critical thinking1

NovaQuest International School; 12 F.C.C. Maratab Ali Road, Lahore, Pakistan. Phone: 042-577-804, 807NovaQuest International School; 12 F.C.C. Maratab Ali Road, Lahore, Pakistan. Phone: 042-577-804, 807 11

Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking

Aurangzeb BhattiAurangzeb BhattiNovaQuest International NovaQuest International

SchoolSchool


Defining Critical ThinkingDefining Critical Thinking

Critical thinking...the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself.

Critical thinking is a rich concept that has been Critical thinking is a rich concept that has been developing throughout the past 2500 years. developing throughout the past 2500 years. The term "critical thinking" has its roots in the The term "critical thinking" has its roots in the mid-late 20th century. mid-late 20th century.


Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council Critical Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, 1987for Excellence in Critical Thinking, 1987

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. belief and action.

In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairnessevidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness


It entails the examination of those structures or It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought implicit in all reasoning: elements of thought implicit in all reasoning:

• purpose, problem, or question-at-issue; purpose, problem, or question-at-issue; • assumptions; assumptions; • concepts; concepts; • empirical grounding; empirical grounding; • reasoning leading to conclusions; reasoning leading to conclusions; • implications and consequences; implications and consequences; • objections from alternative viewpoints; and objections from alternative viewpoints; and • frame of reference. frame of reference.

Critical thinking — in being responsive to variable subject Critical thinking — in being responsive to variable subject matter, issues, and purposes — is incorporated in a family of matter, issues, and purposes — is incorporated in a family of interwoven modes of thinking, among them: scientific interwoven modes of thinking, among them: scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking, thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, and philosophical thinking.and philosophical thinking.


Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1)a set of information and belief generating

and processing skills, and 2)the habit, based on intellectual

commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior.

It is thus to be contrasted with: 1)the mere acquisition and retention of

information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information is sought and treated;

2)the mere possession of a set of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and

3)the mere use of those skills ("as an exercise") without acceptance of their results.


Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it.

When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’’, vested interest.

As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be.

When grounded in fair-mindedness and intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually, though subject to the charge of "idealism" by those habituated to its selfish use.


Critical thinking of any kind is never universal Critical thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual; everyone is subject to in any individual; everyone is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought.episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought.

Its quality is therefore typically a matter of Its quality is therefore typically a matter of degree and dependent on , among other degree and dependent on , among other things, the quality and depth of experience in things, the quality and depth of experience in a given domain of thinking or with respect to a a given domain of thinking or with respect to a particular class of questions. particular class of questions.

No one is a critical thinker through-and-No one is a critical thinker through-and-through, but only to such-and-such a degree, through, but only to such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such insights and blind spots, with such-and-such insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. self-delusion.

For this reason, the development of critical For this reason, the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a life-long thinking skills and dispositions is a life-long endeavor.endeavor.


Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. minded way.

People who think critically consistently attempt to live People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically. rationally, reasonably, empathically.

They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked. human thinking when left unchecked.

They strive to diminish the power of their ego-centric and They strive to diminish the power of their ego-centric and socio-centric tendencies. socio-centric tendencies.

They use the intellectual tools that critical thinking offers – They use the intellectual tools that critical thinking offers – concepts and principles that enable them to analyze, assess, concepts and principles that enable them to analyze, assess, and improve thinking. and improve thinking.

They work diligently to develop the intellectual virtues of They work diligently to develop the intellectual virtues of intellectual integrity, intellectual humility, intellectual civility, intellectual integrity, intellectual humility, intellectual civility, intellectual empathy, intellectual sense of justice and intellectual empathy, intellectual sense of justice and confidence in reason. confidence in reason.

Another Brief Conceptualization of Another Brief Conceptualization of Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking


• Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. • Much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, Much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased,

distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. prejudiced.

• Quality of our life and quality of our work that Quality of our life and quality of our work that we produce, make, or build depends precisely we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thoughts. on the quality of our thoughts.

• Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. in quality of life.

• Excellence in thought produces quality of work Excellence in thought produces quality of work and quality of living – but excellence in and quality of living – but excellence in thoughtthought must be systematically cultivated.must be systematically cultivated.

• Excellence in thought is a Excellence in thought is a habithabit..

Why Critical Thinking? - The ProblemWhy Critical Thinking? - The Problem


A Definition

Critical thinking is that mode of Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, thinking - about any subject,

content, or problem - in which the content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent charge of the structures inherent

in thinking and imposing in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them.intellectual standards upon them.


•Raises vital questions and problems, Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely; formulating them clearly and precisely;

•Gathers and assesses relevant information, Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards; criteria and standards;

•Thinks open mindedly within alternative Thinks open mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and implications, and practical consequences; and

•Communicates effectively with others in Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. figuring out solutions to complex problems.

The Result - A well cultivated critical The Result - A well cultivated critical thinker:thinker:


Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.

It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and socio-centrism. (Taken from Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2008).


Critical thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends. It also generally requires ability to recognize problems, to find workable means for meeting those problems, to gather and marshal pertinent information, to recognize unstated assumptions and values, to comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and discrimination, to interpret data, to appraise evidence and evaluate arguments, to recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical relationships between propositions, to draw warranted conclusions and generalizations, to put to test the conclusions and generalizations at which one arrives, to reconstruct one's patterns of beliefs on the basis of wider experience, and to render accurate judgments about specific things and qualities in everyday life.


communication, trivial communication--surface and trivial communication don't really require education. All of us can engage in small talk, can share gossip. And we don't require any intricate skills to do that fairly well. Where communication becomes part of our educational goal is in reading, writing, speaking and listening. These are the four modalities of communication which are essential to education and each of them is a mode of reasoning. Each of them involves problems. Each of them is shot through with critical thinking needs. Take the apparently simple matter of reading a book worth reading. The author has developed her thinking in the book, has taken some ideas and in some way represented those ideas in extended form. Our job as a reader is to translate the meaning of the author into meanings that we can understand.


This is a complicated process requiring critical thinking every step This is a complicated process requiring critical thinking every step along the way. along the way.

What is the purpose for the book? What is the purpose for the book?

What is the author trying to accomplish? What is the author trying to accomplish?

What issues or problems are raised? What issues or problems are raised?

What data, what experiences, what evidence are given? What data, what experiences, what evidence are given?

What concepts are used to organize this data, these experiences? What concepts are used to organize this data, these experiences?

How is the author thinking about the world? How is the author thinking about the world?

Is his/her thinking justified as far as we can see from our perspective? Is his/her thinking justified as far as we can see from our perspective?

And how does he/she justify it from his/her perspective? And how does he/she justify it from his/her perspective?

How can we enter his/her perspective to appreciate what he/she has How can we enter his/her perspective to appreciate what he/she has to say? to say?


All of these are the kinds of questions that a critical reader raises. And a critical reader in this sense is simply someone trying to come to terms with the text.So if one is an uncritical reader, writer, speaker, or listener, one is not a good reader, writer, speaker, or listener at all. To do any of these well is to think critically while doing so and, at one and the same time, to solve specific problems of communication, hence to effectively communicate.Communication, in short, is always a transaction between at least two logics. In reading, as I have said, there is the logic of the thinking of the author and the logic of the thinking of the reader. The critical reader reconstructs (and so translates) the logic of the writer into the logic of the reader's thinking and experience. This entails disciplined intellectual work. The end result is a new creation; the writer's thinking for the first time now exists within the reader's mind. No mean feat!


One important aim of schooling should be to create a climate that evokes children’’s sense of wonder and inspires their imagination to soar. What can teachers do to "kindle" this spark and keep it alive in education?

Paul: First of all, we kill the child's curiosity, her desire to question deeply, by superficial didactic instruction. Young children continually ask why. Why this and why that? And why this other thing? But we soon shut that curiosity down with glib answers, answers to fend off rather than to respond to the logic of the question. In every field of knowledge, every answer generates more questions, so that the more we know the more we recognize we don't know. It is only people who have little knowledge who take their knowledge to be complete and entire. If we thought deeply about almost any of the answers which we glibly give to children, we would recognize that we don't really have a satisfactory answer to most of their questions. Many of our answers are no more than a repetition of what we as children heard from adults. We pass on the misconceptions of our parents and those of their parents. We say what we heard, not what we know. We rarely join the quest with our children. We rarely admit our ignorance, even to ourselves. Why does rain fall from the sky? Why is snow cold? What is electricity and how does it go through the wire? Why are people bad? Why does evil exist? Why is there war? Why did my dog have to die? Why do flowers bloom? Do we really have good answers to these questions?


How does curiosity fit in with critical thinking? Paul: To flourish, curiosity must evolve into disciplined inquiry and reflection. Left to itself it will soar like a kite without a tail, that is, right into the ground! Intellectual curiosity is an important trait of mind, but it requires a family of other traits to fulfill it. It requires intellectual humility, intellectual courage, intellectual integrity, intellectual perseverance, and faith in reason. After all, intellectual curiosity is not a thing in itself — valuable in itself and for itself. It is valuable because it can lead to knowledge, understanding, and insight; because it can help broaden, deepen, sharpen our minds, making us better, more humane, more richly endowed persons. To reach these ends, the mind must be more than curious, it must be willing to work, willing to suffer through confusion and frustration, willing to face limitations and overcome obstacles, open to the views of others, and willing to entertain ideas that many people find threatening. That is, there is no point in our trying to model and encourage curiosity, if we are not willing to foster an environment in which the minds of our students can learn the value and pain of hard intellectual work. We do our students a disservice if we imply that all we need is unbridled curiosity, that with it alone knowledge comes to us with blissful ease in an atmosphere of fun, fun, fun.


What good is curiosity if we don't know what to do next or how to satisfy it? We can create the environment necessary to the discipline, power, joy, and work of critical thinking only by modeling it before and with our students. They must see our minds at work. Our minds must stimulate theirs with questions and yet further question;

• questions that probe information and experience; • questions that call for reasons and evidence; • questions that lead students to examine interpretations and conclusions, pursuing their basis in fact and experience; • questions that help students to discover their assumptions, • questions that stimulate students to follow out the implications of their thought, to test their ideas, to take their ideas apart, to challenge their ideas, to take their ideas seriously.

It is in the totality of this intellectually rigorous atmosphere that natural curiosity thrives.


It is important for our students to be productive members of the work-force. How can schools better prepare students to meet these challenges? The fundamental characteristic of the world students now enter is ever-accelerating change; a world in which information is multiplying even as it is swiftly becoming obsolete and out of date; a world in which ideas are continually restructured, retested, and rethought; where one cannot survive with simply one way of thinking; where one must continually adapt one's thinking to the thinking of others; where one must respect the need for accuracy and precision and meticulousness; a world in which job skills must continually be upgraded and perfected — even transformed. We have never had to face such a world before. Education has never before had to prepare students for such dynamic flux, unpredictability, and complexity for such ferment, tumult, and disarray.


We as educators are now on the firing line. Are we willing to fundamentally rethink our methods of teaching? Are we ready for the 21st Century? Are we willing to learn new concepts and ideas? Are we willing to learn a new sense of discipline as we teach it to our students? Are we willing to bring new rigor to our own thinking in order to help our students bring that same rigor to theirs? Are we willing, in short, to become critical thinkers so that we might be an example of what our students must internalize and become? These are profound challenges to the profession. They call upon us to do what no previous generation of teachers was ever called


One thing is painfully clear. We already have more than enough rote memorization and uninspired didactic teaching; more than enough passivity and indifference, cynicism and defeatism, complacency and ineptness. The ball is in our court. Let's take up the challenge together and make, with our students, a new and better world.


The Essential Dimensions of Critical Thinking Our conception of critical thinking is based on the substantive approach developed by Dr. Paul and his colleagues at the Foundation for Critical Thinking during the last quarter century. It is relevant to every subject, discipline, profession and to reasoning through the problems of every day life. It entails five essential dimensions of critical thinking:

The analysis of thought The assessment of thoughtThe dispositions of thoughtThe skills and abilities of thoughtThe obstacles or barriers to critical thought In sum, the elements or structures of thought enable us to "take our thinking apart" and analyze it. The intellectual standards are used to assess and evaluate the elements. The intellectual traits are dispositions of mind which embody the fairminded critical thinker. To cultivate the mind, we need command of these essential dimensions, and we need to consistently apply them as we think through the many problems and issues in our lives.


Use the following tactics during class to ensure that students are actively engaged in thinking about the content. Students should be called on randomly (using the deck of cards method for instance) so that everyone participates. When students do not know when they will be called on they are much more likely to remain alert and engaged in the learning process. Students should be routinely called upon to: •Summarize or put into their own words what the teacher or another student has said. • Elaborate on what they have said. •Relate the issue or content to their own knowledge and experience. •Give examples to clarify or support what they have said. •Make connections between related concepts. •Restate the instructions or assignment in their own words. •State the question at issue. •Describe to what extent their point of view on the issue is different from or similar to the point of view of the instructor, other students, the author, etc. •Take a few minutes to write down any of the above. •Write down the most pressing question on their mind at this point. The instructor then uses the above tactics to help students reason through the questions. •Discuss any of the above with a partner and then participate in a group discussion facilitated by the instructor.

Tactics that Encourage Active Learning


Thank YouThank YouAurangzeb BhattiAurangzeb Bhatti

NovaQuest International NovaQuest International SchoolSchool

critical thinking1

Documents

term critical thinking

historical thinking

anthropological thinking

moral thinking

economic thinking

mathematical thinking

scientific thinking

philosophical thinking