In this era of information explosion, all kinds of overwhelming information appear every day. In these endless information, can we think independently?
American children's book writer Andrea Debink was once the editor of the column "American Girls" and has been writing for children for the past decade. In her book "I Can Think Independently", she told children how to master the methods of independent thinking and help children aged 6-14 to develop the ability to think independently. This book is not only a textbook for teenagers to think independently, but also benefits us adults for life.
French mathematical scientist Descartes , emphasized the importance of "critical doubt" in "Methodology". Avoid us forming preconceived ideas and thus making rash conclusions. Especially with the rapid development of the information age, the dazzling information is overwhelming, so it is particularly important to learn critical thinking.
What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is the process of deciding what should be believed and what should be done by carefully evaluating ideas and facts.
It is a technology that requires us to gradually master it through continuous learning and practice.
How to master critical thinking?
The only five steps to master the method of critical thinking is to find your doubts by asking questions, then search for evidence, then evaluate the collected evidence by classification, and then become curious and finally draw conclusions.
The first step in critical thinking is to ask questions.
Why does query a question first? Because when we use subjective consciousness to evaluate a person or something, we will form the stereotype . Stereotypes are harmful, and no parent wants their children to do things based on their feelings when they grow up.
and the method of refusing to accept stereotypes is to question them, that is, to ask questions.
For example, I always hear parents say to their children: "You must study hard, otherwise you won't be able to find a good job in the future." But I began to question in my heart. Can only study hard can I find a good job? Can’t you find a good job if you don’t study well?
So, this is the question I have caused.
Collecting evidence is the second step in critical thinking.
How to collect evidence? There are many ways, you can ask people around you or refer to books, just take my own questions as an example.
I have read the autobiography of the glass king Cao Dewang, "The Heart of Bodhi", who has over 10 billion yuan. He is a well-known philanthropist and the world-recognized leader of the automobile glass supplier. He went to school at the age of 9 and was forced to drop out of school at the age of 14.
The richest man in Hong Kong, which everyone knows, Li Ka-shing was also forced to drop out of school and go to society to make a living at a young age.
But not everyone is as business-minded as Cao Dewang or Li Ka-shing. Many people are not good at studying and fail to get into a good university, and do not find a good job after graduation.
When encountering problems, everyone will question them, but we cannot question them for no reason. We must have sufficient questions to prove that we are right.
Evaluation of evidence is the third step of critical thinking
Just collecting evidence is not enough. We also need to evaluate the collected evidence. We can evaluate it from the two aspects of whether the information is valuable and whether it is accurate.
Creating curiosity is the fourth step of critical thinking
Does it think that you will enter the conclusion after evaluating the evidence? In fact, there is another step in the middle, which is curiosity. If I am not curious about this issue, I will not spend time collecting and evaluating the evidence. So before we draw a conclusion, another very important step is to be "curious".
At this stage we can think about other views and check our own views.
concludes that it is the last step of critical thinking, based on reasoning and evidence.
In the process of drawing a conclusion, we need to think about the following points first:
review the questions raised, review the evidence and the content learned, and consider our own values.
We can draw a conclusion from it that studying hard may not necessarily lead to good development. If learning poorly, there will be better development. Nothing is absolute. So, when communicating with your children in the future, don’t say that. We can change to a better way of expression.
Finally, in this dazzling information age, it is particularly important to master independent thinking skills. From an early age, we should cultivate children to improve their ability to observe accurately and analyze verified evidence. Logical Swayne, your judgment of reaching conclusions, and your execution ability to solve problems. Let children understand that the world will not directly tell you the answer. Only by keeping independent thinking can you grow freely.
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