TPJ 82: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills

We all want our kids to be resilient. We want them to be critical thinkers. We want them to be respectful, to value diversity, and be tolerant of various lifestyles and backgrounds. Right? 

Just like our immune system needs to be challenged by foreign substances, our values, beliefs, and opinions are bolstered and improved by being challenged. 

In this episode I’m going to discuss why our kids need to be exposed to alternative points of view in order to become healthy, functioning adults.  

[00:43] Have you seen "The Social Dilemma"?

[04:05] We are living in an echo chamber.

[08:18] Each of us are living in our own little universe online

[10:25] If we want our kids to develop critical thinking skills, they must be exposed to alternative points of view.

[12:24] We need to resist the urge to "protect" our kids from any views or opinions that we don't agree with.

[13:32] Shielding your child from an idea makes them more vulnerable to that idea.

[15:43] We want our children to learn how to discern.

[16:23] We want our kids to develop balanced and nuanced opinions.

[17:34] Even some of the best ideas, when taken to the extreme, can become unhealthy.

[19:04] If we want to stay balanced, we need to be exposed to alternative viewpoints.

[20:30] Hearing alternative points of view can bolster yours. 

[22:33] I want to teach my children that everyone is at least worth listening to.

[23:23] We want our kids to develop empathy and diversity.

[25:25] I want my kids to understand that it's ok for others to believe differently, live differently, vote differently, etc. 

[28:06] I use a Socratic method of asking questions to help my kids think through an idea or opinion.

[29:15] There's always something to learn from other people.

[29:54] Ideas are something that we can contend with.

[31:48] I want my children to understand that we all have more in common with others than what divides us.

If we want our kids to develop empathy & critical thinking, to value diversity & tolerance and understand that it’s ok for people to live and believe differently than us, we need to be purposeful about exposing them to alternative points of view. We need to show them that we can contend with ideas, and lead the way as we discern information and value what other people have to say. 

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