“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist
This is one of the biggest issues we have in our educational system these days. Children are not taught critical thinking anymore. They are taught how to memorize things so that they can pass standardized tests. We need to foster their inquisitiveness and spend more time teaching them how to think, rather than telling them what to think.
Written for today’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt from Linda G. Hill.
I absolutely agree! Rather than fostering creative thinking abilities, schools are suppressing it.
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So true. I totally agree
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I couldn’t agree more. I remember very little of what I memorized in school. But I do remember the discussions and debates and research for facts. All necessary to navigating the world today.
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I hope it’s not a skill our children have lost.
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I’ve found too many middle-age to older people who don’t seem to understand what “how” to think means. They will agree with the wording, but then demonstrate that they’re really still going with “what” to think. Similarly, I’ve said people would do well to think in terms of principles rather than bias. Then, in online forums, people who “agree” go on to have no concept of principles. Or maybe the bottom line is that they have no observational skills. I personally have seen this mostly in Republicans (which includes those who say they don’t like Republicans but normally vote as if they do). To a lesser degree, but still an issue, this goes on among mainstream or establishment Democrats. But it happens among the true left as well. I think it’s widespread. I don’t know how we accomplish a wider reach of real thinking and observations of reality. One problem is that most people don’t have time to observe (or be real witnesses or learners); and many choose not to spend free time on that. But establishing a habit to think and ways to do so in early life can make a big difference.
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Very very true, especially for India’s current education system.
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100% this.
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So true!
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I love this quote! Very true!
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