We often talk about the skills that our young people will need up ahead. I explored this in my most recent book on The Next Generation. Adaptive agility, resilience, collaboration and social entrepreneurship feature strongly. They are all vital for our dramatic future. And yet, there is one major skillset that transcends all others: the ability to think effectively.
If you want to create a worthwhile future for everyone, then teach children how to think. It will make the most difference in their lives, now and into the future. Their thinking will determine so many aspects of their existence – their resilience, their problem-solving capacity, their initiative. And it’s not just about the quality of their thinking either. Yours will matter just as much, partly because you must model your optimistic attitude and thinking ability for them.
If you are serious about teaching the world to think, then you will love this site. It is full of provocative challenges, practical strategies and free downloads. If you need a bit of a ‘big picture’ on thinking, check out the 12 Thinking Guidelines. If you enjoy playing with lots of ideas, head straight to the Thinkers Keys, or the Innovative Projects, or the Beautiful Ideas blog. More info about my work on thinking is also available here. And… although all of the Thinkers Keys material is available on this site for free download, you can acquire some professional sets of the cards here.
A special point: One of the most powerful applications for young people’s thinking is to encourage social entrepreneurship. This can become a lifechanging outlet for their thinking. Here is a clear Organising Sheet for children who want to support others. And for more free material that helps children to become engaged in social justice initiatives, head over to the EarthMovers site.
