VIRTUAL CRITICAL THINKING COURSE SATURDAYS AUTUMN TERM.

***BRAND NEW COURSE***

Time: 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm (for children aged 10-12) or 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (for children aged 7-9) (UK TIME)

Location: Online via Zoom. Please be ready five minutes before the start time.

Tutor-Child Ratio: 1:8 (strictly minimum 3 children, maximum 8 children). We will offer you an alternative course if the course is fully booked or if the course does not open.

Resources for the session: Children will need to have access to stationery, including pens or pencils and paper.

What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the ability to analyse information to form a judgement. Critical thinking involves thinking clearly and rationally about a problem or situation. Children aged 7-9 are introduced to critical thinking and how to understand and interpret new information. Children aged 10-12 develop their critical thinking skills further by questioning information and encountering challenging tasks. 

What is the purpose of critical thinking? Critical thinking is one of four highly sought after twenty-first-century skills, the others being collaboration, communication and creativity. The purpose of critical thinking is to achieve understanding, evaluate and consider different viewpoints, and solve problems. In a global and ever technocentric world, children need to do more than just recall facts and memorise information. On the contrary, we encourage children to have flexible and adaptable minds that can readily absorb new information and respond to new problems and unfamiliar scenarios. Good critical thinking requires practise, patience and consistency. 

Benefits of developing critical thinking skills: Critical thinkers are able to separate fact from opinions and make an informed decision based on information. Critical thinkers remove bias or any personal feelings when making a judgement. Critical thinking is a higher-order skill that emboldens children to think beyond the ordinary and understand the world around them. Children are inspired to ask “how” and “why” questions and not to accept information at face value. Children who are taught critical thinking skills do better at tasks including language comprehension and perform better in school assessments. 

About this course: This virtual course has been designed for children to enjoy, have fun and learn. Our virtual weekend courses are small. The rationale behind having small groups is to enable tutors and children greater scope for interaction, dialogue, questions and answers. We also stimulate children to be creative. We teach children to learn how to identify a problem and look for a solution. We also foster the development of resilience. Sometimes, some children tend to give up easily. We teach children that they need to try for alternate solutions to a given problem in a logical and creative way.

What we teach: What critical thinking is. The importance and benefits of critical thinking skills in school and beyond. How to read, understand and interpret information. Fake news and misinformation. Reliable sources of data. How to infer and the importance of inference. 

Differentiation: At Richer Education, we understand that ‘one size does not fit all‘. Therefore, our tutors and mentors differentiate the content of our sessions. We ensure that all children, regardless of their level of knowledge, are engaged at the appropriate level and pace.