Getting Students to Think for Themselves

Arpine Ovsepyan

In our accountability-driven educational system, where high-stakes tests place a premium on the "right" answer, getting students to think for themselves has become a low-priority. Often, students will experience anxiety when they are forced to think outside the box—which can mean actually thinking for themselves. They are quick to turn to the teacher ("the sage on the stage"), a classmate, or the back of a textbook to seek out the right answer.
 
One remedy for this absence of support—and encouragement for creative, independent, and critical thinking—is modeling. As a high school English teacher, I make a daily commitment to model my critical thinking to students in my classroom. Whether in the form of a "think aloud," an analysis of a controversial real-world issue, or an interpretation of literature, modeling not only empowers students to think for themselves, but also establishes a classroom environment where students are forced to question the world around them. 
 
To reinforce the value of getting students to think for themselves, teachers at all levels must provide opportunities for students to exercise their analytical-thinking skills on a daily basis. It is also imperative for educators to expose students to independent thinkers who have made positive contributions to humanity.
 
In my classroom, I focus heavily on the California State Language Arts Literary Response and Analysis Standards, such as 

• analyze the way in which the theme of a selection represents a view or comment on life; 
• analyze the clarity and consistency of political assumptions in a selection of literary works or essays on a topic; and 
• analyze the philosophical arguments presented in a literary work to determine whether the authors' positions have contributed to the quality of the work as a vehicle to encourage students to question the norms of society around them. 

By using works of literature by writers who have advocated independent thinking, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr., Seamus Heaney, Nadine Gordimer, Czeslaw Milosz, and Pablo Neruda, I am able to demonstrate multiple world perspectives.

Students still feel apprehensive when I tell them there is not necessarily a right answer in response to critical-thinking questions; what's important is providing sound justification for their interpretation. Silence will typically fill the room as I ask students to share their responses to such questions. Yet, through proper teacher modeling and pair-share activities, students begin to feel confident in sharing their opinions with their peers.
 
The suggestions in this article mark a major paradigm shift for both student and educators who are functioning in a "one size fits all" educational system, where the narrowing of the curriculum caused by standardized tests severely limits students' opportunities to think deeply and critically. However, as educators in the 21st century, it is vital to reward students for thinking for themselves; our future depends on their ability to effectively demonstrate analytical thinking, creativity, and independence. 

Arpine Ovsepyan teaches English at Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, Calif., and graduate-level courses at Point Loma Nazarene University in Arcadia, Calif. She is an 2007 ASCD Emerging Leader and 2006 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award Finalist.