Book review: Raising Critical Thinkers
Very slowly, over the past three months, I’ve been reading Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart. Julie designed Brave Writers, which is an online writing and language arts program. Most of her work, including her first book, The Brave Learner, is designed for homeschoolers, but can be beneficial for everyone.
The subtitle of Raising Critical Thinkers is “a parent’s guide to growing wise kids in the digital age.” That’s what sold me on reading the book. I have four boys and I want them to grow to be wise and discerning and compassionate as they filter information and form viewpoints. We all know we are raising our kids in a different world than previous generations inhabited and I’ll take all the wisdom I can gather in how to do that well. However, after reading the book, I think it’s for more than parents.
The book is definitely great for parents, whether they homeschool their kids or not. She includes exercises for different age groups at the end of each chapter and many of them could be integrated into dinner conversation and car-ride debates. Of course, they could also be worked into any curriculum that was being used for homeschooling.
But the book would also benefit teachers. She has done much of the work for you by packing so many exercises and ideas into the material itself. The exercises would be a great addition to any history or literature class, science or social studies as well.
What a joy if all of our kids were growing up learning to think well and communicate and reevaluating their own opinions and judgment when new information came to light. We’d be kidding ourselves to think that’s what’s happening or that it’s happened for everyone in previous generation. That’s not what has happened for many of us. I think that’s where the book could be key as well. The book is a great investment for people who do not think they are great critical thinkers. If you want to sharpen your ability to engage in conversation in your community, evaluate politicians and their stances, and encourage others to consider alternatives, this book might be for you as well.
Bogart covers topics ranging from nurturing curiosity to identifying our own background narratives. She highlights the importance of learning to contribute to the world and not simply to acquire information. She talks about deep reading in the age of information—and seriously, if no one else reminds us of the importance of turning off notifications and not picking up our phones every ten minutes, we still have no excuses for continuing that behavior. She discusses taking learning beyond reading to experience and encounter. She outlines how to evaluate sources and find bias.
The book is a slower read. It’s not a novel that you pick up in one sitting and stay until you finish and it wasn’t designed that way. It’s reference material. It’s a book you pull off your shelf over and over as you teach your kids or your students, as you prepare to present information to a possibly hostile audience, as you shape your social media content.
Because it took me so long to read, I stuck a post-it note at the beginning of each chapter and noted key ideas and takeways so that they would be easier to find later. I’m going to leave those post-its in place so that I can continue to use the material.
When I shared on Instagram months ago that I had the book, many people wanted a review. I don’t particularly like reviewing books so I probably won’t do them often, but this one was worth it. Grab a copy for yourself or your teacher friends or your parenting-centered book club. For what’s it worth, Bogart has no idea that I read the book or reviewed it. I paid for it with my own money as well.
Always,
Lisa
p.s. I am wrapping up the Seminary 101 series in June and intending to start a series that evaluates our normal activities as formative practices in our lives. I’m going to talk about eating and getting dressed, holding hands and going for walks. Is there a part of your normal life that you would like included in the series? A part of your life that isn’t part of mine that you think should be included? Hit reply and let me know.
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This has been a very difficult week for most people. Be gentle with yourself. Be courageous in your work with the world.
Savored this podcast episode over multiple days this week.