Use current affairs to teach students critical thinking
Critical thinking is one the most important skills a student must acquire in the 21st century (Laws can’t combat sensationalism, but critical thinking can; July 28, online).
Academic achievement no longer accurately reflects one’s ability to perform well in the workforce, hence employers are scouting for employees with critical thinking skills.
Over the years, an increasing number of countries have adopted holistic school syllabi for their students to hone these skills in different aspects.
Instead of spoon-feeding students, teachers are assigning projects that require them to think creatively and critically to solve problems.
The Programme for International Student Assessment results have shown that Singaporean students are relatively well equipped, thus I think our Education Ministry’s efforts have been worthwhile.
Another examination, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, includes the following areas: Analysis, evaluation, inference, deduction, induction and overall reasoning skills.
In my opinion, we can use a few aspects of critical thinking by reading current affairs and trying to understand and evaluate the news so as not to be fooled by misleading headlines, clickbait and fake news online.
I would suggest that students spend more time on current affairs on top of the syllabi provided by the ministry.
Indeed, schools in Singapore have adopted current affairs as part of their curriculum, setting aside time for students to read the news and discuss opinions with their classmates.
It is safe to say that for students to remain competitive for jobs amid the talent search, emphasis should be placed on honing their critical thinking skills by embracing current affairs and appreciating its importance.
