Let's Hear it for Critical Thinking

I admit it... this entire blog might sound like an old guy ranting and raving, but there really is an insidious syndrome infiltrating our society. Symptoms of that syndrome have always existed, but now those symptoms are moving into the high part of the bell curve.

Simply put, a growing number of kids (and young adults) are unable to think about substantive issues with any degree of intense and productive critical thinking skills.

That may sound radical in itself, but my classroom observations over the last four decades confirm it. Thirty years ago I could give my students rather intense physics and chemistry problems or projects that required a rather large amount of deep thinking, even thinking outside the proverbial box. Students then would attack those problems with energy and vigor, feeling passionate about figuring out the process and arriving at an acceptable answer.

Today it's the rare student who reacts like that.

"How do I start?"

"I can't do it." (always said in a pleading whine)

"This isn't any fun."

Those are typical responses, even if the problem or project is frameworked within the current environment of things with which the student is familiar.

Compounding this syndrome is the reaction of parents to their child's plight.

"Can't you give more instructions? Just help him get started." are typical requests from parents who desperately want to protect the child from any form of externally imposed stress.

The disastrous unintended consequence of trying to alleviate that stress is removing from the kid the potential to learn perserverence, creativity and a host of other really good character traits.

In conclusion, much of what goes on is protecting our kids into passivity and allowing them to live in a world of very enjoyable "comfortable mediocrity."

And what do you think? Any way to overcome this horrific syndrome?

John Hitchcock
author of the book Radical Excellence
see www.radical-excellence.com