What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think in an organized and rational manner in order to understand
connections between ideas and/or facts. It helps you decide what to believe in. In other words,
it’s “thinking about thinking”—identifying, analyzing, and then fixing flaws in the way we think.

How to Be a Critical Thinker?

To become one takes time, practice, and patience. But something you can start doing today to
improve your critical thinking skills is apply the 7 steps of critical thinking to every problem you
tackle—either at work or in your everyday life.

Plus, there are some critical thinking questions to help you out at each of the steps.

Steps of Critical Thinking

1. Identify the problem or question.

Be as precise as possible: the narrower the issue, the easier it is to find solutions or answers.

2. Gather data, opinions, and arguments.

Try to find several sources that present different ideas and points of view.

3. Analyze and evaluate the data.

Are the sources reliable? Are their conclusions data-backed or just argumentative? Is there
enough information or data to support given hypotheses?

 
4. Identify assumptions.

Are you sure the sources you found are unbiased? Are you sure you weren’t biased in your
search for answers?

5. Establish significance.

What piece of information is most important? Is the sample size sufficient? Are all opinions and
arguments even relevant to the problem you’re trying to solve?

6. Make a decision/reach a conclusion.

Identify various conclusions that are possible and decide which (if any) of them are sufficiently
supported. Weigh strengths and limitations of all possible options.

7. Present or communicate.

Once you’ve reached a conclusion, present it to all stakeholders.

The Skills We Need for Critical Thinking

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation,
analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and
decision making.

Specifically we need to be able to:

 Think about a topic or issue in an objective and critical way.

 Identify the different arguments there are in relation to a particular issue.
 Evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or valid it is.
 Recognise any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the evidence or argument.
 Notice what implications there might be behind a statement or argument.
 Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument that we wish to make.
Top Critical Thinking Skills: Examples

 Analysis: the ability to collect and process information and knowledge.

 Interpretation: concluding what the meaning of processed information is.
 Inference: assessing whether the knowledge you have is sufficient and reliable.
 Evaluation: the ability to make decisions based on the available information.
 Explanation: communicating your findings and reasoning clearly.
 Self-Regulation: the drive to constantly monitor and correct your ways of thinking.
 Open-Mindedness: taking into account other possibilities and points of view.
 Problem-Solving: the ability to tackle unexpected problems and resolve conflicts
 Critical Thinking and it’s Importance in Education
Critical Thinking and it’s Importance in Education

I. Lenin

Assistant Professor

AUCE

Karaikudi

Abstract

This study explained critical thinking skills in education processes and the importance of

thinking critically for a student who attends any education programme. Developing the ability

to think critically is an important element for modern education approaches and models. This

study intends to give a framework on the concept of thinking critically while teaching or

learning. The world is getting both more technical and more complex day by day life

environment, that’s why the necessity for education increases for each growing generation.

The skill of thinking critically is generally accepted as a very vital stage in every field of

learning, particularly in the last decades. As a study draws a general suggestion on the

importance of critical thinking skills.

Key Words: Critical Thinking, Thinking, Learning.

Introduction

Thinking critically will boost creativity and enhance the way you use and manage your

time (Hader, 2005) and critical thinking not only describes the ability to think in accordance

with the rules of logic and probability, but also the ability to apply these skills to real-life

problems, which are not content-independent. . Critical thinking can provide you with a more

insightful understanding of yourself. It will offer you an opportunity to be objective, less

emotional, and more open-minded as you appreciate others' views and opinions. By thinking

ahead, you will gain the confidence to present fresh perspectives and new insights into
burden some concerns.

Thinking

Thinking is the base of all cognitive activities or processes and is unique to human

beings. It involves manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment.

Such manipulation and analysis occur by means of abstracting, reasoning, imagining,

problem solving, judging, and decision-making. The mind is the idea

while thinking processes of the brain involved in processing information such as when we

form concepts, engage in problem solving, to reason and make decisions. The history of

researches on thinking depends upon the time that human beings recognized that they think.

Thinking is one of the features that distinguish humans from other living beings. Thinking is

the manipulation or transformation of some internal representation (Halpern. 2003, p.84). She

says that when we start thinking, we use our knowledge to achieve some objective. In this

sense thinking ability is the basic case of our life because all of us need to achieve an

objective; on the other hand humans have relations in society and whereas nobody is alone.

Descartes argued that thinking is reasoning, and that reason is a chain of simple ideas linked

by applying strict rules of logic (McGregor, 2007). Both learning and thinking are the

concepts which support and complete one another. When considered from this point of view,

whereas learning style and critical thinking concepts have different qualifications, it can be

stated that they can be used jointly. Likewise, when literature is examined, it is seen that there

are researches handling learning styles and critical thinking concepts jointly (Guven &

Kurum, 2004).

Critical Thinking

“Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to

make your thinking better.”—Richard W. Paul

When the term of ‘Critical Thinking’ is searched, it is understood that there are
meanings of it which are suggested in the frame of philosophy and psychology sciences but

in general sense this term has not got a definite meaning. ‘Critical’, derived from the Greek

word kritikos meaning to judge, arose out of the way analysis and Socratic argument

comprised thinking at that time.( McGregor, 2007) and then the word kritikos passed to Latin

as ‘Criticus’ that is the type of spreading to world languages from it (Hançerlioglu, 1996).

According to Critical Thinking Cooperation (2006) critical thinking is an ability which is

beyond memorization. When students think critically, they are encouraged to think for

themselves, to question hypotheses, to analyze and synthesize the events, to go one step

further by developing new hypotheses and test them against the facts. Questioning is the

cornerstone of critical thinking which in turn is the source of knowledge formation and as

such should be taught as a framework for all learning. Students are frequently conditioned in

their approach to learning by experiences in teacher-cantered, textbook-driven classrooms

(Sharma & Elbow 2000). This situation is a disturbing case for contemporary educators, and

for this reason they would rather choose the latest models and methods which are more

effective in directing students to thinking. Critical thinking occurs when students are

analyzing, evaluating, interpreting, or synthesizing information and applying

creative thought to form an argument, solve a problem, or reach a conclusion. The aim of

Critical Thinking is to promote independent thinking, personal autonomy and reasoned

judgment in thought and action. This involves two related dimensions:

1. the ability to reason well and

2. the disposition to do so.

Critical thinking involves logic as well as creativity. It may involve inductive and deductive

reasoning, analysis and problem-solving as well as creative, innovative and complex

approaches to the resolution of issues and challenges.

Thinking in Education
Education, perhaps the most basic need for people, is the process that provides the

development of human. According to Meyer (1976) the aim of education is to nurture the

individual, to help, to realize the full potential that already exists inside him or her. There has

always been a strand of educational thought that held that the strengthening of the child’s

thinking should be the chief business of the schools and not just an incidental outcome – if it

happened at all (Lipman, 2003). Qualified education should show the way to students about

what and how to learn. While students evaluate what they learned and their learning methods,

they manifest their critical thinking abilities (Emir, 2009).

As Cotton indicates (1991): “If students are to function successfully in a highly technical

society, then they must be equipped with lifelong learning and thinking skills necessary to

acquire and process information in an ever changing world”.

One of the aims of education should be developing students’ thinking skills as well as

motor skills, which is basic goal of contemporary approaches in education. According to

Elder & Paul (2008) students are not passive but active while they are realizing critical

thinking.

Critical Thinking and Education

One of the significant aims of education is to produce learners who are well informed,

that is to say, learners should understand ideas that are important, useful, beautiful and

powerful. Another is to create learners who have the appetite to think analytically and

critically, to use what they know to enhance their own lives and also to contribute to their

society, culture and civilization.

These two aims for education as a vehicle to promote critical thinking are based on certain

assumptions.

1. Brains are biological. Minds are created. Curriculum is thus a mind-altering device.

This raises the moral requirement to treat learners as independent centres of

consciousness with the fundamental ability to determine the contours of their own

minds and lives.

2. Education should seek to prepare learners for self-direction and not pre-conceived

roles. It is, therefore, essential that learners be prepared for thinking their way through

the maze of challenges that life will present independently.

3. Education systems usually induct the neophyte into the forms-of-representation and

realms of meaning which humans have created thus far.

4. Careful analysis, clear thinking, and reasoned deliberation are fundamental to

democracy and democratic life.

On the basis of these considerations the capacity for critical assessment and analysis emerges

as fundamental for enjoying a good quality of life

Teaching Critical Thinking

Every pupil should have an effective skill of critical thinking, and they must not accept

anything for granted but how can you teach thinking critically to students? There are several

ways of organizing for instruction in critical thinking: We can teach a separate course or unit,

we can infuse critical thinking into all that we teach, or we can use a mixed approach. The

first approach of a separate course or unit requires materials that teach specifically for critical

thinking dispositions, skills, and knowledge. The downside is that there may be little transfer

from what the program or materials teach to the rest of the curriculum. Infusion, the second

possible approach, requires that critical thinking be taught as an integral part of all subject

areas (Wright, 2002). According to Hirose (1992) employers complain about employees’ lack

of reasoning and critical thinking abilities. Those abilities are essential because compared

with the jobs in the past the modern work environment requires more thinking and problem

solving abilities. This situation can be adapted to education, too. Teachers had better be

equipped with high critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is not equal with intelligence and
shouldn’t be misunderstood with it. Critical thinking is skill which can be developed (Walsh

and Paul, 1988). As well as critical thinking can be developed, it can be searched and

analyzed with its different dimensions, so this shows that many scientists or experts

hypothesize about critical thinking, because the vitality of critical thinking has been realized

by many people recently. Educators are aware of the fact that critical thinking can be thought.

Studies Conducted on ‘Critical Thinking’

Initial studies conducted on critical thinking began in the years of 1960s.

Researchers have intended to explain critical thinking with two main disciplines thorough

these studies. Philosophical approach has dwelled on norms of good thinking, the concept

and motive of human thought and cognitive skills necessary for an objective world view;

while psychological approach have dwelled on thinking and experimental studies thinking,

individual differences in learning thinking and the concept of problem solving which is a

piece of critical thinking. Now I will give a few examples on the studies of critical thinking.

Kurum (2002) put forward a study at Anadolu University Education Faculty. The goal of

Kurum’s study was to identify critical thinking abilities and the levels of thinking abilities

that constitute this ability and the factors which influenced critical thinking of teacher

trainees studying at Anadolu University Education Faculty. The results of the study showed

that teacher trainees’ critical thinking abilities and all levels of thinking abilities were at mid-

level and that these abilities were affected by different factors such as age, high school types

graduated, score type and level in university entrance exam, program being studied,

education and income level of the family, and activities held for developing themselves.

Paul (1989) conducted a study touching upon the adaptation of critical thinking

dispositions in learning environment. In this study Paul suggests dispositions to be

disciplined and self-directed thinking could be taught. He maintained that critical thinking

was constructed from skills, such as spotting conclusions, examining premises, forming
conclusions and diagnosing fallacies. Thus he proposed that critical thinking be constructed

as ‘disciplined, self-directed thinking which exemplifies perfection of thinking appropriate to

a particular mode or domain of thinking. Critical thinking conceptualised in this way must be

taught with a focus on developing fair-minded, critical thinkers, who were willing to take into

account the interests of diverse persons or groups regardless of self-interest. Paul called it the

dialogical or dialectical thinking model.

Giancarlo, Blohm, and Urdan (2004) were interested in the measurement of critical

thinking disposition in adolescents as illustrated with four successive studies. The results of

their studies provide support for the California Measure of Mental Motivation (abbreviated as

CM3). This study was based on the assumption that critical thinking is a disposition and

provided not only evidence that critical thinking disposition exists in adolescents but also a

valuable tool for assessing this construct. The authors concluded that “CM3 assess the extent

to which individuals perceive themselves as willing and inclined to approach challenging

problems in a systematic, innovative, open-minded, and inquisitive way.”

Conclusion

From the above discussion,Critical thinking is no doubt necessary in every field of

life, but especially for professions that occupy with people. Finkelman (2001) took the

attention and emphasized the importance that the people who work in the field of human

health, especially the people who directly intervene to the person’s life like psychologists,

counsellors and educationalists have to be critical thinkers in both practice and management.

In order for teachers and counsellors to be able to implement critical thinking into their

classrooms they must first be committed to critical thinking and its philosophy.

References

1. American Philosophical Association (1990).Critical thinking: A statement of expert

consensus for purposes of educational assessment and instruction.“The Delphi Report

‘Committee on pre-college philosophy.(ERIC Doc. No.ED 315 423).

2. Bowell, T. & Kemp, K. (2002). Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide. Rutledge Press.

3. Emir, S. (2009). Education Faculty Students’ Critical Thinking Disposition According to

Achedemic Achievement. World Conference Education Science, 1.

4. Giancarlo, C. A., Blohm, S. W., &Urdan, T. (2004). Assessing secondary students'

disposition toward critical thinking: Development of the California measure of mental

motivation. Educational and Psychological Measurement.

5. Guven, M., &Kurum, D. (2004). The relationship between teacher candidates’ Learning

Styles and Critical Thinking Dispositions. An investigation on the Students in Faculty of

Education in Anadolu University, 1.

6. Halpern, D.F. (1996). Thought and Knowledge: An introduction to Critical Thinking. New

Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

7. Hirose, S. (1992).Critical thinking in Community Collages. ERIC Digest Retrieved

August, 30, 2006 from http://www.ericdigest.org/19922/critical.htm

8. McGregor Debra (2007). Developing Thinking, Developing Learning. Open University

Press, 9

9. Paul, R. (1989). Regarding a definition of critical thinking. Paper presented at the

International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform’s 25th conference,

Rohert Park, CA, United States of America

10. Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2008) Critical thinking: tools for taking charge of your learning and

your life. Pearson/Prentice Hall.

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