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Talents and wisdom: can young children design wise solutions to environmental and interpersonal problems?
Summary
Turns out kids don't need to grow up to be wise—researchers found that elementary schoolers (grades 1, 3, and 4) came up with surprisingly thoughtful solutions to real problems like plastic pollution and playground conflicts, especially when guided through a structured creative problem-solving process. This suggests schools could intentionally teach wisdom and critical thinking skills early on, rather than assuming good judgment only comes with age—good news for raising a generation better equipped to tackle big issues like environmental pollution.
We challenged the common belief that wisdom is possessed by only mature adults. Using Sternberg’s balance theory of wisdom as a guide, we examined solutions to interpersonal and environmental problems by children in Grades 1, 3 and 4. A form for rating solutions created by an international team, including a scientist, was field-tested. Multicultural, inclusive classrooms of students participating in the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) model in Australia and the USA were selected because we believe use of REAPS facilitates development of wisdom. Ratings made independently by two evaluators were averaged and extreme discrepancies resolved. A third evaluator rated a random selection of solutions. All solutions included components of wisdom, with average scores (on a 6-point scale) of 5.55 for plastic pollution and 5.74 for playground problems. Elements most and least frequently included were described. We concluded young children working in collaborative groups or alone, when guided by their teachers through a creative problem-solving process, can design wise solutions to problems real to them. Thus, wisdom is a relevant, important, and achievable goal of education for all children in the 21st Century. Research is needed to support and validate these results with other children and in other settings.