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QUICKLY BEGIN TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS TO BECOME CRITICAL THINKERS
EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER TAUGHT IT BEFORE!

 Step-by-Step

Process

Develops Students’ Natural Ability to Reason

Lead Students from Basic Questions to Well-Reasoned Solutions…Without Doing Math Equations or Studying Formal Logic

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Some critical thinking programs jump too quickly into formal logic, which is a really hard subject to master!

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When I studied Aristotelian logic, it was a very painful process

 

It was like trying to twist and squeeze a soaked towel to get all of the water out of it!

Some critical thinking programs jump too quickly into formal logic

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It can seem like your brain is being squeezed like twisting a soaked towel to get all of the water out of it!

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When some of those programs mix other factors—like empathy—into their teaching of logic it can end up causing a lot of confusion.

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Empathy is an important part of being human and a crucial emotion that helps us understand and sympathize with people who are going through a tough time.

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It allows us to go through their experience with them while helping them to cope and recover from their struggles and suffering.

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So it’s very important for all of us to be able to empathize with others, but  it's not the same thing   as critical thinking. (The ability to make that distinction between empathy and critical thinking is itself  a critical thinking skill!)

 

When the focus changes from:

  • Learning how to think clearly

  • Developing precision in thoughts

 

to a strong emotional response, those strong emotions cloud our ability to think clearly.

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That sense of confusion and inability to think straight is really frustrating when you’re trying to figure something out, and that frustration also makes it even harder to think clearly!

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If this is taught as a way to think clearly about anything then it ends in a LOT of confusion for students.

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The world can be confusing enough, so why would we want to add to that confusion?

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Shouldn’t we be helping them to sort through that confusion so they CAN think clearly and make better decisions?

Little boy half hiding around the corner

But I didn't mean to do it!

Of course that child didn’t mean for it to happen, but it’s so frustrating when you’ve told that specific child to keep a full cup of juice away from the edge of the table so that the cup doesn’t get knocked off and spill that juice all over the floor…

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…only to have that very same cup accidentally get knocked off the table and have all that nice, wet, sticky juice spill all over the floor!

When that happens, it can be incredibly frustrating because OF COURSE that’s why you said to move the cup in the first place!

Don’t children reach the age of reason at 7?

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Yes, they DO reach the age of reason at 7

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However, the ability to think through ideas clearly is something that we continually develop even when we become adults. The ability to think abstractly is also an important factor in our use of reason and that typically begins around age 12.

 

That's 5 years after we reach the age of reason!

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This is why part of the reason that they're not able to reason as well as adults is

 BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL VERY LITERAL THINKERS 

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They haven’t yet fully developed their ability to clearly think through their ideas before taking action so they can come to a good, well-reasoned conclusion.

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Before age 7 kids are still learning everything primarily through their senses. They are still beginners in being able to take their observations and put those pieces together and start to understand more than just what they see, hear, taste, touch, or smell.

 

Everything is still about INTENTIONS and DESIRES:

 

Intention: I didn’t mean to do it (therefore it’s not my fault!)

Desire: I want it (I like it and now I’m entertained!)

 

WHY?

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They haven’t learned how to really think through the effects of their words and actions. They may know some of the immediate consequences, but the "I didn't mean to do it" response as a way of excusing their actions shows their level of understanding.

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Everyone knows that already, but how do you help them develop that ability?

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If they learn solely through their experiences, that can be dangerous. That’s why we put sharp or easily breakable objects out of their reach so they don’t get hurt. 

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So how can we help them to learn without getting badly hurt in the process?

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One way to begin is by reading stories to them.

 

It's a great way for even very young children to:

  • Begin to understand more complex language patterns

  • Increase their vocabulary

  • Develop their imagination

  • Understand actions and consequences

 

As they get a little older, we introduce more complex stories that help them develop their ability to:

  • Hone their ability to clearly think through ideas

  • Understand comparing and contrasting

  • Communicate their ideas more effectively

  • Prepare them for abstract thinking and more complex ideas

 

That process can be story-based at any age, but when we’re teaching older kids who are able to process more information and make connections between objects and ideas, we can get more detailed and complex in what we're teaching.

So How Can You Begin to Teach Critical Thinking to Young Children?

This is why I’ve created a workbook which walks students through the process of the way in which we naturally think. It begins with learning to more carefully observe the world around us and leads to making sense of that world by coming to well-reasoned conclusions.

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What IS Critical Thinking, Anyway?

I’ve seen a number of contradictory ways that people use the term, “critical thinking” for things that aren’t truly about critical thinking.

 

Critical thinking is not:

  • Emotional responses or how we feel about things

  • Creative thinking

  • Formal Logic

 

 

EMOTIONAL RESPONSES

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Emotions can interfere with our ability to think clearly in two ways:

  • When we act like robots who have no emotions

  • When we let our emotions rule over everything

 

Both psychologists and philosophers agree that either of those extremes:

  • Interferes with our ability to think clearly

  • Leads us to making poor decisions

 

CREATIVE THINKING

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Artists create beauty in the world. It’s something only human beings are capable of, and things that are truly beautiful reflect the presence of God in the world.

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Yes, artists do use reason to create their art.

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And yes, they do use their imagination, and often strong emotions, to enhance their creativity when they create their art.

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However, that’s not QUITE the same thing as learning how to think critically, because critical thinking is using reason to think through an idea clearly. 

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Critical thinking is PART of the ability to create a work of art, but it’s not the FINAL GOAL of creativity.

 

FORMAL LOGIC

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Is studying logic what critical thinking really is?

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Aristotelian logic is based on how human beings naturally think through ideas and come to well reasoned conclusions. It develops our natural ability to reason, but it’s really hard when you're learning it!

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That’s why we don’t start teaching logic formally to young children. Instead, we start with math (especially algebra and geometry) because:

  • It develops our ability to reason through ideas

  • It teaches students how to come to a well-reasoned conclusion based on evidence

  • Acts as a stepping-stone in beginning to study logic 

Lead Your Students from Basic Questions to Well-Reasoned Solutions…Without Having to do Math Equations or Study Formal Logic

 That’s what this workbook is designed to do 

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 THIS WORKBOOK:

  • Helps to lay the foundation for logical thought

  • Students use reason to discover problems

  • Use reason to arrive at solutions

  • Hone and refine the natural through processes so that students can arrive at a well-reasoned conclusion

This is what logical thinking does, but we need to prepare our minds to do that well

 

We no longer live in a society that embraces logic and reason

 

This is why we need something that acts as a bridge between where our children are NOW and where they have the POTENTIAL to be

That is why I created this workbook:

Since this is the very first time I’m offering this workbook, you’ll automatically get notified of any updates that I make to this workbook within the next year once they’re published, and you’ll be able to download the newer version.

 

The notifications will be sent to the email address you use to download the workbook

What’s In This Workbook?

The exercises walk students in a logical, step-by-step path to come to a well-reasoned conclusion

Paying Attention! (Observing)

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  • Gathering pieces of evidence through observation

  • Questions focus on what the student observes

Oh, Is That So? (Analyzing)

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  • Putting the pieces of the puzzle together

  • How to think about what was observed

  • Preparing the ground for the conclusion

Elementary, My Dear Watson (Concluding)

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  • Arriving at a well-reasoned conclusion

  • Students use their observations and analysis to provide the evidence for the conclusion

Sure, it's simple...but not necessarily easy! 

That's why I broke it down into 3 steps for you! 

These exercises are designed to:

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  1. Complement the way we naturally think

  2. Develop and hone those natural abilities

  3. Model the process that detectives go through when they solve the case in fictional stories

If you wanted to, you could instead buy a philosophy of logic textbook and teach your students some of the various ways that logic is taught in a formal classroom (based on the current prices as I'm writing this right now, the cost of one of those books can cost as much as $140), or you can get instant access to the Encouraging Critical Thinking Workbook now.

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Since this is the first time I’m offering this workbook, this introductory offer is lower than it will be later.

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If I make any updates to the workbook, those updated versions will be available to you for the first year.

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  It's Your Choice  

You can invest in this now and start implementing the process in the workbook and use it to encourage your students to develop critical thinking skills right away

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OR

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You can:

  • Purchase a course or textbook on Aristotelian logic

  • Break the concepts down and explain them to your students in ways that they can understand them

  • Develop the questions to ask, and the steps to use in the process in ways they can understand

  • Come up with questions to ask for each of the steps

  • Figure out the order in which to ask them

  • Phrase them in a way that can be understood by 5th graders as well as adults

  • Figure out a way to make sure that students understand all of it, instead of just having them repeat what they've heard or been told

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 Which one you choose is up to you 

 

If you'd like to invest in the Encouraging Critical Thinking Workbook, with a process that's already prepared for you to use and walks you through the questions to ask and the order in which to ask them, click the button below and get instant access to the download. 

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FAQs

  • What’s the refund policy?

    • Based on the nature of this product, all sales are final. Once the sale has been made there will be no refunds under any circumstances.

  • Do I need any special software?

    • The file is a downloadable PDF. You will need a program that will allow you to open a PDF​

  • What method is used in this workbook?

    • The Thomistic process of learning, which is based on Aristotelian logic

  • How much time will this take to learn?

    • Not much! I walk you through the process from beginning to end with an example, and the questions in the workbook walk the students through that process from the beginning to arriving at a logical conclusion in the end

  • What can I expect once I get this workbook?

    • First, that you’ll be able to use it right away.

    • Second, when you get the workbook then I’ll send you a few emails to help you understand the process and implement the ideas

  • How will this help?

    • The order of the questions as well as the questions themselves are designed to walk students through the logical steps from the beginning and all the way through to arrive at a well-reasoned conclusion

  • I see the term “Critical Thinking” everywhere, but what is it really?

    • What it should be is a preparation for learning to think logically, but unfortunately the term is often co-opted to mean almost anything

  • I don’t know how to teach critical thinking, can I still use this?

    • Yes! The workbook is designed to walk you and your students through the process of going from simple observation or questioning, to arriving at a well-reasoned conclusion

  • Do I need to buy other add-ons to be able to use this?

    • The workbook itself is enough to guide your students through the process from beginning to end and help them develop critical thinking skills. However, there is a one-time offer of a puzzle pack that's only available as an upgrade when you invest in the Encouraging Critical Thinking workbook (many of the puzzles we know today are based on logic—not just the logic grid puzzles)

  • Can I get this later?​

    • Yes, but the cost may increase from this introductory offer

  • Is this really available for a one-time investment?

    • ​A: Yes! At the moment when you are reading this, this workbook is available for a low one-time fee. We reserve the right to increase price of the product at any point in time 

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