We all talk about the importance of critical thinking in our education and in our lives and it ranks high on the list of various companies and corporations that are eager to hire future problem solvers, but many educators in schools and universities do not teach critical thinking or at least they do not do so effectively. In the meantime, many others fail to demonstrate it because they do not have the necessary skills or background and/or because they do not take the time to practice it and cannot be bothered with it.
It is then not as surprising but still shocking that only 4 % of college
students show proficiency in critical thinking, whereas education tends to inadvertently
suppress it instead of developing, encouraging, and promoting this life skill.
The problem is not education alone as parents alongside the rest of society including the media do not play an active role in fostering a thinking culture; in fact,
critical thinking may be more often frowned upon or at times even punished by parents
and others. Being cognizant that even educated adults may lack critical
thinking skills, it does not come as a complete surprise that the world around
us seems blissfully ignorant as well as confused about the essential difference
between fact and fiction where the dividing lines between opinions and truths
become blurred, and why many prefer to ignore or reject important advice dished out by
experts.
But things are not as bleak, stuck, or hopeless as they may seem. There is not only hope but significant ways to ensure that critical thinking becomes embedded in our daily life. To talk about what can be done precisely, I had an insightful, enlightening, and delightful interview with someone who is certainly no stranger to the act of thinking: Critical Thinking Expert, Educator and Author Dr. Steve Pearlman.
Dr. Pearlman has researched and studied the neuroscience and the psychology behind it all and he has written books about them, including his
latest book America’s Critical Thinking Crisis: The Failure and Promise of Education. Not only does Dr. Pearlman provide useful tips for
schools, students, educators, teachers, and parents, but he can help us become
better and brighter thinkers ourselves by embracing and tapping into this
critically important and relevant mindset.
There were two main topics of interest for me that I wished
to discuss with him, which were the current education system and the current
state of the United States. Before we fully delve and jump into the discussion,
I wanted to make sure that we would all be on the same page and asked him to
define critical thinking. It turns out that we are on the same wavelength in
how we perceive critical thinking. It is not merely knowledge nor is it
intelligence; they certainly could help in the matter, but they are not
necessarily precursors of this domain. In fact, what is a more important prerequisite for the
ability to think critically is a curious, inquisitive, and humble mind.
Contrary to popular opinion, curiosity did not kill the cat;
it was ignorance that cost its life. Yet why are teachers and instructors not sufficiently encouraging curiosity, this vital aspect of critical thinking? They may wish to do so, but, in fact,
education predominantly prefers to instill a respect for and of authority
instead of having it questioned or put to the test. While in math and to an
extent the sciences, there are often clear-cut answers, the majority of subjects cannot provide us with absolute answers.
Yet this fear or inner reluctance of questioning has its
roots in our upbringing where we often have to take our parents’ knowledge (and
more often lack thereof) as the ultimate gospel. Instead of being willing to openly
discuss and reason with children and help them engage in thinking for themselves and give them acquaintance and familiarity with the reasoning process, parents
often shut them down and shut them up with the authoritarian but highly
discouraging statement “because I say so”. It often comes attached with the hidden implicit message of “don’t
you dare asking” or contradicting the authority figure here. This can, in
turn, lead to the dark side of independent thinking in which one
erroneously assumes that one’s opinions are as good and as solid as veritable
and proven facts.
At the same time, educators may solicit questions but deep inside they are afraid of making mistakes or worse (at least in their point of view) of not knowing the answer. This is where humility needs to come into focus. In fact, nowadays being an expert in any given field is a difficult undertaking because there is an almost infinite abundance of information and knowledge out there.
Our own information and answer can be disputed within seconds by
technology readily accessible and available at one’s fingertips. Dates and
knowledge can be retrieved very quickly and rather effortlessly but what to do
with the knowledge, what it can teach us, how it can improve our lives and our
ways of seeing and interpreting the world, that is where critical thinking
would have to come into play.
This requires a restructuring of the education system.
Although there are some important movements from the traditional
teacher-centered towards a more student-centered approach to teaching and
learning, not enough is done regarding critical thinking. This is partly due to
the fact that it is hard to define as it contains various layers and also
because educators are not very clear about it themselves – they may claim
that they know critical thinking when they see it. As a result, teachers do not
model and teach it sufficiently and clearly enough to their students. Steve
told me that in surveys both faculty and students rated critical thinking very
highly, but the necessary skills and growth set were not demonstrated nor
supported within the student population.
The second reason is that the educational system has had its roots in the Western way of thinking going back to its Germanic beginnings. At the time, the “empty glass” metaphor was used because the initial philosophy of education depended on this conception. This was before the printing press, so few books and texts were readily available, and the professors were indeed the ones who had the knowledge and who passed it on to their students during lectures.
Back then, knowledge was hard to come by and knowledge was considered
a source of power. This has been significantly upended by technology with
information being at our disposal at any point and moment of time so this outdated model
no more holds but, at the same time, it has not been adapted fully and sufficiently to the new demands and realities.
We also had a discussion on the preponderance of independence. In my view, real independence is one that makes one free to think for oneself; one can become independent in one’s mind through the very act of critical thinking. However, in schools and in homes, independence is often taught in terms of not thinking but of behavioral skills, for instance, being able to tie one’s shoelaces, or cooking for oneself.
These are relevant skills, no doubt, but they are secondary in nature and magnitude. Having an educated opinion about different matters and being able to reflect on them critically demonstrate more independence to me and are more urgent than being able to perform handstands or to fry an egg. They are not mutually exclusive, but parents and educators focus too much on basic skills at the expense of more profound life skills like thinking.
Thinking is a natural and indeed pleasurable act in and of
itself. Children at young ages naturally engage in it with play as they freely
use their creativity and imagination. Yet with time, we get distracted and
diverted from this path. That can come in terms of indiscriminate use of
technology affecting all ages, which then manages to replace or override the
pleasurable act of thinking. I was surprised and then again not so surprised to
find out that thinking itself accentuates the release of dopamine, our natural
happy drug, hence giving us a boost in mood and well-being. Evolutionary
speaking, it makes sense to promote and develop thinking as it is a necessary
component for personal and social development and advancement. Nowadays, we
revert to our smartphones to give us that much desired and welcome boost but
without the same benefits and advantages that accompany thinking.
Reading books would help as well and, in fact, unlike
thinking, reading is somewhat unnatural. The brain needs to be trained and
wired for it as the eyes are connecting to the language centers. I myself am an
avid reader and a lover of books but I also do not read as much as I used to, courtesy of technology. So I asked Steve what I can do to encourage my son to
read.
He told me one way to do so would be to ensure
technology-free or device-less time periods. Incidentally, I had implemented a
day of being without technology as a family unit and I must say although
liberating, it was a rather difficult if not painful experience for us all. But
having time set aside and designed and designated for reading and to ensure
that your child is not lost in or absorbed by their technological devices is of
great importance for their health and well-being.
Age becomes a factor as well. When is a good time to
introduce my son to Dostoevsky was my question and Steve had another brilliant
answer - whenever they are ready. Yet it is also important to keep in mind that
what they read is far less important than that they read. Often parents try to
push their kids to start reading too early, yet at the same time, they would
hold back presenting children with important information about life and the
world.
We should not push them too hard but also not underestimate nor limit our children in these matters. This has been something I have noted
not only in interactions with my son but with children in general. They are
often smarter than we think or give them credit for, and they can think
critically in their own way and at their own level and rhythm as long as we do
not scare, intimidate, or underestimate them.
Interestingly, the brain prefers to assimilate and it learns better by reading printed books as opposed to reading off electronic screens.
The brain responds differently to it, while the awareness of physical paper
affects comprehension, depth, and reading time. This comes with advice against
the current trend of moving towards electronic texts in schools and
universities; although e-books are cheaper and more accessible, it is, in fact,
better to return to traditional hard copy books to facilitate learning and
retention.
As to retention, the brain will not release dopamine when we
are merely memorizing information that is seen as having little value for the
person’s life. Students may try hard to remember the information on tests but
would then gladly dump it after it has served and achieved its purpose,
namely the grade on the test. But learning that is relevant to and that resonates
with one’s life will last for a much longer time and far beyond school and university, and it would help the formation and development of critical thinking skills.
After discussing how we can provide change and promote
critical thinking in terms of education and parenting, we talked about what is
and has been happening in the social and political landscape in the United States.
We brought forth some interesting ideas. To understand the present, we often
need to make light of the past and see how it all fits in. History does repeat
itself, that is until we realize this and take charge and steer it in a different
and better direction for us all.
It all comes down to the concept of the American experiment.
Although ahead of its own times and circumstances in many ways, it is important
to note that it had its own failings as well. Yet, more importantly, it was
deemed an experiment. The founding fathers knew that there would be
substantial trial and error involved with experiments and that a union would
take a lot of work and effort. In fact, this is why they are striving for a “more
perfect” union, meaning that we would keep aiming at perfection and perhaps not
be able to reach it any time soon.
Combined with it are the glorious and rather abstract ideas
of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not only are these terms hard
to achieve; they are often mutually exclusive. There are other factors in play,
which the current pandemic has brought to light and to the foreground.
Jefferson might have been naïve in assuming that people would be naturally guided
by reason and that if people were left to their own devices - by having more
freedom and less government interference - they would also be happier and more
peaceful.
The problem lies in the interaction and interplay between
freedom and social responsibility. This is where masks play an important role,
both figuratively and literally. We think we are reasonable and have critical
thinking when we might be irrational, deluded, and even delusional. We think we
are exercising our freedom by refusing to wear masks when in fact we are
endangering our loved ones and fellow beings. We may think we are protecting
our lives and safety by owning a gun when it can lead to unprecedented and unwanted acts of violence.
Furthermore, the pursuit of happiness is a quest; a desire
to become happier. That would not only entail personal satisfaction or monetary
wealth but would also expand to our family, friends, our nation, and the world.
Happiness is something we must strive for, work for, and
actively engage in, and it may take many different forms that we do not always
see or perceive immediately. Happiness is also intimately tied and linked with
gratitude.
Finally, if we look at our founding fathers, and I have my
eyes and heart set on Thomas Jefferson, we must take him as a human being who meant
well, but who had his own share of failings. His failure was not always
following what he preached and coming up short in a number of different areas
of his life and within his politics.
On one hand, Jefferson opposed slavery, yet he was not
averse to practicing it. His views of colored people, as well as his actions, are
inexcusable and unacceptable. Others around him had freed their slaves but he
held onto them. Nonetheless, we can understand his motive, which stemmed from a
selfish desire: he wanted to keep up his lavish lifestyle with expensive wine
and his many books. Notwithstanding, he kept running up debts and eventually died
in poverty.
The world is a messy place, Steve told me, and he could not
have said or worded it any better. In reality, we may be taught about the good
and the bad in our homes, and in our schools and universities, but the moment we step out
into the world, we encounter confusing shades of gray. Life is not easy, and it
can get complex and complicated, but if we carry around the following vital and
life-saving toolbox, it can help us make sense of the seeming chaos around us: a box that contains critical thinking, the ability to think for ourselves.
There are various very interesting tidbits from our interview that I have left out and have not covered here. I am planning to include them in separate blog posts one on the gap and divide between elites and intellectuals and another one on how failure can propel success in education and in business.
In the meantime, for the full-length video of our conversation on YouTube, please click here
If you prefer to listen to the interview, here is the link to my podcast, click Arash's World Podcast.
Moreover, here is the link to Dr. Pearlman’s Critical Thinking
Initiative:
https://www.thecriticalthinkinginitiative.org
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