Support Needed To Launch Vital Critical Thinking Book For Children

AN ACADEMIC has launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to publish a book on critical thinking, which she says is vital to put an end to what other experts have called ‘teaching children to be stupid’.

 

Tutor, Eliza Abioye (PhD.) has written the critical thinking workbook, which is aimed at children who are six years and older, as she believes youngsters are currently taught the ability to think critically far too late in life and it is actually damaging their potential to learn.

 

Her view is shared by other academics such as Gwen Dewar PhD. who wrote an article entitled ‘Critical Thinking –are we teaching our children to be stupid’ on the website Parenting Science*.

 

Eliza, who lives in Crumpsall, Manchester, said: “Kids can learn to be critical thinkers. One way to achieve this is by making them solve problems or answer questions requiring higher-level thinking; hence the inspiration behind this book.

 

“‘1, 2, think!’ is a book based on the integration historical and current research. The questions in this book were carefully designed with the primary objective to stimulate critical thinking in children and if we don’t ask and challenge them, we are essentially encouraging them not to think – some even argue teaching them to be stupid.”

 

Critical thinking is a skill most adults will be very familiar with but which tends not to be introduced to children until they are in secondary school. Eliza and many other educational experts believe that it is far too late and even then enough emphasis is not placed on teachers helping their pupils use it.

 

She said: “The book is aimed at children over six because critical thinking is a vital skill early on as it helps them to solve daily challenges. We should not be waiting until they are nearly teenagers before we help them develop it.”

 

Now Eliza, who is 29, is launching her critical thinking workbook on popular crowdfunding website ‘Indiegogo’ today (19 May 2017). She is hoping to raise around £5,000 to enable her to print an initial run of at least 500 workbooks. For those keen to invest in the project there are rewards to be had in the form of copies of the workbook and an associated critical thinking colouring book. It is Eliza’s intention to produce a series of these books of which ‘1, 2, think’ will be the first.

 

She said: “This is the first in a series designed mainly for children who are six years and above. I see ‘1, 2,think!’ as a book that will not only be very beneficial now, but is a form of investment for the future development of thinking skills in children. Even adults can benefit from this book by using it as a mental exercise – you would be surprised!”

 

For more information about the book which contains a series of exercises for children to do and to contribute to funds for the book visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1-2-think–3#/