4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

THINKINGSKILLS:

CREATIVETHINKING:
BeCreativeandCritical
What,Why,andHow
PrinciplesandStrategies
LiberatingCreativity
CreativityforLiving
CreativityinEducation CriticalThinkingSkills
inEducationand
ResearchaboutCreativity

CRITICALTHINKING
Whatiscriticalthinking?
Whyteachcriticalthinking?
Life
Howtoteachiteffectively?
TheEthicsofCriticalThinking Thesectionsinthispageare:

PROBLEM
SOLVINGSKILLS: WhatisCriticalThinking?

CombiningCreative+Critical
MultipleIntelligences&Styles WhyteachCriticalThinking?
ThinkingSkillsinEducation
ProcessinDesign&Science CriticalThinkinginSchools
ProblemSolvinginEducation

TheEthicsofCriticalThinking

Youcanexploreotherpartsofour
websiteforWhole
PersonEducation
(usinglinksatbottomofpage)and
ourcommunityofscienceand
faith.

WhatisCriticalThinking?

Critical=Evaluative
Toavoidmisunderstanding,weneedtounderstandwhatitisn't:criticalthinkingisnot
necessarilybeingcriticalandnegative.Infact,amoreaccuratetermwouldbeevaluative
thinking.Theresultofevaluationcanrangefrompositivetonegative,fromacceptancetorejection
oranythinginbetween.Yes,criticalevaluationcanproduceaglowingrecommendation.Onthis
page,forexample,thequotesandlinkswhicharerecommended,but(aswithallsourcesof
information)shouldbeusedwithanattitudeof"criticalthinking"evaluationaretheresultofmy
owncriticalthinking.
Herearetwobriefdefinitionsofwhatitis:Criticalthinkingis"reasonablyandreflectively
decidingwhattobelieveordo."...Criticalthinkingmeansmakingreasonedjudgments.Basically,it
isusingcriteriatojudgethequalityofsomething,fromcookingtoaconclusionofaresearchpaper.
Inessence,criticalthinkingisadisciplinedmannerofthoughtthatapersonusestoassessthevalidity
ofsomething:ofastatement,newsstory,argument,research,etc.{quotingRobertEnnis,and
paraphrasingBarryBeyer}

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 1/6
4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

CreativeandCriticalProductiveThinkingthatisusefulforproblemsolvingoccurswhena
creativeGenerationofIdeasiscombinedwithcriticalEvaluationofIdeas.Althoughcreativity
occursfirstinaprocessofproductivethinking,it'sbesttobeginwithasolidfoundationofcritical
thinking.Why?Becausewiseevaluation,incriticalthinking,canpreventcreativityplus
enthusiasmfromconvertingquestionableideasintounwiseaction.

Apagethatisbriefyetrichinideas,andisworthreadingcarefully,isDefiningCriticalThinking
byMichaelScriven&RichardPaul.YoucanreadOurConceptofCriticalThinkingfromTheCritical
ThinkingCommunitywhichoffersacomprehensiveLibraryofArticlesforyoutoexplore.
BarbaraFowlerhasselected19briefdefinitionsofcriticalthinkingfromavarietyofsources,
andRobertEnnishasabrief11pointoutline.

CharacteristicsofCriticalThinkers
Foraquickoverview,readCharacteristicsofCriticalThinkingwhichbeginswith"Whatis
CriticalThinking?"andcontinueswith:CharacteristicsofCriticalThinking,WhyteachCritical
Thinking?,andTeachingStrategiestohelppromoteCriticalThinkingSkills.
LindaElderandRichardPauldescribeValuableIntellectualTraits(IntellectualHumility,
Courage,Empathy,Integrity,Perseverance,FaithInReason,andFairmindedness)andUniversal
IntellectualStandards(Clarity,Accuracy,Precision,Relevance,Depth,Breadth,andLogic).
{classroomposters}
Foramorecomprehensiveoverview,usetheir35DimensionsofCriticalThoughtasalaunching
padtoread35pageswithbrief,cleardescriptionsofAffectiveStrategies,CognitiveStrategies
(MacroAbilities),andCognitiveStrategies(MicroSkills).

Aneffectivethinkermustbewillingtothinkandabletothink.Theserequirementsfor
disposition(bewilling)andskill(beable)aredescribedinthepagesabove,andwithmoredetail
inaseriesofpapersbyPeterFacione,NoreenFacione,CarolGiancarlo,andJoanneGainen.Isuggest
TheMotivationtoThinkinWorkingandLearningandProfessionalJudgmentandtheDisposition
TowardCriticalThinkingoryoucanreadtheabstractstoseewhatlooksinteresting.


WhyshouldweteachCriticalThinking?
Asexplainedinthepagesabove,criticalthinkingisessentialforeffectivefunctioninginthe
modernworld.
Inanessaythat"takesaSocraticapproachtodefiningcriticalthinkingandidentifyingitsvalue
inone'spersonal,professional,educational,andciviclife,"PeterFacionediscusseswhatandwhyin
CriticalThinking:WhatItIsandWhyItCountsandconcludeswithaconsensusstatement(ofexperts
inthefield)aboutcriticalthinkingandtheidealcriticalthinker:
"Weunderstandcriticalthinkingtobepurposeful,selfregulatoryjudgmentwhichresultsin
interpretation,analysis,evaluation,andinference,aswellasexplanationoftheevidential,conceptual,
methodological,criteriological,orcontextualconsiderationsuponwhichthatjudgmentisbased.
[Sincethisincludesalmostalltypesoflogicalreasoning,]CTisessentialasatoolofinquiry.As
such,CTisaliberatingforceineducationandapowerfulresourceinone'spersonalandciviclife.
Whilenotsynonymouswithgoodthinking,CTisapervasiveandselfrectifyinghumanphenomenon.
Theidealcriticalthinkerishabituallyinquisitive,wellinformed,trustfulofreason,openminded,
flexible,fairmindedinevaluation,honestinfacingpersonalbiases,prudentinmakingjudgments,
willingtoreconsider,clearaboutissues,orderlyincomplexmatters,diligentinseekingrelevant
information,reasonableintheselectionofcriteria,focusedininquiry,andpersistentinseekingresults
whichareaspreciseasthesubjectandthecircumstancesofinquirypermit.Thus,educatinggood
criticalthinkersmeansworkingtowardthisideal.ItcombinesdevelopingCTskillswithnurturing
thosedispositionswhichconsistentlyyieldusefulinsightsandwhicharethebasisofarationaland
democraticsociety."{"DelphiReport"consensusstatement,TheExecutiveSummaryforCritical
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 2/6
4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

Thinking:AStatementofExpertConsensusforPurposesofEducationalAssessmentandInstruction,
ExecutiveSummary&ExpertConsensuswithlinksforMORE}
Educationincriticalthinkingoffersanalternativetoadrifttowardpostmodernrelativism,by
emphasizingthatwecan"distinguishbetweenfactsandopinionsorpersonalfeelings,judgmentsand
inferences,inductiveanddeductivearguments,andtheobjectiveandsubjective."{MCCGeneral
EducationInitiatives}Criticalthinkingencouragesustorecognizethatour"rationallyjustifiable
confidence"inaclaimcanspanawiderange,fromfeelingstofactandeverythinginbetween.Three
CategoriesofQuestionsexplainswhy,becausestudentsdon'trecognizequestionsinvolving"reasoned
judgment"(whichareneitherfactnoropinion),they"failtoseethedifferencebetweenoffering
legitimatereasonsandevidenceinsupportofaviewandsimplyassertingtheviewastrue."Youcan
seesamplesfromTheArtofAskingEssentialQuestions.


CriticalThinkinginSchools

LEARNINGCriticalThinking(outsideschool)EducatingYourself
YoucanuseonlinetutorialsofCriticalThinkingWeb(sitemap)aboutLogic,Fallacy,Argument
Analysis,VennDiagrams,ScientificReasoning,andmuchmore.{Thiswebsitewasdevelopedby
JoeLau&JonathanChanforcollegestudentsandteachers,butwithsuitableadjustmentsit'salso
usefulforK12becauselogicislogic,fortheyoungandold.BasicPrinciplesofCriticalThinking
fromScheffer&Rubenfeld.
Theessenceofcriticalthinkingislogic,andlogicalevaluationbyusingrealitychecksand
qualitychecksistheessenceofDesignProcessandScienceProcess.Ontheotherendofthelogic
spectum,weseeavarietyoflogicalfallaciesthatincludecircularreasoningandstrawmanarguments.
==
I.O.U.Inthefuture,Iwillsearchforotherwebsites,includingsomedesignedforyounger
studentswithlogicalprinciplestaughtinwaysthatmakelearningsimpleandfun.

TEACHINGCriticalThinking(inschool)Activities&Strategies
UsefulideasaboutcriticalthinkingandeducationareinCriticalThinkingbyDesign(Joanne
Kurfiss)andCriticalThinking:BasicQuestionsandAnswers(RichardPaul).Forabroadoverview,A
BriefHistoryoftheIdeaofCriticalThinking.
Teacherscanfindawidevarietyofgoaldirectedactivitiesforthinkingandlearning.
ThinkingisencouragedbyacreativeuseofThinkingActivities,suchasAesop'sActivitiesor
SocraticTeaching(SixTypesofSocraticQuestions)andotherteachingtacticsthatencourageactive
learning.{*I.O.U.Eventuallytherewillbemoreabout"thinkingactivities"althoughmost
principlesofcriticalthinkingareusefulforteachers&studentsatalllevels,instructionalactivities
shouldbecustomizedforstudentswithdifferentages,experiences,andabilities.}
DanyAdamsexplainshow,"becausethescientificmethodisaformalizationofcriticalthinking,
itcanbeusedasasimplemodelthatremovescriticalthinkingfromtherealmoftheintuitiveandputs
itatthecenterofastraightforward,easilyimplemented,teachingstrategy,"inCriticalThinkingand
ScientificMethod.
ERICDigestsoffersexcellentsummary/overviewsforteachingcriticalthinkinginschoolsatall
levels,fromK12throughhighereducationHowCanWeTeachCriticalThinking?&Promoting
CriticalThinkingintheClassroom&StrategiesforTeachingCriticalThinking&ReflectiveThought
andCriticalThinkingplusmethodsforteachingcriticalthinkinginthecontextsofteacher
education&communitycolleges&socialstudies&englishstudies&literature&environmental
education&television&adultESL.{Allexcept"adultESL"werewrittenbetween1989and1994,
sothey'renotuptodate,butmostprinciplesfor"teachingcriticalthinking"werediscovered/invented
before1989andarestillrelevanttoday.}AndERIChasawiderangeofresources,lettingyou

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 3/6
4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

searchforresearch&otherinformationaboutthinkingskills(criticalthinking,evaluativethinking,
decisionmaking,...)andmuchmore.
Assessment:It'sdifficulttoevaluatethinkingskills.Accurateevaluationofathinkingskill
orevendefiningpreciselywhatthe"skill"is,andhowwecanobserveandmeasureitismuchmore
difficultthanevaluatingideasknowledge.Someeducatorshaveacceptedthechallenge:forexample,
forCommonCoreandNextGenerationScienceStandardsandbyCriticalThinking.organdby
InsightAssessment.com(FAQ&sitemap&resourcesforteaching,measuring,research)withwaysto
evaluatecriticalthinkingforcollegestudents.
CriticalThinkingontheWebofferslinkstomanyinteresting,usefulresourcesaboutcritical
thinkinginaWIDEvarietyofareas,forteachingmore.

TheCenterforCriticalThinking(sitemap)ledbyRichardPaul&LindaElder&others
offerslinkpagesforcriticalthinkingeducationinK12andhighereducation.{researchabout
criticalthinking}Ofcourse,educationalsooccursoutsideschools,andmostthinkingoccursoutside
theclassroomineverydaylifeandbusinessandotherareasoflife:"Criticalthinkingistheartof
takingchargeofyourownmind.Itsvalueissimple:ifwecantakechargeofourownminds,wecan
takechargeofourlives."Theydescribethecentralityofthinking,andacommoneducational
problem:
"Criticalthinkingisnotanisolatedgoalunrelatedtootherimportantgoalsin
education.Rather,itisaseminalgoalwhich,donewell,simultaneouslyfacilitatesa
rainbowofotherends.Itisbestconceived,therefore,asthehubaroundwhichallother
educationalendscluster.Forexample,asstudentslearntothinkmorecritically,they
becomemoreproficientathistorical,scientific,andmathematicalthinking.Finally,they
developskills,abilities,andvaluescrucialtosuccessineverydaylife....Recentresearch
suggeststhatcriticalthinkingisnottypicallyanintrinsicpartofinstructionatanylevel.
Studentscomewithouttraininginit,whilefacultytendtotakeitforgrantedasan
automaticbyproductoftheirteaching.Yetwithoutcriticalthinkingsystematically
designedintoinstruction,learningistransitoryandsuperficial."

TheEthicsofCriticalThinking
PeterFacionedescribesalimitationthatoccurswithalltypesofthinking:
Apersoncanbegoodatcriticalthinking,meaningthatthepersoncanhavethe
appropriatedispositionsandbeadeptatthecognitiveprocesses,whilestillnotbeinga
good(inthemoralsense)criticalthinker.Forexample,apersoncanbeadeptat
developingargumentsandthen,unethically,usethisskilltomisleadandexploitagullible
person,perpetrateafraud,ordeliberatelyconfuseandconfound,andfrustrateaproject.
Theexpertswerefacedwithaninterestingproblem.Some,aminority,wouldprefer
tothinkthatcriticalthinking,byitsverynature,isinconsistentwiththekindsofunethical
anddeliberatelycounterproductiveexamplesgiven.Theyfindithardtoimagineaperson
whowasgoodatcriticalthinkingnotalsobeinggoodinthebroaderpersonalandsocial
sense.Inotherwords,ifapersonwere"really"a"goodcriticalthinker"intheprocedural
senseandifthepersonhadalltheappropriatedispositions,thenthepersonsimplywould
notdothosekindsofexploitiveandaggravatingthings.
Thelargemajority,however,holdtheoppositejudgment.Theyarefirmintheview
thatgoodcriticalthinkinghasnothingtodowith...anygivensetofethicalvaluesor
socialmores.Themajorityofexpertsmaintainthatcriticalthinkingconceivedofaswe
havedescribeditabove,is,regrettably,notinconsistentwithitsunethicaluse.Atool,an
approachtosituations,thesecangoeitherway,ethicallyspeaking,dependingonthe
character,integrity,andprinciplesofthepersonswhopossessthem.So,inthefinal
analysisthemajorityofexpertsmaintainedthat"itisaninappropriateuseofthetermto
denythatsomeoneisengagedincriticalthinkingonthegroundsthatonedisapproves
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 4/6
4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

ethicallyofwhatthepersonisdoing.Whatcriticalthinkingmeans,whyitisofvalue,
andtheethicsofitsusearebestregardedasthreedistinctconcerns."{fromCritical
Thinking:WhatItIsandWhyItCounts}

RichardPauldescribestwobeneficialdispositionsthatareencouraged(butnotguaranteed)by
criticalthinkingeducation:
Fairmindedthinkerstakeintoaccounttheinterestsofeveryoneaffectedbytheproblem
andproposedsolutions.Theyaremorecommittedtofindingthebestsolutionthanto
gettingtheirway."Andacriticalthinker"hasconfidencethat,inthelongrun,one'sown
higherinterestsandthoseofhumankindatlargewillbebestservedbygivingthefreest
playtoreason,...despitethedeepseatedobstaclesinthenativecharacterofthehuman
mindandinsocietyasweknowit.

Yes,reasonisuseful,itisnobleanddesirable,itshouldbehighlyvaluedandcarefully
developed.Butweshouldkeepthingsinperspective,regardingwhatreasoncanaccomplish.
ProbablymostofuswillagreewithPaul(aboutthevalueofcriticalthinking)butalsowiththe
majorityofexperts,whoconcludethatbecomingskilledatcriticalthinkingdoesnotguaranteethat
thispowerfultoolwillalwaysbeusedforthebenefitofothers.{Whataretherelationshipsbetween
CriticalThinkingandWorldviews?}

ADISCLAIMER:Theinternetoffersanabundanceofresources,soourmainchallenge
isselectivity,andwehavetriedtofindhighqualitypagesforyoutoread.Butthepages
abovedon'tnecessarilyrepresentviewsoftheAmericanScientificAffiliation.As
always,weencourageyoutouseyourcriticalthinkingskillstoevaluateeverythingyou
read.

TheareaofTHINKINGSKILLShassubareasfor
ThinkingSkillsinEducationandLife:EffectiveProblemSolvingMethods
CriticalThinkinginEducationandLifeCreativeThinkinginEducationandLife

ThislinkspageforCriticalThinkinginEducationandLife,producedbyCraigRusbult,is
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm
copyright2001byCraigRusbult,allrightsreserved

AlllinkswerecheckedandfixedonJanuary10,2017.

SITEMAPforourEducationWebsite

WholePersonEducation

The
Effective School Learning Thinking Nature Origins World
HOME ASA
Teaching Options Skills Skills of Questions Views
Science
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 5/6
4/10/2017 EducationCriticalThinkingSkillsinSchoolsandLife

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/think/critical.htm#i 6/6