[ELTWeekly Volume 10, Issue 9 | April 16, 2018 | ISSN 0975-3036]
In this article, Ana Tatsumi, our ELT consultant from Brazil, discusses the importance of critical thinking, considerations for teachers and students, and shares some classroom activity ideas.
Consider the game “This or that”: you will be given questions, and for each of them you must state your preference. They are: a) a rich breakfast dish with eggs, bacon, pancakes and maple syrup or a healthy green smoothie; b) watching a movie at home or going out with friends on Saturday night; c) buying a new car (yours is fine, by the way) or going on a luxurious 2-week vacation anywhere; d) a very demanding, high-paying job or a 9-to-5 more stable position.
Making decisions is something we go through since childhood – from choosing which games to play or books to read to deciding on the best time to buy a house, we all must face issues, analyze and make decisions. The problem, however, is how to do that – and for us, teachers, how to teach it.
Critical thinking is not a fad. In fact, there is nothing new about it. Why then is it one of the so-called 21st century skills? “To prepare students for this ever-changing and unpredictable world we live in” would be the standard answer, but let’s think further: why is critical thinking important?