how to think - an essential habit for life in the 21st century

HOW TO THINK – AN ESSENTIAL HABIT FOR LIFE IN THE 21st CENTURY

by Geetika Saluja

J.G College of Education – PGAhmedabad, INDIA

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Longer our children are in school,

less curious they become.

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Teaching students to think and to be curious is much more than a technical problem for which we educators alone are accountable.

How do we assess what students are learning?

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We need to explore three fundamental transformation that have taken place

in a very short period recently

• The rapid evolution of the new global ‘ knowledge economy’

• The sudden and dramatic shift from information that is limited in terms of amount and availability to information characterized by flux and glut.

• The increasing impact of media and technology on how young people learn and relate to the world and to each other.

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Requirement of the day is to ask correct questions and engage others in discussion rather than just solving it.

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“People who have learned to ask great questions and have learned to be inquisitive are the ones who move the fastest in today’s environment because they solve the biggest problems in ways that have the most impact on innovation.”Mark Summers

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The need for the education system globally is to address

•Taking issues, situations, problems and going to root components;

•Understanding how the problem evolves •Looking at it from a systemic perspective and not accepting things at face value

Being curious about why things are the way they are and being able to think about why something is important.

Yesterday’s solution doesn’t solve tomorrow’s problem.” Problems change and so approaches to problems need to change.

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There is a need to start teaching critical thinking as soon as children are capable of abstract thinking. Students need to learn the inquiry process.

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We the educators are accountable for creating environment which foster Critical thinking skills

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The ability to apply abstract knowledge

•To solve a problem and to develop and execute a solution •The ability to think broadly and deeply•Be curious, think imaginatively•Using framework for problem – identification, assumption and facts, acquiring information, viewing alternative solutions. •Surrounding one with people who have differences of opinion and who can help to come to the best solution

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References: Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap: why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need—and what we can do about it. New York: Basic Books. https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/connectingclassrooms-learning/

www.avidcollegeready.org/college-career-readiness/2011/2/23/the-global-achivement-gap-looking-foward-back.htmwww.amanet.org/traning/21st-Century-skills/critical-thinking.aspx