21st century education isn’t just about making students able to get good marks. Its main aim is to develop some certain set of skills, so called 21st century skills.
Some of the critical 21st century skills include problem solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, etc. Among these mentioned skills, we are going to talk about Critical Thinking here. Critical thinking is careful and focused analysis of something to understand it deeply or to make it much better. Some of the main critical-thinking abilities include:
Analyzing: It means breaking something into parts and then examining each part thoroughly.
Arguing: Using a sequence of statements associated, composed logically, documents is backed by proofs to reach a decision.
Defining: Elaborating the meaning of a word or term using gist, example, synonyms, and antonyms.
Evaluating: Evaluation means deciding on the value of something by matching it against an accepted standard.
Problem Solving: Problem solving is investigative the causes and effects of a problem as well as discovering ways to stopover the cause and effect.
Apart from this, Arguing, Tracking cause and effect, Describing, Classifying, Tracking cause and effect, Explaining, Describing, etc.
Here are some of the great resources we have curated for you on how to boost your kids’ critical thinking skills.
Helping Your Students Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Learn these helpful tips to develop and assess critical-thinking skills
Developing Critical Thinking through Web Research Skills
Building Thinking Skills® Beginning
Education must be effective so that it can secure student’s future. Critical thinking in 21st century has its own significant and therefore, it is important for every student to develop their critical thinking skills. Today, when we have technology in education, educators do not have to worry much on curating resources for activities to develop critical thinking. There are various tools and apps that enable to develop critical thinking.
Here are some tools that can improve your kids’ critical thinking. Try it!
Brain Games
Websites that are dedicated to brain games are popular these days. These websites provides games that help users to improve their problem-solving and memory skills. Rather than playing time-wasting and easy games, you can play mind-twisting games on these websites. Some of the good example of such websites includes: Lumosity, Playwithyourmind, Braingle, Brain Teasers Network, Queendom, Fit Brains and much more.
Logical Puzzles
Before the Internet, logical puzzles were published in the books to exercise brain. Even today, you can find books that contain logical puzzles, word problems, logical problems, Sudoku, crossword puzzles. You can get book containing logical puzzle in your library or book stores. However, you can even use web to find out interesting and tough puzzles.
Board Games
You may not like board games idea at first but, such games have the ability to enhance critically thinking very much. Board games like chess, checkers, chess and mastermind are games offer challenging steps to the players. Schools and
Journaling or blogging
Blogging and journaling is also one of the ways to develop critical thinking. Daily reflection and exploring ideas expands mind. Meanwhile writing expands thoughts and builds concentration. Blogs and journals focus on more than one idea at times meanwhile, it record crucial questions and ideas as well as narratives about life.
Aside from these tools, there are many iPad apps that can help in the development of critical thinking skill.
Textropolis: Textropolis is a wonderful game of words. Travel world-wide and build-up Textropolis using the hidden words in every city.
7 Little Words: This app has 50 puzzles that one can play or solve for free. More puzzles are available but you have to purchase it.
Chess: You can join more than seven million players with limitless free play, hundreds of video lessons, thousands of chess puzzles and much more and challenge powerful opponent and improve your critical skills.
Sudoku: Well! Everyone knows Sudoku and it is considered among best game to boost critical thinking. Use amazing graphics and animation with Sudoku to boost your skills.
Geometry Wars: Enjoy higher graphic to experience geometry wars. You can have six original modes in geometry wars Sequence, Evolved, Deadline, Pacifism, King and Waves.
