Critical Thinking in Primary School

American school systems have their pros and cons. The less fortunate school systems are often restricted because of budget and resources which leads to higher dropout rates and substandard performance. On average, the American school system loses 1.2 million students a year due to drop-outs (whitehouse.gov). But when the school system is properly funded, students can learn the skills and resources they need to be successful and finish school.

One of these skills can be to learn a foreign language. Learning a foreign language allows students to open doors to new opportunities and be more competitive in the work force. Research shows that learning a foreign language while in primary school is more effective and beneficial than learning it in high school due to the learning curve of a child’s brain (actfl.org). While students are in primary school, their brains “absorb” more than that of a teenager which brings me to my point: primary schools should teach as many of the basic social and mental skills to their students while the brain is most active. This will lay the foundation for students to succeed and assure that they are well prepared in whatever they may do.

In a perfect world we would be able to teach our children priceless skills such as critical thinking, financial responsibility, test-taking skills, ethics, social skills and so forth. Each one of these can be debated separately but I will focus on the topic of this blog and lay out the pros and cons of teaching critical thinking in primary school. It was difficult to find research from an opposing viewpoint so I will inject my own critical thinking skills to balance the argument.

PRO:
1. Children will be able to reason early on and develop their own conclusions.
2. This skill doesn’t become irrelevant after leaving school. It applies to many situations in life such as furthering your education, finding a suitable career, politics, and even marriage.

CON:
1. It is difficult to teach this skill to large groups and without specialized attention. It can also be difficult to test for it (fluther.com).
2. In order to teach critical thinking, teachers must be proficient in critical thinking themselves. It’s not a topic that can be taught by memorizing steps or by learning a set of rules to follow. It’s a skill that can be very individualized.

In conclusion, certain life-skills need to be taught to our children at a point in their schooling that is most beneficial to them. It is the governments’ responsibility to ensure the proper resources are allocated to the school system and it is the school systems’ responsibility to prepare students for the rest of their lives.



References
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-steps-reduce-dropout-rate-and-prepare-students-college-an
http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3653
http://www.fluther.com/7292/why-isnt-critical-thinking-taught-in-school-from-early-on/

For more information on critical thinking taught from K-3, visit http://www.criticalthinking.org/starting/elementary.cfm