Education's role in developing critical thinking and intellectual independence

Education Importance

Shaping Independent Thinkers

The world is an increasingly complex place in our modern era, and today's students will have to more actively engage in more of that complexity than students of previous generations if they are truly going to be tomorrow's leaders. This engagement requires careful and critical thought if it is to be the best use of the talents and wisdom that each individual possesses. As Proverbs, Chapter 14, verse 15 says: "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." It is my belief that as an educator, my primary task is to create prudent individuals that will examine their actions and their beliefs at every step of their journey through life, such that they will have a more positive impact on the world.

Philosophy of Schools and Learning

Many prominent teachers and educational theorists of the past approached learning as though students should unquestioningly accept whatever was expounded by their instructors, essentially replacing a critical cognitive capacity with a blind obedience to authority. While it seems diametrically opposed to most later-twentieth century educational theories, it is really only recently that this type of critical thinking was seen as important in modern school systems (Winch 206). Obedience in matters of empirical knowledge and reasoning ability is a dangerous kind of faith, however, and not one I wish my students to possess.

Educational Practice

My practical and formal experience as an educator has been somewhat limited, but from my time in front of a classroom as well as the any other roles I have filled where education and guidance were natural outgrowths I have learned that compassion combined with high expectations provides the best avenue for personal growth and the emergence of independence and intellectual curiosity. It is curiosity that drives human knowledge on all of its fronts, and the same curiosity that can lead to inner improvements and the quest for more fundamental answers to life's questions than can be provided through academic study (Zuss 2011). Children who possess this curiosity will become adults that are more fully engaged in their world, and that examine their environment for better alternatives; this is the kind of adult that I would like to see eventually emerging form my continued educational practice.

Teacher-Learner Relationships

While I see educators more as guides than as authoritarian figures, there does need to be a clear hierarchy established between the teacher and the learner. This does not have to be strictly and explicitly defined, but rather should come more easily from the tone with which the classroom is run and how conflicts are handled when they arise (Gordon & Burch 2003). Simply guiding rather than directly instructing works until it doesn't, in other words, and once that point is reached instructions need to be followed. Even such instances are part of the educational process when it comes to building critical thinkers and careful decision makers, however.

Diversity

Diversity is only going to increase in the average educational setting as the world grows ever smaller, and rather than seeing this as a challenge it is quite easy to use diversity as an opportunity both for gaining new educational insights and creating more teaching moments that will be directly beneficial to the students (Applebaum 2002). In order to achieve this, I believe that educators should try to elicit as much commentary and discussion from all of their students as is possible, as this will ensure that a diversity of students are able t have their voices heard while also exposing students to a greater diversity of viewpoints. Such discussion and the need to navigate one's own values and views through those of their community is also an excellent way to encourage critical thinking skills and build other skills necessary for actively engaging in the world in a positive manner.

Conclusion

Through encouraging this diversity, maintaining a balanced relationship with students, and generally encouraging a full cognitive engagement in each step of their education, I hope to shape my students into critically thinking and ethically acting adults. I firmly believe that the quality of a culture's leaders is a direct result of the quality of education they received, and I would like to retire in a world that is better than the one we live in now. As an educator, I am on the front lines of creating the leaders that will shape such a world.