As a teacher, you’ve probably heard the objection, “But how does this relate to real life?” by your students more than once.
The truth is that students are really trained to memorize mostly factual information. While all of this has its value, today’s market suggests that there may be shortcomings in preparing students for future challenges.
Students learn that an answer is right or wrong. But when it comes to economics, knowledge is not enough. To have a successful business career, one needs to develop additional skills and a greater awareness of market realities. Here’s where the definition of critical thinking and balanced, thoughtful decision-making skills pay off.
Since all jobs are involved in economic dynamics, it is useful to teach these skills to students not only in economics and mathematics, but also in other subjects.
Critical thinking in history
What challenge or dilemma did the political figure face? What were the facts and what was uncertain?
– What were the chances of success or failure?
– What were the pros and cons of each option? What consequences were associated with them?
-Was the decision reasonable, given the circumstances? What could have been done differently?
This approach helps students better understand the complexity of past struggles and the consequences associated with them. They learn that real-life situations are rarely black and white, and that decision-making often requires careful weighing of all the factors involved.
They see that in critical moments the goal is to choose the most feasible option available. By challenging the illusion that life is risk-free and cost-free, this perspective encourages students to strengthen their critical thinking skills and make the best possible decisions when faced with difficulties.
Grounding Science
Let’s be realistic: scientific knowledge in schools is a strong foundation for further expansion of biological, chemical and physical knowledge.
However, the reality of a scientist does not deal with and confirm immutable facts, but rather identifies the most likely outcome based on the current state of knowledge. This approach requires the ability to use the knowledge gained so far to evaluate the hypothesis that is most likely to be true.
To help students develop this kind of scientific reasoning, they need to gain a better understanding of how well-known scientists have approached the research process. The following questions can support critical evaluation of scientific findings:
-What was known at the time about genetics/evolution/ecology/X?
-What did Mendel do/ Charles Darwin/X hypothesis?
-How did they substantiate or support their hypotheses?
-How did they confirm their hypothesis?
Another useful practice is to allow students to design an engineering prototype or predict genetic outcomes. Since manual calculation can sometimes make conceptual learning difficult, digital tools become essential scaffolds. By using a probability calculatorstudents can immediately model different scenarios.
Learning from literature
Literature is driven by conflict, and conflict is usually the result of a character taking a risk. When analyzing a novel, go beyond standard character traits and look at their risk profile.
Ask students about the character’s motive, the circumstances, and how they affected the outcome of the story. You can also gamify this by asking students to bet on the outcomes of the plot before they finish the book. Have them write a justification for their prediction, using textual evidence to support it.
Making financial decisions
Although budgeting is an essential skill, students need to learn more about the realities of the marketplace. Predictability has its limits, and financial decisions often involve a trade-off between safe, sound budgeting and riskier investments with the potential for higher returns. Students can develop a better understanding of this balance by reflecting on questions such as:
-What are the pros and cons of each approach?
-What factors should be considered when making a financial decision?
-How can you estimate or evaluate the risk associated with a particular choice?
After completing the activity, students can evaluate how their results compare in different scenarios. They can use a ppercentage difference calculator to quickly identify the difference between two values. This reinforces analytical thinking rather than manual calculation.
Conclusion
When we teach students to look for the one right answer, we teach conformity, but when we teach them to assess risk and deal with uncertainty, we foster their inner capacity for growth. By incorporating this concept into history, science, and literature, we prepare students to deal with the complexity of reality and that all decisions have a price.
