The modern K-12 teacher's must-have guide to teach students how to ask questions, weigh the evidence, and think critically and independently
Students and teachers alike face a dilemma: Why think deeply when we can just take a shortcut by googling something? Why read an article when we can learn from a social media headline? If, as educators, we want to encourage our students to value thoughtfulness and to embrace the effort it takes to reach deep understandings, we must model that behavior ourselves. In Never Stop Asking, author Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad shows K-12 teachers how human brains like to take mental shortcuts, known as heuristics, that allow the brain to save energy and perform more efficiently. These heuristics, however, can lead to illogical thinking, cognitive biases, and fallacies that can hinder critical thinking.
Never Stop Asking: Teaching Students to be Better Critical Thinkers is the armor we need to defend ourselves and our students against the all-too-tempting shortcuts that the digital age has to offer, employing strategies to consistently and explicitly support teaching critical thinking and weaving it into the everyday landscape of your classroom. Let’s ensure that the students of today will be the skilled thinkers of tomorrow.
- Learn about common psychological shortcuts and biases that hinder students and teachers alike
- Discover the logic and the science behind critical thinking and why it leads to better outcomes
- Gain strategies to bring critical thinking into the classroom and help students build patience, discipline, and skill
- Acknowledge and embrace the digital age in your teaching—without falling victim to its downsides
This is an engaging and important book for K-12 teachers and instructional coaches. Teacher training programs can also be enhanced by the practical wisdom and easy-to-implement strategies inside.
Table of Contents:
About the Author xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Critical Thinking Defined 7
Chapter 2 Why Is Critical Thinking So Hard? 19
Chapter 3 Cognitive Hierarchy 37
Chapter 4 Inquiries of a Higher Order 55
Chapter 5 The Answer Isn’t in the Back of the Book 79
Chapter 6 Collaborative Argumentation 105
Chapter 7 The Real World 117
Chapter 8 Creativity’s Connection with Critical Thinking 135
Chapter 9 The Learning Environment 153
Conclusion 181
References 191
Index 201
About the Author :
NATHAN D. LANG-RAAD, EdD, is an educator, speaker, and author passionate about inquiry, curiosity, and wonder. With a background in science and education, Lang-Raad brings a unique perspective to his writing, exploring the intersection of science and emotion with practicality and insight.
