Understanding How the Brain Works is the first part of a five part series by Dr. Judy Willis where she discusses the importance of teaching young minds how to think critically:

For 21st century success, now more than ever, students will need a skill set far beyond the current mandated standards that are evaluated on standardized tests. The qualifications for success in today's ever-changing world will demand the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, use continually changing technology, be culturally aware and adaptive, and possess the judgment and open-mindedness to make complex decisions based on accurate analysis of information. The most rewarding jobs of this century will be those that cannot be done by computers. (Emphasis added)

For students to be best prepared for the opportunities and challenges awaiting them, they need to develop their highest thinking skills -- the brain's executive functions. These higher-order neural networks are undergoing their most rapid development during the school years, and teachers are in the best position to promote the activation of these circuits. With the help of their teachers, students can develop the skillsets needed to solve problems that have not yet been recognized, analyze information as it becomes rapidly available in the globalized communication systems, and to skillfully and creatively take advantage of the evolving technological advances as they become available. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/underst...judy-willis-md

The article is both thought provoking and challenging. The second part is here: The Brain-Based Benefits of Writing for Math and Science Learning

Other articles by Dr. Willis are here. http://www.edutopia.org/spiralnotebook/judy-willis

Since I am not a teacher, I have no frame of reference to have an opinion about the viability of teaching that emphasizes strengthening the executive function and integrating use of multiple intelligences into the curriculum. It does seem to make sense to prepare young people for jobs that are not going to be outsourced.

[Fresia]

Thanks for posting this, TheB.

I worry about the schools that do not emphasize these skills. I can already see the results of it in college with students struggling, and out in the work force in some fields I have worked in with heavy reliance on computers. Don't get me wrong they are invaluable. However, as now with the medical field I am going into, though computers will run tests for me and a huge time saver, human intervention has to evaluate whether the results in combination are indicative of something else not just each test as an anomaly out of range. Were it not for having these critical thinking and executive functioning skills early on, I would be in trouble and know it is trouble for the field when these skills are lacking, relying solely on the computers and test equipment to provide data.

For many fields, our information is only as good as the computer programming itself, is subject to error AND cannot account for all variability and anomalies. Our brains cannot be replaced in this case with the development of executive functioning and critical thinking skills being so applicable to so many industries and positions, lower and higher levels. It scares me to think these skills are neglected. It is a challenge to develop them and to continue practicing, but worthwhile.