Encourage kids to talk back 5 TIPS TO TEACH THEM CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Whenever school holidays loom, many parents find themselves caught in an emotional tug-of-war.

- HEIDI MATISONN

On the one hand, relief at bidding farewell to homework battles, bedtime struggles, and lamenting lost lunchboxes. On the other, terror at the daunting prospect of a barrage of “whys” and “buts” from relentless interrogators. To avoid logic-defying arguments and endless debates, it is often not long before parents resort to the ultimate trump card: “because I said so”.

As a parent, I can relate. But I'm also a moral philosopher with almost two decades of teaching experience. In philosophy classes, students who question ideas and sometimes, in doing so, challenge authority are praised. Why isn't the same true for children? Is a child who questions their parents “being cheeky”? Or are they flexing the mental muscles necessary for their intellectual growth and ability to navigate the world?

The job of a moral philosopher is to grapple with ideas about right and wrong, good and bad, seeking to answer the ultimate question: “how ought we to live?” While we use a range of strategies to tackle these fundamental ethical questions, one of the most important tools at our disposal is critical thinking.

Critical thinking is capability to analyse and evaluate information and arguments in a clear, rational and objective manner. When we are confronted with information, critical thinking requires us to consider why the informant is saying that. What could be their motive? Is there a different possible explanation?

I'm not suggesting that the goal is to raise argumentative children. Rather, as philosopher, strategic thinker and author Peter Facione explains, it is to nurture inquisitive minds that can interpret, analyse, evaluate and infer from information. In other words, parents should raise their children to be curious, critical thinkers who question everything, even if this means they question us in the process.

HOW CAN PARENTS TEACH CRITICAL THINKING AT HOME? HERE ARE MY FIVE TOP TIPS