Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Interdisciplinary Education
Yesterday I had more than half a dozen university students ask me how to find an average, given a total sum and the number of values. We were simply practicing Excel functions and formatting in an introductory course. I asked them what an average is. They said that they had no idea. This struck me, because these students were not under-qualified — they had worked hard to get into university and demonstrated critical thinking skills needed for higher level education. Surely these students had covered this in middle school math, and used it in every math class they’ve taken since then; how could they not know how to find an average?
It didn’t take me long to realize that that was the problem: outside of the context of math class, the idea of finding an average was meaningless to them. As soon as I said, “Like in math class,” all of the hands went down and we moved on.
The Introduction to Computing class that I teach is required by all undergraduate students, and is typically taken in their first year of college. Most students dread it; they’ve finally made it to university where they want to focus all of their energy on their major and specializations. However, the diversity of interests in the class is what makes it so fascinating to me as the instructor. Technology by nature is interdisciplinary, as it pervades every industry and is applied to solve an infinite number of problems in every point of life. This class has been designed around the purpose of demonstrating the importance of adaptation with technology, regardless of the subject.
The course is designed to have the students reflect on how the tools that they are learning in class relate back directly to their personal interests. This has been an important evolution in the curriculum, and helps to alleviate the resentment of a required class. On the reverse of that, technology is being used in every field, and learning those specializations also involves learning the specific technologies. Because technology is an adaptation with unending applications, it is the best place to see critical thinking skills put into action. From having to determine how to best leverage existing tools to deciding what needs to be developed next, it forces people to think about what they already know, and how they can adapt that knowledge to achieve higher goals. Technology can’t be a subject taught alone, because it is meaningless without context.
Traditional education has increasingly become centered around standardized exams, that are broken down into different clearly defined subjects. This keeps the information organized, which helps students to be able to quickly pull the appropriate memory out when taking an exam, knowing that information in the context of the subject of the test. Despite having almost constant access to a seemingly limitless knowledge base on the internet, education still relies heavily on students memorizing material. While students are able to demonstrate their mastery effectively through these tests, the students’ abilities to learn through critical thinking is often left unexamined. On these exams, if a student isn’t able to figure out a problem, they don’t have any choice but to pass it. In life, these problems are not passable. We owe it to our students not to teach them only how to know things, but how to learn things as the need arises.
Computers store information in context. What computers cannot do is critically evaluate that information to solve previously undefined problems. That is the true magic of human brains; we don’t only gather information, but change with it.
The best way to learn critical thinking skills is to solve problems that organically arise. How can we have an organized education system if we cannot predict what problems will arise? How can we prepare to teach with so many unknown variables? We must focus not on teaching how to find the solution to problems, but on the problem solving process. I can find and follow a description of the process for finding the derivative of an equation, but I cannot find a description of the process of a problem like noticing that people are getting back pain from sitting in chairs all day, determining that the curvature of some chairs is appropriate for some people but not others, learning how to find the correct curvature for each individual, designing appropriate chairs in a logistically feasible way, and communicating that information to the world. There is no defined process for solving a problem like that, which is why it is critical for students to be learning how to develop their own processes.
“Project-based learning” has become a buzzword in education over the past few years. The idea that by having students design their own projects, taking creative turns, and making unique decisions, problems will naturally occur. Students will be able to see the gaps in their knowledge, and the natural instinct to learn will lead them to fill in their knowledge gaps independently. This teaches them not what to learn, but how to learn. Project-based learning is an effective way to develop critical thinking skills.
Most problems do not involve only one subject or skill, but a culmination of many. This makes this learning practice interdisciplinary. In order to achieve a solution, all of the skills must be applied. Of course each person has their own interests and strengths. By working together, people leverage the talents of their peers to create better outcomes, as well as learn more than they might in relying on themselves. This isn’t to say that people should not specialize in their particular interests, and work with others with the same specialization. However, more can be achieved by incorporating more specialities. While we do of course see this in the professional world, it is important to start introducing the idea of working together to solve problems at an early age. We tend to underestimate the critical thinking abilities of young students, but we do see how early students pick their favorite subjects. We also tend to see young students being more creative, trying unconventional techniques to solve problems. For this reason, introducing project-based learning early helps to develop critical thinking skills at a younger age, and emphasizes the important to being able to apply knowledge, not just retain it. It helps students to become better learners for life.
While university is a time for people to begin picking out their specialization and focussing on their major, it could not be a more important time for interdisciplinary learning. With less emphasis being placed on standardized exams, biologically fully-developed minds, and with more amorphous subjects not offered in standard education, curriculum developers, instructors, and students have so much more flexibility in their learning objectives. It is truly a privilege to take a few years to delve into more specific information and research, before entering a professional field. However, many university students only view university as the place where they will get necessary training for their future jobs. Many students come to feel disappointed as they realize that they cannot possibly be learning all of the information that they will need for the rest of their careers, as each student takes their own individual path, requiring their own unique set of skills. While college is expensive, and certainly the objective is to get a well-paying job following graduation, the true purpose of higher education is to develop your learning skills so that you will be able to grow in a career. Every field is constantly evolving, and it would be impossible to teach students all of the things that they will need to know 25+ years along the road into their particular job. However, we can teach students how to be independent learners, adapt to changes, and grow with their field and the world. Besides, according to the 2010 census, only 27% of college graduates held jobs related to their major anyway.
As technology develops at a rapid pace, we begin to have the conversation of how computers are replacing humans. It is easy for computers to learn processes for defined problems. It is not easy for computers to define problems. It is easy for computers to demonstrate vast information. It is difficult for computers to place that information in context. That is why critical thinking is more important than ever. Educators need to do whatever they can to shift the paradigm away from teaching students what to learn to pass tests for specific subjects, and instead teach how to adapt to problems without a defined context. The best way to do this is to force students to apply their full gamut of skills, with others who have different strengths and knowledge, while facing unexpected challenges.
Project-based learning forces students to create their own processes, fill their own knowledge gaps, and become independent learners. Interdisciplinary learning helps students prepare to address the presently unfathomable challenges that they will face in their lifetimes. By removing the silos of subjects, students are able to develop the critical thinking skills that unlock the real power of the human brain.
