"Far from us the dismal mania of thinking". Is this disparagement of the thought exposed by the professors of the University of Cervera to flatter Ferdinand VII still socially valid today? It seems that in some way yes, judging by the generalized and submissive acceptance of the slogans of the political parties, of the slogans of the street demonstrations and of the result of the polls. It is not fashionable to reason about the truth or falsity of any idea or to reflect in order to distinguish truth from lies.

We are getting used to mechanically repeating what the media and the Internet say, without analyzing it. This attitude impoverishes us as people. For example, if my wishes are good but are opposed to those of the majority, those wishes would not be legitimate. The decision of the majority would legitimize everything. In humorous version it would go like this, "You eat garbage, because a million flies can't be wrong!"

Many people shy away from thinking on their own, whether out of laziness, gregariousness or cowardice. That is why we cannot be surprised that today's teenagers feel uncomfortable when they are invited to think:

-What are you thinking about?

-Nothing. I told you last month.

The great development of the media, together with the global exchange of contents on the Internet, makes it more necessary than ever to teach adolescents to think about the enormous and varied information they receive. The idea is that they should know how to face it critically and comprehensively, in order to facilitate the construction of knowledge.

Robert Swartz, director of the U.S. National Center for Teaching Thinking, revealed in a congress on intelligence held in July 2005, that between 90 and 95 percent of the world's population does not know how to think adequately. He added that the main cause is schools, where people are still taught to memorize, but not to think.

This diagnosis makes the distinction that Professor García Morente made in his day between "thought knowledge" and "knowledge without thought" highly topical: 

"Thought knowledge consists in the intellectual evidence that is kindled in the spirit when we verify the act of thinking (...) To think is to intuit essences; it is to see, without any room for doubt, that something is what it is. On the contrary, knowledge without thought is only erudition: an external knowledge, form, a collection of mechanical recipes, but without the intimate intellectual evidence."

For school success, it is very important that student studies while reflecting and that teachers promote thoughtful knowledge, and not knowledge without thought. Schools must create active learning subjects with open minds, capable of thinking critically. 

Parents and teachers should avoid some mistakes that make it difficult for their children or students to exercise in thinking: teaching them in a dogmatic way; informing them in a confusing and disorderly way; explaining everything; transmitting finished knowledge.

True thinking involves dialogue with oneself and with others. Dialogue is a game of questions and answers; it requires learning to ask, to listen and to answer. Questioning is considered to be the main procedure for learning to think, whether it is asked by educators or learners.

Teaching to think is not about imposing models to be imitated; it is about stimulating learners' thinking so that it can flow freely. 

 It is advisable to encourage the attitude of asking questions in the family and at school. It is advisable to answer all questions, although adapting the answers to the age and understanding of the questioner.

It is not enough to give children the opportunity to ask questions; they must also be taught how to ask questions. financial aid will give them the example of good questions from their educators; also the internship oriented to ask following some criteria.

Questions whose answers are literally in the books should be avoided; "why" questions are more valuable than "what" questions; "open-ended" questions (which give rise to a broad thought process) are preferable to "closed" questions. Example of the former: "Why do boats float?". Example of the latter: "What is a brick?"

Along with questioning, there are other means to learn to think: problem solving of any kind subject; the use of some intellectual work techniques, such as, for example, the elaboration of schemes and concept maps; the use of participatory methodology, especially guided discussion and discussion.

The current Teaching to Think programs take these resources and add others. Students who take them study with more interest and improve their performance. Will this positive experience serve to put an end to the mentality of learning without thinking, relying on the crutches of memorization?