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Home School (Grades K-12)

"...the intellect, which has been disciplined to the perfection of its powers, which knows, and thinks while it knows, which has learned to leaven the dense mass of facts and events with the elastic force of reason, such an intellect cannot be partial, cannot be exclusive, cannot be impetuous, cannot be at a loss, cannot but be patient, collected and majestically calm, because it discerns the end in every beginning, the origin in every end, the law in every interruption, the limit in each delay; because it ever knows where it stands, and how its path lies from one point to another .
John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University, 1852

There is no more pressing need in education than the cultivation of the intellect.  This is one of the primary reasons behind the growing home study movement.  And, as John Henry Newman said, more than 150 years ago, education is a high word , and therefore is not to be confused with other things (such as indoctrination, training, socialization, amusement).  But such cultivation is no easy task.  Many materials available to the home school educator (and to teachers in general) lack substance.  How does one works one's way through the myriad instructional strategies, gimmicks, fads prevalent in the "educational" materials market today? 

We argue that the first step is to l earn what it means to cultivate the intellect , to engage the intellect in the process of learning.  In other words, we believe that educators themselves must develop their own minds if they are to foster the intellectual development of others.  When we have cultivated our own minds, we are then ready to assist our children (students) in this process.

When we internalize the basic concepts and principles of critical thinking we understand that critical thinking must be placed at the heart of everything we do in the classroom.  This is true because all content is understood by thinking, assessed by thinking, analyzed by thinking, internalized by thinking, modified by thinking, contextualized by thinking.  In other words, it is only through thinking that we can understand content, truly and well.  Students therefore need the tools of critical thinking to think their way through content.  Until they are thinking their own way through content, with discipline and skill, they cannot internalize it.  They cannot make it their own.  They do not understand it. 

We invite you to explore the resources on this page as a starting point for your understanding of critical thinking.

K-12 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES & SAMPLES
The following complimentary articles on our website are among those most relevant to fostering critical thinking in any subject or discipline and at any level.

Tactical and Structural Recommendations
Teaching Tactics that Encourage Active Learning
Using Intellectual Standards to Assess Student Reasoning
Making Critical Thinking Intuitive
John Stuart Mill: On Instruction, Intellectual Development, and Disciplined Learning
Socratic Teaching
Strategy List: 35 Dimensions of Critical Thought

HOW TO "REMODEL"  LESSON PLANS
The Art of Redesigning Instruction
Introduction to Remodeling: Components of Remodels and Their Functions
Remodeled Lessons: K-3
Remodeled Lessons: 4-6
Remodeled Lessons: 6-9
Remodeled Lessons: High School

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Kindergarten through 3rd Grade


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Junior High and High School Home Study


Home School Students at the High School and Jr. High School levels will find the articles at the following links valuable in assisting them in becoming more self-guided and engaged learners. We encourage parent-teachers to read the content with their students and engage in conversations about how students can begin to take command of their learning through disciplining the mind.

LINKS FOR THE JR. HIGH - HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
Learning the Elements and Standards of Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies
Developing as Rational Persons: Viewing Our Development in Stages
How to Study and Learn (Part One)
How to Study and Learn (Part Two)
How to Study and Learn (Part Three)
How to Study and Learn (Part Four)
The Art of Close Reading (Part One)
The Art of Close Reading (Part Two)
The Art of Close Reading (Part Three)
Looking To The Future With a Critical Eye: A Message for High School Graduates
Becoming a Critic Of Your Thinking



Please do not pass this message by.

CRITICAL THINKING IS AT RISK.

Here are some of the big reasons why:

  1. Many people believe that critical thinking should be free and that scholars qualified to teach critical thinking should do so for free. Accordingly, they do not think they should have to pay for critical thinking textbooks, courses, or other resources when there is "so much free material online" - despite how erroneous that material may be.
  2. There are many misguided academicians, and some outright charlatans, pushing forth and capitalizing on a pseudo-, partial, or otherwise impoverished concept of critical thinking.
  3. Little to no funding is designated for critical thinking professional development in schools, colleges, or universities, despite the lip service widely given to critical thinking (as is frequently found in mission statements).
  4. Most people, including faculty, think they already know what critical thinking is, despite how few have studied it to any significant degree, and despite how few can articulate a coherent, accurate, and sufficiently deep explanation of it.
  5. People rarely exhibit the necessary level of discipline to study and use critical thinking for reaching higher levels of self-actualization. In part, this is due to wasting intellectual and emotional energy on fruitless electronic entertainment designed to be addictive and profitable rather than educational and uplifting.
  6. On the whole, fairminded critical thinking is neither understood, fostered, nor valued in educational institutions or societies.
  7. People are increasingly able to cluster themselves with others of like mind through alluring internet platforms that enable them to validate one another's thinking - even when their reasoning is nonsensical, lopsided, prejudiced, or even dangerous.
  8. Critical thinking does not yet hold an independent place in academia. Instead, "critical thinking" is continually being "defined" and redefined according to any academic area or instructor that, claiming (frequently unsupported) expertise, steps forward to teach it.

As you see, increasingly powerful trends against the teaching, learning, and practice of critical thinking entail extraordinary challenges to our mission. To continue our work, we must now rely upon your financial support. If critical thinking matters to you, please click here to contribute what you can today.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE OUR WORK.

Thank you for your support of ethical critical thinking.