Yes, We Should Teach Students What to Think

Article excerpt

A National Review essay argues that the ideal of "teaching students how to think, not what to think" is itself a pedagogical choice that reflects particular values, and a naive one at that. The piece contends that educators inevitably embed worldviews into curricula: decisions about which texts to assign, which historical events to emphasize, and which scientific frameworks to teach all constitute teaching *what* to think. Rather than pretending neutrality is possible, the essay suggests schools should be transparent about their foundational principles while still encouraging critical engagement. The author treats the distinction between process and content as a false binary that obscures the reality of how education actually works.