Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent's Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age

Description

A guide for parents to help children of all ages process the onslaught of unfiltered information in the digital age. Education is not solely about acquiring information and skills across subject areas, but also about understanding how and why we believe what we do. At a time when online media has created a virtual firehose of information and opinions, parents and teachers worry how students will interpret what they read and see. Amid the noise, it has become increasingly important to examine different perspectives with both curiosity and discernment. But how do parents teach these skills to their children? Drawing on more than twenty years' experience homeschooling and developing curricula, Julie Bogart offers practical tools to help children at every stage of development to grow in their ability to explore the world around them, examine how their loyalties and biases affect their beliefs, and generate fresh insight rather than simply recycling what they've been taught. Full of accessible stories and activities for children of all ages, Raising Critical Thinkers helps parents to nurture passionate learners with thoughtful minds and empathetic hearts.

Julie Bogart is the creator of the award-winning, innovative Brave Writer program, teaching writing and language arts to thousands of families every year. She homeschooled her five now grown children for seventeen years and is the founder of Brave Learner Home, which supports homeschooling parents through coaching and teaching. She has also taught as an adjunct professor of theology at Xavier University. Bogart is the author of The Brave Learner.

"In a world where too many people think they know what isn't so, there are few skills more vital than critical thinking and rethinking. This is the guide parents need to teach their kids to become thoughtful consumers of information." -Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again "Julie Bogart is a brilliant educator who's written a wonderful book that shows us how to nurture children's ability to think critically and carefully. Each chapter offers dozens of questions, lessons, and exercises for helping learners understand their biases, evaluate the sources from which they get information, and consider other perspectives. These tools can enable students from kindergarten through high school to experience the joys of discovery and insight, and they can help young people grow into compassionate adults who want to make a positive contribution to their world. Read this book and use it. Your children and students will thank you, and you'll learn a lot about yourself, too!" -William Stixrud, PhD, bestselling coauthor of The Self-Driven Child "There is no one I know whose wise counsel I would trust more than Julie Bogart when it comes to teaching our children (and ourselves!) how to think. Critical thinking has never been more important, and Julie arrived just when we needed her. This book is a must for anyone who wants to raise children to be thoughtful, kind, and independent." -Sharon McMahon, creator of Sharon Says So "Raising Critical Thinkers is a must-read for parents and teachers. It speaks to the deep need for raising and educating children (both at home and in the classroom) to do much more than accept, memorize, and restate. Julie masterfully provides the tools to guide children in growing the ability to think-while also challenging readers to reflect on their own critical-thinking skills in the process. It is a gold mine of learning for all." -Susie Allison, creator of Busy Toddler and author of Busy Toddler's Guide to Actual Parenting "Raising Critical Thinkers encourages us to grow courageous children who respect evolving beliefs, value intellectual honesty, and consider context as they read and experience the world. The journey I took with this book was thought-provoking, and every chapter expanded my parenting priorities in a glorious way." -Amber O'Neal Johnston, author of A Place to Belong "Critical thinking is not merely a test of fact vs. fiction. In this timely and actionable primer, Julie Bogart teaches us how imagination, self-awareness, empathy, and introspection make true critical thinking possible. These are crucial lessons for children and parents alike." -Ximena Vengoechea, author of Listen Like You Mean It "We live in an era when critical thinking is more important than ever-a world inundated with bewildering information, contradictory misinformation, and a zillion hot takes. In Raising Critical Thinkers, Julie Bogart provides a passionate, compassionate exploration of what critical thinking is and how to hone this vital skill set in our children-and ourselves. This is a brainy, practical, encouraging guidebook, written with Julie's signature clarity and common sense. I can't wait to share it with my kids." -Melissa Wiley, author of The Nerviest Girl in the World "I am in awe. Every parent and educator needs to read this book. As a psychologist and mother, I understand the importance of raising critical thinkers, but it's not always clear what that really means day-to-day. Raising Critical Thinkers uses cutting-edge education theory and concrete practices to answer: How do we help kids separate fact from fiction? What can we do to keep kids' curiosity and 'itch' to learn alive? What fosters self-awareness and flexible perspective taking in kids? Let Julie Bogart guide you through the wilderness of raising critical thinkers." -Diana Hill, PhD, author of ACT Daily Journal "For parents who care about raising sharp-minded and powerfully independent children, Julie Bogart's new book is the perfect guide." -Blake Boles, author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? and founder of Unschool Adventures "With fascinating examples and age-specific activities to help kids learn to think deeply, imaginatively, and compassionately, Julie Bogart gives us the guide for nurturing critical thinking in the next generation." -Yael Schonbrun, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University "For decades, I've admired Julie Bogart's wise and humane help for parents who participate in their children's education." -Peter Elbow, Professor of English Emeritus, University of Massachusetts at Amherst