How to Help Kids Become Critical Thinkers and Problem Solvers

Children need to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills to help them succeed in school and careers as well as to cope with the challenges of real-life. Higher order thinking helps kids evaluate, examine and apply information to a situation. Problem solving skills enable students to reach a reasonable conclusion. You reinforce these abilities by utilizing instructional methods that challenge students to develop meta-cognition. In other words, your students learn how to "think about their thinking".

Instructions

1. • Maintain a classroom environment that encourages children to express themselves. If you are discussing a potentially controversial topic like racism, explain that everyone's opinions are important. Demonstrate effective communication by participating in the discussion. Children who feel constrained in the classroom may be reluctant to share anything beyond the surface facts.
     
   • 2
     Use various teaching methods to review information. Avoid excessive use of lecture and standard note-taking. Form cooperative groups and ask students to create graphic organizers using the information you presented. Allow them to look at the Internet and their textbooks as well as feedback from their group discussions. This encourages critical thinking and evaluation.
     
   • 3
     Assess with open-ended, essay questions which challenge students. You may prefer multiple-choice and short answer tests for quicker grading, but essay tests give children the opportunity to develop ideas and support their opinions, part of the critical thinking process.
     
   • 4
     Ask students to take responsibility for their learning. Keeping up with notebooks and worksheets and studying for tests is just a part of this. Have them keep a learning log or journal in which they reflect on each day's lesson. Encourage them to write informally, jotting down questions or thoughts that occur to them at the end of each day.
     
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     Play classroom games that require children to use higher-order, problem-solving skills. Classroom games like checkers and chess help students learn how to strategize and think about the consequences of their moves. If computers are available, allow students to play games at educational sites such as lumosity.com, a site with interactive, math problem solving activities.