Why is it so difficult to train children to think independently?

Let me tell you a joke first: In an international school, the teacher asked students from various countries a question: \”Has anyone thought about the problem of food shortages in other countries?\” The students said they didn\’t know. African students don’t know what “food” means, European students don’t know what “shortage” means, and American students don’t know what “other countries” mean. But Chinese students don’t know what “thinking” is. We say every day that we need to cultivate children’s ability to think independently. But after all, in fact, very few Chinese children have the ability to think independently. Why is this? This has something to do with our education methods. Wan Fangzhong talked about this issue very humorously. Here is a quote: Generally speaking, a correct education method is to first let us understand the world. First, there is observation and experience of things, and finally our concept of things is formed. For example, we observe apples to know what an apple is, we observe cows to know what a cow is, and we observe bees to know what a bee is. However, the current education method is to stuff concepts into your mind before you have a broad understanding and observation of the world. In this way, you will unconsciously have a prejudice against the world. For example, when a child is very young, parents will tell him that bees and cows are friends of mankind, because bees make honey for humans, and cows plow the land for humans. After the cows plow the land, they also contribute their meat to humans. Mosquitoes are the enemy of humans because they suck human blood. Preconceived impressions are thus generated, so that when new content comes into view in the future, the first thing people think of is \”it is wrong\”, let alone any thinking. In fact, if you think about it rationally, is this actually the case? totally not. As a link in the natural food chain, these animals have their own rationality and necessity for existence. Their existence is objective and neutral. Most of the time we judge the quality of animals and characterize them as \”beneficial insects\” and \”pests\”, but it is actually because of selfish motives. The honey that bees have worked so hard to make is originally for the young bees to eat. Human beings take it by force and drink up the honey that hundreds of bees have worked so hard to make. After finishing it, they say: \”Ah! What a diligent bee.\” !\” Cows originally grew up in the grassland. Human beings tied them up and ordered them to plow the land for themselves. When the land could no longer be plowed, they killed the cows. They ate beef and skinned cows to make shoes and bags. After that, they said: \”Cows are really awesome. Good friends of mankind, they dedicate everything to others.\” If bees and cows knew this, they would be very angry: \”Who the hell is willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to you?\” You may think these examples are too biased, but in fact This kind of education method is quite common and happens all around us all the time – only instilling concepts without explanation, reasoning or logic. In this context, some parents asked us worriedly: \”I hope that my children can think independently, but I am afraid that they will be incompatible with exam-oriented education. If it affects their grades, it will harm them. So, should we cultivate children to think independently?\” ?\” In this regard, we have to say: independent thinking will not affect performance, but will help children improve their learning ability. When ordinary people face a problem, they only see “what it is”.People who think independently are always thinking about \”why\” and at the same time constantly questioning whether their inferences are correct. For example, when Newton was hit by an apple, he did not simply believe that the apple was going to fall, but further questioned and explored. In fact, Newton was not the first scientist to discover universal gravitation. Scientists had made similar conjectures long before him. The reason why he is well-known is that he not only stopped at the conjecture of \”because there is gravity\”, but constantly asked why there is gravity, what is it related to, and how to prove it. Finally, he summarized the laws of the phenomenon of gravity and also Proved it with the calculus he invented. This is what we often say, \”Know what it is and why it is so.\” This ability does not guarantee that children will become scientists, but it can at least help children find patterns in learning, draw inferences from one example, and free themselves from the tactics of problem-solving, which not only improves Increase efficiency and make yourself less tired. However, schools usually only impart knowledge and do not pay attention to the cultivation of independent thinking ability. So as parents, what can you do if you want to cultivate this ability in your children? Asking questions to children Parents may ask, our children are still young and cannot understand profound questions, let alone discussions, so how can we educate them? We can start with small daily things and try to encourage children to find reasons for some problems. We can also give some views on analyzing the reasons and let children make their own choices. For example, a child went to the Science and Technology Museum to see dinosaur specimens and asked his father: \”How many barrels of oil can a dinosaur turn into after death?\” The father asked back: \”Can dinosaurs only turn into oil?\” So the child went to look through it. Book, I learned that the transformation of substances needs to meet specific conditions. Tell your children why rebellious children like to say \”no\” the most, such as \”I don\’t want to turn off the computer\”, \”I don\’t want to go to bed early\”, \”I don\’t want to exercise\”. At this time, we can try to tell the child why he is doing this, and then ask him the reason why he does not want to do it. Gradually, you will find that when children express a point of view, they will also include some analysis of the reasons, which means they are starting to think! Help children find another solution Some parents read books with their children. After reading a paragraph, we can find a problem in the book and see what explanations the children will give. In addition to the methods used in the book, there are no better solutions. Children\’s thinking becomes flexible when they consider multiple approaches. Encouraging children to debate is also one of the most effective ways to cultivate independent thinking skills. Children participating in topic debates start by choosing their own position, collecting valid information to support arguments, making evaluations, predicting the other party\’s point of view, and preparing rebuttals. This series of processes has greatly exercised children\’s critical thinking ability. Over time, their analysis of problems will become more rational and comprehensive.