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How to encourage critical thinking in children and adolescents

Promote critical thinking from an early age “It is not only an investment in the future of children and adolescents, but also in the construction of a more reflective, ethical and responsible society,” he assures us. Francisco Moller, director of Applied Research at UNIR Character Project.

It is, according to the expert, a key skill for human development in a world, that of the 21st century, overwhelmed by information. It is because “critical thinking is configured as an intellectual virtue which allows analyzing and evaluate information, ideas or arguments thoughtfully and logically to reach well-founded conclusions that tend towards good.”

But not only that. In addition to allowing conscious and informed discernment, critical thinking “incorporates a moral component that illuminates the reason to choose what is right,” adds Moller.

We know that critical thinking It will be what allows our children to swim against the current, that is, not do something just because it is what the majority does or because they do it in their group of friends. It will give them the freedom to choose, to do the right thing, without being influenced by others. The question is How can we encourage critical thinking in children and adolescents?

Critical thinking in children is deeply linked to their natural curiosity

Francisco Moller

Keys to foster critical thinking in children

Talking about critical thinking seems so abstract that it can be seen as an unattainable challenge to encourage it in young children. However, it is much simpler than one might assume, judging by the explanation of Francisco Moller, who states that “critical thinking in children is deeply linked to their natural curiosity.”

And he quotes the American expert, Peter Facionea reference and one of the great theorists of critical thinking, according to which this curiosity acts as an engine that drives children to ask reflective questions, analyze evidence and make informed decisions. “Taking advantage of this natural impulse is key.”

The director of Applied Research at UNIR Character Project gives us three specific guidelines to take advantage of that impulse and natural curiosity in the little ones so that we can encourage critical thinking in them:

  1. Answer questions thoughtfully. “When a child asks because?it is a unique opportunity to encourage your reasoning,” Moller emphasizes. “Instead of offering simple or monosyllabic answers, it is useful to explore together possible answers or counter-ask to stimulate your analysis. For example, if a child asks why the sky is blue, parents can invite him or her to investigate together or ask additional questions such as: What do you believe?, Is it always blue?“.
  2. Use books as tools for dialogue. “Stories represent an ideal resource to explore decisions, motivations and consequences.” To do this, recommend talk with children about the dilemmas faced by the characters, since helps them develop empathy and to analyze situations from different perspectives.
  3. Model critical thinking. “Parents have a fundamental role in verbalizing their reasoning out loud in complex situations,” says the research director. “For example, when making decisions like planning a trip or resolving a family conflict, they can explain their logical process: ‘I’m considering this because…’. Thus, children learn not only the content of decisions, but also how to structure your thoughts”.
How to encourage critical thinking in children and adolescents© Getty Images

Keys to promoting critical thinking in adolescents

Adolescents already have a greater capacity to reflect and learn to be critical. According to the UNIR expert, “adolescence is an ideal period to deepen critical thinking, since young people begin to handle abstract concepts with greater ease and face more transcendental decisions.” Francisco Moller believes that critical thinking can be encouraged at this stage of our children’s lives in the following way:

  1. Debating current topics. “Organizing debates on ethical dilemmas or current issues encourages the ability of adolescents to base their opinionslisten to opposing points of view and learn to argue with respect,” he says.
  2. Teaching to discern information. This aspect is essential, taking into account the overload of information to which they (like adults) are exposed. “It is crucial to help them identify reliable sources and question possible biases,” Moller emphasizes. “Some useful questions include: ‘Who wrote it?‘, ‘What evidence supports this claim?‘ and ‘What other points of view could there be?‘”.
  3. Promoting conscious decision making. “From everyday choices to important decisions like what career to studyadolescents must reflect on the consequences of their actions. This exercise not only strengthens your critical thinking, but also your personal responsibility.”
  4. Modeling adult reflection. Parents and guardians can share their own decision-making processes, showing how they analyze options and evaluate potential repercussions. “This type of practical modeling helps adolescents structure their own reasoning.”

-Other tools to promote critical thinking in adolescents

Sometimes it may not be easy for parents to look for opportunities to discuss current issues with your children or to talk regularly with them about the information they receive. Although the ideal is to do it and do it, there are often some tools that can make the work easier for parents or, in any case, that can complement their work by following the above guidelines.

One of these tools, pioneers in that it is aimed precisely at promoting critical thinking in children between 7 and 14 years old, is Smartick Thinking, a program launched by the Smartick platform. “In a pleasant environment, they put themselves in the shoes of detectives who solve cases by analyzing different information. They also become knights who participate in debate tournaments fighting and detecting fallacies, magicians who discover hidden information and journalists who must assess the reliability of the news,” he tells us. Héctor Sanz, coordinator of Smartick Thinking.

Sanz assures that he helps children learn, in a fun way, to “reason with solid arguments, to know how to detect fallacies and biasesto distinguish relevant information from that which is not relevant for problem solving and, ultimately, prepares them to have their own criteria and to be less manipulable.” And this is achieved in very short sessions, lasting 15 minutes, whose content is adapted to the level and pace of each child.

Critical thinking cultivates a healthy skepticism that invites us to go deeper, question and look for nuances and other explanations.

Hector Sanz

Why encourage critical thinking in children and adolescents?

Héctor Sanz points out that critical thinking “cultivates a healthy skepticism that invites us to go deeper, question and look for nuances and other explanations.” Therefore, encouraging critical thinking in children is necessary for them to develop, he says, the following abilities:

  • Recognize and build solid argumentsknowing how to distinguish good and bad arguments.
  • Enable a coherent connection of information and data to have good ideas and make correct decisions.
  • Seek the truth in the most reasoned and data-justified way possible..
  • Question stereotypes: “stereotypes are just generalizations that sometimes make sense and sometimes don’t.”
  • Have the ability to understand circumstances and adapt to changing contexts.
  • Be motivated by continuous learninglooking for good arguments goes deeper and wants to know more.
  • Get closer to philosophy: “children with critical thinking will reach high school with a better disposition because they will want to know more about the classics that began to ask themselves what moves us, what motivates us and what makes us human.”

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