Nigeria today struggles to get itself out of poor leadership and corruption driven rot, because too much poor quality thinking, and reasoning is allowed to prevail in most (NOT ALL) of the decision making levels of her leadership, as well as amongst the larger majority of the followership.
I’ve said the foregoing countless times in speaking and in my writing.
Ours is a nation that has produced MANY great minds who today have made their marks as achievers in their professional fields internationally, but who chose to use their success to play (often informal) leadership roles aimed at moving the nation in the direction of sustainable progress and advancement.
I know most of us can readily recall more than a few, but I have certain role models in mind like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi (and others like them).
These achievers established themselves as shrewdly analytical thinkers with a knack for refusing to be hoodwinked by anyone – least of all poor thinking political leaders!
The last thing you could dream of catching them doing would be playing the psycophancy, tribalism or nepotism game. You also could certainly not depend on them to adopt illogical reasoning or depend on sentiments in coming up with their views of a way forward on any matter.
Indeed they were unrepentantly diligent at dishing out unapologetically blunt and truthful opinions on any subject. And this endeared them to the larger majority.
But most endearing was their willingness to walk their talk!
Sadly, today in everyday Nigeria, intelligent people who try to think critically and act based on intelligent logical tend to be an endangered species, and often get attacked or verbally pounded into silence by “group-thinking” mobs of often insecure others.
This is perhaps why we have much fewer people willing to step out into the limelight to play similar roles to the above mentioned heroes. Most Nigerians who fit that mould – rightly – fear that they stand to lose more than there is to gain, in today’s Nigeria, than was the case in Achebe and Soyinka’s Nigeria!
This is a major reason why we have such a paradoxical society, filled with mind boggling contradictions of human behavior.
It is is why “illogic” seems to sit so well here!
Those willing to adopt the position of logical thinkers are few. Too few. And many would rather not be known publicly.
As a result, poor thinkers have taken centre stage in Nigeria – and they use their growing influence to allow ONLY others like themselves to get through.
They know that is the only way to keep those who can expose their ineptitude OUT.
But societies that experience sustained and progressive advancement, NEVER allow people with poor reasoning capacities to LEAD her!
And they certainly do NOT permit the voting population to grow into a mass of illogical thinkers who let bias and sentiments get the better of their judgment.
If our fortunes as a nation are to change for the better, we will need to start building “a Society of Discerning Adults, Whose Leaders Cannot Fool. We MUST Teach Our Kids Critical Thinking and Logic”.
I offer below a list of websites I recently compiled, that offer guidance for parents and other adults willing to do what it needed for their kids – and even themselves as well!
1.Teaching critical thinking: An evidence-based guide
© 2009-2012 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved
– See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-critical-thinking.html#sthash.rkhGbxxl.dpuf
Teaching critical thinking? You might wonder if kids will work it out for themselves.
After all, lots of smart people have managed to think logically without formal instruction in logic. Moreover, studies show that kids become better learners when they are forced to explain how they solve problems. So maybe kids will discover principles of logic spontaneously, as they discuss their ideas with others.
But research hints at something else, too.
– See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-critical-thinking.html#sthash.rkhGbxxl.dpuf
2. Critical Thinking: How to Grow Your Child’s Mind
What kind of thinker is your child? Does he believe everything on TV? Does she always figure out how to get what she wants?
Does he ask questions? Does she go along with what her friends suggest? You can help develop your child’s critical thinking skills by learning a few key guidelines!
Whether your child is just starting summer vacation or in the midst of the school year, parents can help keep minds active in fun ways. Critical thinking skills don’t fully develop until adolescence, but the foundations for good thinking develop in younger children.
http://www.rootsofaction.com/critical-thinking-ways-to-improve-your-childs-mind-this-summer/
3, Teach Your Kids Logic With An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments
In our homeschooling, I teach Logic as a separate, stand-alone subject, in addition to working it into other topics whenever possible. But even if your kids go to conventional schools, it’s important (and great fun!) to teach Logic at home. Teaching our kids to think critically about what they see, hear, and read is key to guiding them into becoming adults who think for themselves.
https://geekdad.com/2013/09/teach-kids-logic-illustrated-book-bad-arguments/
4. Teaching Logic & Critical Thinking to Your Kids
Critical thinking skills are skills that children (and adults) need to learn to be able to solve problems. This includes analyzing and evaluating information that is provided, whether that information is through observation, experience or communication. The core of critical thinking is being responsive to information and not just accepting it. Questioning is the most important part of critical thinking. It is a part of scientific, mathematical, historical, economic and philosophical thinking, all of which are necessary for the future development of our society. Here are a few ways to teach critical thinking that can be used whether you are a teacher or a parent.
5. Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth
6. PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES: HOW TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN KIDS
7. How to teach all students to think critically
All first year students at the University of Technology Sydney could soon be required to take a compulsory maths course in an attempt to give them some numerical thinking skills.
The new course would be an elective next year and mandatory in 2016 with the university’s deputy vice-chancellor for education and students Shirley Alexander saying the aim is to give students some maths “critical thinking” skills.
This is a worthwhile goal, but what about critical thinking in general?
8, Critical Thinking Activities for Kids
9. 10 Tips for Teaching Kids to Be Awesome Critical Thinkers
Source: ExcelVB
