a focus on community and what is familiar - educators providing opportunity to explore & question are so much better at ‘education’
*inserts quote he can't remember about fools being certain, and the wise never being*
It was Russell:
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts" - I feel dirty cos that's from Ggle AI answer.
I guess it's great if it's purely critical thinking skills, which can be used in any situation. I think there should just be a mindfulness about whether it's brainwashing in favour of the government, which is an area the Tories (and Hitler) liked to push. It's all in the content and delivery 🙃
I don't think it takes much to learn critical thinking, providing it's done at the right time/early enough. I remember doing a single lesson when I was 12 or 13, looking through printed ads, just answering "what are they selling?" (popularity, tradition, success,...) and it opened my eyes to it.
Its neat to see this called a skill, it's something every child does on automatic asking why why why. What's needed is foundational shifts to how we raise children and give space in society and what we value, so that critical thinking isn't beaten out of us in order to be good capitalism drones.
Just in chat is good. My dad always used to ask me things in conversation like: Why would a company give you something for free? What didn't they say? What else happened on that day? Does that make sense to you if you think about it again? Look at the history, the context...
And I still use that today. Before, I never really considered ads, and felt pretty much immune to it; but after that single hour, the obvious selling points just stood out.
That has stuck with me since then.
Early enough. Simple enough.
A necessary aspect of education in the modern
World, & exactly what Michael Gove & the Tories tried to close down when he advocated that ‘critical thinking’ & ‘commentary & analysis’ modules be taken off school & college curricula. An electorate that can’t tell truth from fiction is easily fooled.
The BBC’s news gate-keepers have been acting as censors for too long and important events have sometimes not been covered at all, especially when potentially critical of the last government. ‘Brexit’ was virtually a banned word.
Tories making a big deal out of "our children best readers in the world"
My question: "how do they use that skill practically". Big difference between teaching at, and encouraging creativity and developing skills. Education is so much more than reading and arithmetic.
The statement is disingenuous anyway.
British children’s literacy isn’t the best in the world. The children who learn to read buy more books possibly?
But I also take your point. Enjoying books & being able to analyse language, its intention & rhetorical devices are different skills.
He knew what he was doing- hoping to create an easily manipulable electorate unable to recognise rational arguments, false equivalents and rhetorical tricks so he and his Tories could continue to lie to them.
He was also the one who told people NOT to listen to experts any more.
He encouraged schools & colleges to remove all critical thinking courses, in the humanities also, and as university modules. Not sure if all the universities did so. It was a module I took in the English lit course at UCL , but that was before Gove began interfering.
Comments
#BlackShirtBroInLaw bemoaning this as a focus in education on the fambo WhatsApp yesterday…
My kids were born when Social Media hadn't taken off but *even then* it niggled me that we teach so much obscure stuff but no critical thinking which is a base skill.
I wasn't thinking about the political aspect at all, just education.
And there's something similarly basic with the creative urge and aesthetics for the arts and again with sports and dance about the joy of physical expression and exercise.
This is why countries that allow ‘play’ with a focus on community and what is familiar - educators providing opportunity to explore & question are so much better at ‘education’
It was Russell:
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts" - I feel dirty cos that's from Ggle AI answer.
I’m younger than that now🎵🎶
‘My Back Pages’. Bob Dylan
I’m hoping that this really is about critical thinking
That has stuck with me since then.
Early enough. Simple enough.
World, & exactly what Michael Gove & the Tories tried to close down when he advocated that ‘critical thinking’ & ‘commentary & analysis’ modules be taken off school & college curricula. An electorate that can’t tell truth from fiction is easily fooled.
My question: "how do they use that skill practically". Big difference between teaching at, and encouraging creativity and developing skills. Education is so much more than reading and arithmetic.
They can pass tests that revolve around reading
It’d be interesting to see stats on youth round the world who choose to read (for pleasure)
British children’s literacy isn’t the best in the world. The children who learn to read buy more books possibly?
But I also take your point. Enjoying books & being able to analyse language, its intention & rhetorical devices are different skills.
He was also the one who told people NOT to listen to experts any more.