teaching critical thinking

teaching critical thinking

The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking

1. Introduction

Critical thinking is a key player in the teaching of many subjects, and when it comes to mathematical instruction, its role is quite ambiguous. We believe that critical thinking occurs best when it is taught in a discipline-specific atmosphere. However, most often it is deemed too hard to teach and put off until the student has a firm grasp of their subject, at which point it is assumed much of the critical thinking will come intuitively. Unfortunately, this robs students of a chance to improve general problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate an argument, and often is too little too late. And so it is with the teaching of mathematics at the university level. In most first-year courses, it is assumed that students will just pick up the critical thinking skills as they go along, and if there is any emphasis put on them, it is for the memorization of a list of fallacies in an introduction to logic course. So without specific direction to the contrary, the students are left with the impression that it is not until they are well-versed in their subject that critical thinking will come, and so skills that are very important for the advancement of the student’s abilities are put off until too late if at all.

2. Benefits of Critical Thinking

By Peter Facione. The argument for the inclusion of critical thinking in the K-12 and higher education curricula, content, and assessment is clear. Since the 1950s, cognitive psychologists have been developing an extensive and compelling body of research showing that thinking critically can improve thinking performance. The Executive Summary of the APA Delphi Report stated that critical thinking skills are not a fixed entity but a form of intelligence that can be taught. This research and more substantiates the conclusion that critical thinking can be learned, taught, and assessed. This is great news, for it is of supreme importance that students learn to think critically. The benefit to students is clear. A well-cultivated critical thinker: – Is able to think critically, often has a desire to, but it is not a necessary condition of the class. – Is a problem solver and may seek answers in areas that are not within the scope of the course. – Judges the quality of scientific evidence (data, hypothesis, facts, theories, laws) to make informed, intelligent, and evidence-based decisions, judgments, and choices as a consumer, citizen, and professional. This includes well-reasoned and reflective decision making in the sciences as well as the social sciences and humanities. In the next 50 years, the future of the world and the well-being of humans and non-humans will turn upon how we understand and act on nature, on humanity, and on global issues, problems, and opportunities. This will be critical thinking at its best and the stakes are high. A scientifically and globally literate world will be one in which education in critical thinking is a high priority.

3. Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking

An important element in developing critical thinking is breaking down the thinking process into parts. If students learn to think critically, then they can use good thinking as the guide by which they live their lives. Defining thought, reasoning, and good judgment in the effort to form a correct action or to solve a problem. Often times we use the term critical thinking to define the thought process of adults and children who are attempting to understand logic, attempting to make a decision about what is a good or bad action, and those trying to solve a problem. This is an important start, but if we are to attempt to actually teach critical thinking, we must understand that the child is going to attempt to understand the thinking process in a step-by-step manner. It is difficult for the child to understand at first how he is trying to understand what he is doing when he is reasoning. This is why he must be taught the parts of thinking and then be taught to apply the parts to a specific thinking process. Then transfer general process to specific instances.

Concrete or specific terms provide clear focus for instruction. Usually, the more specific the language, the clearer the focus will be (less ambiguous). For example, if a teacher says that the class will “write a story,” the focus is much less clear than if the class is told to “write a science fiction story about what life will be like 100 years from now.”

Think basically, then more critically.

4. Challenges in Teaching Critical Thinking

Prior to the discussion of summative assessment, it is important to note that the teaching of critical thinking is powerful, but challenging. Critical thinking must be implicitly taught and integrated in courses through the use of the American Philosophical Association’s Delphi report, which outlines specific critical thinking skills that need to be taught to students. However, many teachers are not trained on how to teach critical thinking skills, and may not know how to integrate these skills to subject matter. It is not enough to inform students about the importance of thinking critically or just to present them with a list of skills. Students must be engaged in learning critical thinking skills, and assignments need to be crafted such that they foster illative thinking. Developing course assignments that are effective at teaching critical thinking and illative reasoning require detailed understanding of students’ current abilities and logical reasoning processes. Assignments must be contextual and interesting to students, clearly showing examples and scope. Teachers must be prepared to guide students through these assignments and give plenty of formative feedback. This is often an intensive process and requires much time and effort from instructors. An additional challenge in teaching critical thinking is that it often involves challenging some set of beliefs or attitudes which students already hold. Students may feel discomfort when changing these beliefs, and may also feel frustration when learning complex reasoning processes and being unable to reach a precise understanding. A final and pervasive challenge in teaching critical thinking is that the application of these skills often results in change. This change is not confined to specific knowledge or beliefs, but can result in changes in one’s problem-solving and decision-making habits. Often, the result of teaching critical thinking is that students become more reflective, analytical, and careful in their reasoning. This can be difficult to measure and assess, but the positive changes to students are profound.

5. Conclusion

Primarily the basis of critical thinking is to find better solutions to problems, it also enables costs to be fully assessed. With critical thinking and proper decision-making processes, we can plan and organize for the future. The more informed we are with information, the better we can develop in the future. When students learn to think critically, they start to understand and see connections. This also allows for a more in-depth understanding of the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ for things. With so many benefits and the importance of critical thinking, why is it still not being taught?

As Richard Paul described, critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better. This involves three aspects of critical thinking: 1) reflecting on thinking 2) the tools for assessing thinking 3) the ability to change thinking. It’s not hard to apply this to the sections of the society in which we want to develop and promote new and innovative ideas. When thinking critically, there are various elements that are brought to the table when using critical thinking. Students who learn through critical thinking can gain knowledge and various information on a subject.

The importance of critical thinking has benefited me in my school years, and that of others. Students who don’t understand the importance of critical thinking are more likely to be swayed by the media, peer pressure, or other people. They are also more likely to be manipulated or cheated. When a person considers all angles and viewpoints, it allows for a well-informed decision or a well-formed opinion. While teaching students critical thinking skills is a difficult task, it is something that has benefits for students (and the teacher) in the long run.