Abstract
Critical thinking, once promoted in classrooms only for gifted and talented students, is now found to be in the curriculum for every student. Why is this the case? We are experiencing a fast and complex shift in the global workforce where many routine and rote skills have been replaced with the need for analytical and communication skills. Today's worker not only has to problem solve on the job but must work collaboratively with others to get the job done efficiently. At the same time, this modern-day worker must learn how to adapt to a constant changing workforce. Therefore, it is important to prepare our students by teaching them how to critically think, a learning skill needed to adequately prepare our students for the 21st century, not just for their future workforce, but for their success in school and their personal, social, and emotional lives.
TopBackground Of Critical Thinnking
The following outlines a brief history of critical thinking:
Socrates, Thomas Aquinas, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, John Locke, and Sir Isaac Newton. More contemporary beginnings begin with the 1930’s, with John Dewey, who introduced the term “critical thinking” as an educational goal--which he often referred to as “reflective thought,” “reflective thinking,” “reflection”, or just “thought” (Dewey, 1933).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Lower-Cognitive Questions: Questions that are “closed questions,” where there is often only one right or wrong answer; require simple memory recall of information or knowledge previously learned.
Critical Thinking: The ability to think rationally and clearly; using one’s ability to reason and problem-solve.
Cognitive Regulation: The self-directed regulation of cognitions like one’s thoughts and belief toward the attainment of goals.
Self-Regulation: The ability to monitor and manage one’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors that are acceptable to others.
Socratic Method of Teaching: Questions are used to examine the values, principles, and beliefs of students; it is a teaching strategy to promote a way of thinking.
Higher-Cognitive Questions: Questions that are “open questions,” where students are required to go beyond recall; they must analyze information learned and apply their knowledge. Higher-cognitive questions are more complex, more difficult to answer, and require more sophisticated thinking from students.
Problem-Based Learning: A student-centered approach in which students learn about a subject or concept by working collaboratively in groups to solve an open-ended problem.
Inquiry-Based Learning: A learning approach which places emphases on students’ questions, ideas, and observations.
Metacognition: The awareness of one’s own learning or thinking process (thinking about thinking).