Comment développer la pensée critique de nos enfants ? | Helen Lee Bouygues | TEDxRennesSalon

TEDx Talks

20 Dec 201912:52

Summary

TLDRIn this talk, Corinne Gillet shares her journey to better reasoning, inspired by her daughter's skepticism about the tooth fairy. She emphasizes the importance of critical thinking skills, backed by the Reboot Foundation, which she founded to support research globally. Gillet outlines three key lessons: building solid emotional foundations for reasoning, fostering metacognition in children to reflect on their thinking, and encouraging debate to sharpen their analytical skills. She calls for parents to engage children in these practices to equip them with the critical thinking necessary to navigate complex issues.

Takeaways

😀 The speaker's journey into better reasoning began with a childhood belief in the tooth fairy and her daughter's skepticism.
🧠 Developing critical thinking skills can lead to significant benefits such as better job opportunities, promotions, safer driving, and less debt.
🌱 Critical thinking skills need a nurturing environment, proper support, and stimulation to flourish, emphasizing the role of adults in fostering such skills.
🌟 The Reboot Foundation, founded by the speaker, supports research and development of critical thinking globally, from Yale to Switzerland.
💡 Building solid emotional foundations is crucial for critical thinking, as it involves managing emotions and resisting immediate reactions.
👧 Encouraging children to step out of their comfort zones, like trying new activities or reading challenging books, helps them handle emotions and build self-control.
🤔 Metacognition, or thinking about one's own thinking, is important for self-awareness and improving arguments by seeking opposing views.
🗣️ Engaging in discussions and debates with children, especially during adolescence, is vital for practicing abstract reasoning and developing complex arguments.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents should encourage their children to express opinions, take them seriously, and guide them to refine their viewpoints with evidence and stronger arguments.
🌐 In a world flooded with biased and sometimes false information, it's essential for children to develop the ability to analyze and evaluate information and arguments from an early age.

Q & A

What is the significance of the story about Daphné and the mouse in the script?
-The story about Daphné and the mouse illustrates the natural curiosity and critical thinking abilities of children. It serves as an introduction to the importance of nurturing critical reasoning skills from a young age.
Why is critical thinking important according to the speaker?
-Critical thinking is important because it can lead to better job opportunities, promotions, safer driving, and lower risk of debt. It also plays a crucial role in overcoming global challenges and fostering clear thinking.
What is the role of adults in fostering critical thinking skills in children as mentioned in the script?
-Adults play a significant role in providing the right environment, support, and stimulation for critical thinking skills to flourish. They are encouraged to set boundaries, encourage exploration within a structured framework, and help children manage emotions.
What is the first lesson the speaker shares about helping young people to think better?
-The first lesson is to build solid emotional foundations. The speaker emphasizes that even high-level reasoning relies on emotional stability developed during childhood.
How does the speaker suggest adults can cultivate humility and confidence in children?
-Adults can cultivate humility and confidence by encouraging children to develop critical thinking skills within a structured framework, providing both limits and encouragement.
What is the concept of 'metacognition' as discussed in the script?
-Metacognition refers to the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. It involves reflecting on one's own thinking to identify limitations and improve arguments by seeking opposing viewpoints.
Why is it important for children to be exposed to different viewpoints according to the script?
-Exposing children to different viewpoints is important to develop their ability to consider diverse perspectives, which is crucial for critical thinking and avoiding the pitfalls of groupthink.
What is the significance of the speaker's personal experience as a woman and an outsider in her field?
-The speaker's personal experience highlights the value of having an outsider perspective, which can help recognize and challenge dominant or homogeneous thinking patterns.
How does the speaker suggest parents encourage their children to develop metacognitive habits?
-Parents can encourage metacognitive habits by asking questions like 'How do you know that?', 'What justifies this hypothesis?', and 'How would you explain this idea to your friends?'.
What is the third lesson the speaker shares about improving children's critical thinking?
-The third lesson is to engage in debates with children, encouraging them to express their opinions and refine their arguments, which helps them develop the skills needed to become informed and enlightened citizens.
What is the speaker's final call to action for improving children's critical thinking?
-The speaker's final call to action is to start improving children's critical thinking from the next day, through simple conversations or exercises that can have lasting effects.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Start of Critical Thinking

The speaker, Corinne Gillet, shares a personal story about her daughter Daphné's transition from believing in the tooth fairy to doubting it after losing a tooth. Daphné's critical thinking is highlighted when she notices a grammatical error in the note supposedly left by the tooth fairy, which her mother had written. This incident illustrates children's innate ability to reason and make connections, which can be fostered for their intellectual growth. The speaker emphasizes the importance of developing critical thinking skills, which are linked to various benefits such as better job prospects, safer driving, and reduced financial risks. She introduces her foundation, Reboot, which supports research and development of critical thinking skills globally.

05:01

🧗‍♀️ Building Emotional Foundations for Critical Thinking

The speaker discusses the importance of constructing solid emotional bases for critical thinking, challenging the notion that reasoning is purely abstract and disconnected from emotions. She argues that even high-level reasoning relies on emotional foundations established in childhood. The speaker suggests that adults play a crucial role in nurturing these skills by providing a supportive yet structured environment. She uses the example of her daughter Daphné's interest in rock climbing to illustrate how to balance encouragement with realistic challenges. The speaker also stresses the need for children to manage emotions and resist immediate reactions, which are essential for critical thinking.

10:02

🤔 Encouraging Metacognition and Challenging Assumptions

The speaker introduces the concept of metacognition, which involves thinking about one's own thinking process. She explains that self-awareness allows individuals to recognize their limitations and improve their arguments by seeking out opposing views. Despite the general agreement on the importance of considering different perspectives, many people rarely engage with those who hold different opinions. The speaker shares her personal experience as an 'outsider' in various settings, which has helped her recognize the value of diverse viewpoints. She suggests that parents can foster metacognition in children by asking questions that prompt them to justify their beliefs and consider alternative ideas.

🗣️ Debating with Children to Enhance Critical Thinking

The speaker emphasizes the importance of engaging children in debates to practice their reasoning skills. She advises against blindly praising children for their opinions but instead encourages parents to challenge them to refine their arguments with evidence and stronger logic. The speaker highlights the need for children to learn to critically analyze information and evaluate arguments in the face of a flood of often biased or false information. She concludes with a call to action, urging parents to improve their children's critical thinking skills through simple conversations and exercises, which can have lasting effects.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Reasoning

Reasoning refers to the cognitive process of making logical connections and inferences from given information. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of developing better reasoning skills, particularly critical thinking, which can lead to various benefits such as better job opportunities and safer decision-making. The story of Daphné and the 'petit souris' (little mouse) illustrates the natural curiosity and reasoning abilities of children as she deduces that her father wrote the note from the 'little mouse' due to a grammatical error.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. The video discusses how fostering critical thinking skills from a young age can help individuals navigate complex problems and make informed decisions. The speaker's daughter, Daphné, exemplifies critical thinking when she questions the authenticity of the 'little mouse's' note, demonstrating her ability to think independently and analytically.

💡Metacognition

Metacognition is the ability to reflect on and understand one's own thought processes. The video encourages parents to promote metacognition in children by prompting them to think about how they think and to evaluate their own reasoning. This is highlighted when the speaker discusses the importance of being aware of one's own cognitive biases and the need to seek out opposing viewpoints to enhance one's arguments.

💡Emotional Foundation

An emotional foundation refers to the stable and secure emotional state that underpins one's mental processes. The video stresses the importance of building a strong emotional foundation in children as a basis for developing sound reasoning abilities. The speaker suggests that even high-level reasoning relies on this emotional bedrock, which is established during childhood and helps manage emotions and resist impulsive reactions.

💡Autonomy

Autonomy is the capacity to make independent decisions and take responsibility for one's actions. In the context of the video, autonomy is highlighted as a key aspect of critical thinking, where children like Daphné are encouraged to think independently and质疑（question）authority, as seen when she challenges the story of the 'little mouse' and arrives at her own conclusion.

💡Self-Esteem

Self-esteem refers to an individual's sense of self-worth and confidence. The video suggests that nurturing self-esteem in children is crucial for their overall development, including their reasoning abilities. The speaker implies that by encouraging children to explore their interests and excel in various domains, they build self-esteem, which in turn supports their critical thinking and decision-making skills.

💡Argumentation

Argumentation is the process of presenting reasons for and against certain ideas or propositions. The video emphasizes the importance of teaching children how to construct and evaluate arguments, which is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking. The speaker encourages parents to engage in discussions with their children, prompting them to refine their viewpoints and strengthen their arguments.

💡Information Literacy

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and use information effectively. The video touches on the necessity of equipping children with information literacy skills in an era of information overload. The speaker calls for educating children to analyze and evaluate the veracity and biases of information, which is crucial for informed decision-making and critical thinking.

💡Perspective-Taking

Perspective-taking is the act of considering issues from different viewpoints. The video underscores the value of exposing children to diverse perspectives to challenge their assumptions and biases. The speaker shares personal experiences of being an 'outsider' and how this has helped in recognizing and valuing alternative viewpoints.

💡Cognitive Bias

Cognitive bias refers to the systematic patterns of deviation from rationality in judgment. The video discusses the importance of being aware of cognitive biases and the need to actively seek out opposing views to counteract these inherent tendencies. The speaker uses the example of people avoiding those with differing opinions to illustrate the impact of cognitive biases on reasoning and decision-making.

💡Stimulus

A stimulus, in the context of learning and development, refers to any event or object that provokes a response or elicits behavior. The video suggests that providing the right kind of stimulation is essential for nurturing critical thinking skills in children. The speaker mentions the role of structured activities and challenges that are emotionally engaging as a means to stimulate intellectual growth and reasoning abilities.

Highlights

The speaker shares a personal story about her daughter Daphné's skepticism regarding the 'tooth fairy,' showcasing early critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking development is linked to emotional stability, built during childhood, as a foundation for reasoning.

Critical reasoning can be both intellectually and emotionally demanding, requiring a balance of humility and confidence.

The speaker emphasizes the need for children to be encouraged to develop reasoning skills within structured environments, providing challenges without overwhelming them.

The importance of children learning to manage their emotions, handle failure, and build emotional balance to enhance their critical thinking skills.

The speaker's personal experience highlights how children can independently arrive at logical conclusions when given space and autonomy.

Metacognition—thinking about how one thinks—is essential for understanding personal cognitive limits and improving arguments.

Surprisingly, despite 87% of people agreeing that different perspectives are important, only 25% actively seek them, with 24% avoiding them altogether.

The speaker's experience as an outsider in professional settings has helped her recognize and challenge groupthink.

Encouraging metacognitive habits in children helps them reflect on their thinking and improve their arguments by considering opposing views.

The speaker advocates for healthy disagreements with adolescents to help them develop complex reasoning and argumentation skills.

Children must learn to evaluate biased and false information in today’s media-saturated world to develop strong critical thinking skills.

Adults should guide children through reasoning exercises, like analyzing documentaries or articles together, to enhance their critical thinking.

By fostering self-esteem, metacognition, and argumentation, children can go beyond simple myths like the 'tooth fairy' to challenge more complex theories.

The speaker concludes with a call to action for parents to actively nurture their children's critical thinking skills through everyday conversations and activities.