Critical Thinking in the Classroom

Critical Thinking has been cited by many pundits in education as one of the key 21st Century Learning Skills that must be instilled in our students in preparation for what will unfold in the years to come.

The quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought.  Poor thinking costs our society financially and in our quality of life.

Are we doing enough to foster Critical Thinking in our students?

The Foundation for Critical Thinking (http://www.criticalthinking.org/) defines critical thinking as "the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it."

This organization states that a well cultivated thinker:

• raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
• thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
• communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Our Catholic Learning Community is blessed with many excellent teachers that have embraced critical thinking as a piece in their instructional and assessment practices.  We are definitely "out of the harbour" in this process in most of our departments. 

Specifically, our Department Heads were in-serviced in Critical Literacy and subsequently their staff members have discussed or will discuss plans for the consistent application of critical literacy in all of their subject areas as we move forward.  This is a SMART goal in our 2010-2011 School Improvement Plan. 

We have focused on "Critical Reading" questions which are cited not only on the Foundation's website but the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat's website (Capacity Building Series) as well.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/capacityBuilding.html

1. What is the author's purpose.
2. What key questions or problems does the author raise?
3. What information, data, and evidence does the author present?
4. What key concepts does the author use to organize this information, this evidence?
5. What key conclusions is the author coming to?  Are those conclusions justified?
6. What are the author's primary assumptions?
7. What viewpoints is the author writing from?
8. What are the implications of the author's reasoning?

Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to your comments and thoughts.