contributed by Lee CarollPhD and updated by Teaching staff
Research agrees that the strongest students emerge from homes that support them in the learning process, and below we list some ways parents can support students at home.
In 8 science-based strategies for critical thinkingWe discuss ways we can use “thinking like a scientist” to improve our own critical thinking skills. Next, we followed that post with a quick read: How to Help Kids Think Critically at Home.
Eight Ways Parents Can Support Critical Thinking at Home
1. Thinking critically as a habit
Whether you are think critically about the news or think critically about music, food, and video games, what is more important than whether students can think critically is whether they will do so, without prompting and as a matter of habit.
Practicing critical thinking in your native environments (at home, with friends, reading self-selected texts, on social media, and more) is a useful strategy for developing your cognitive muscles.
See also The Effect of Parental Involvement on Academic Achievement
2. Debate everything!
Debate everything!
Science, for example. Debate is useful for a couple of reasons: it helps students look for alternative explanations (good for analyzing experimental results) and it can also develop teenagers’ natural communication skills. For example, “Should bottled water be banned?” Another useful resource here is NPR’s Intelligence Squared debates.
3. Provide access to diverse, quality reading materials.
And then give them time to read them and discuss the reading. Even have students make claims based on the reading and support those claims with evidence.
4. Practice reasoning between claims and evidence.
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning. When they make a claim, ask them for evidence to develop the analytical habit of mind. My dad made this every night during dinner. (See #1.)
5. Help them learn everything
Help them see that learning is a way of thinking, just like science and critical thinking. They don’t just have to learn from “school” or from books, but from nature, conversations, games and observation. Then, help them make claims and provide evidence for those claims as a result.
6.Play games
Video games are treasure troves of critical thinking opportunities, if for no other reason than many students enjoy playing and thinking about them. Read more about teach with video games here.
Of course, it is not necessary to use video games. Teach them to play chess! Download a chess program or find a chess summer camp. This ancient game is useful for creating a growth mindset because to be effective, a player must consider alternative moves before selecting the best one. Research also shows that playing chess improves SAT lots.
It also encourages quiet contemplation for an extended period of time without external input or stimulation.
6.Make critical thinking a game
Make critical thinking a kind of game. Use Devil’s Advocate playfully to consider alternative perspectives, for example. This is a useful way to make critical thinking a habit.
7. Teach critical thinking as a way of thinking
Understanding that critical thinking is a type of mindset and not simply a “skill” can help it become something of a habit. This is true in part because critical thinking gives reasoning purpose and tone, which can be difficult without the kind of cognitively agile and creatively playful mindset that critical thinking promotes.
Put another way, critical thinking arises more naturally in some states of mind (playful, safe, curious, and empowered) than in others (directed, monitored, forced, and evaluated).
8. Explore the benefits of critical thinking
And do it in a way that’s believable to kids instead of advocating for the benefits of critical thinking 25 years from now.
