A Survey on Critical Thinking in Education Scenario

British Journal of Educational Studies, 1982

has, from it inception, claimed that critical thinking at the post-secondary level requires engagement with the forms of inquiry. Embedded in language, such forms yield the tools for inventing, organizing and communicating the content of the various areas of human concern. In our efforts we have been guided by Matthew Lipman's analysis of critical thinking seen to require the skillful, responsible, self-correcting and context-sensitive use of criteria ("Critical Thinking What Can It Be?"

2005

This paper addresses some issues concerning the promotion of critical thinking, from a philosophical perspective. The argument is based on the idea that the specific manifestations of critical thinking one produces about some issue depend on one’s knowledge resources, as well as on one’s emotional attitudes towards that issue. From this idea, and with an emphasis different from that suggested by the ideas of general skills and critical spirit, it is argued that critical thinking about the set of issues, dimensions and perspectives that are not actually critically addressed in the classroom, in terms of both knowledge and emotions about them, is not being directly promoted, and there is no guarantee that students will be critical about them in the future. Educators interested in the promotion of critical thinking, therefore, should take the responsibility for defining what crucial issues, dimensions and perspectives will, as a minimum, need to be properly addressed. Lastly, it is arg...

Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis

The paper contains an attempt to cover one of the most popular topics recurrent in the realm of education sciences in theory and teaching/learning in practice. The adopted standpoint tries to uncover the highlights of critical thinking as a teaching/learning technique, elucidating the major principles that should be considered while planning the respective educational activities. From psychological, education management and specific methodological perspectives, the researchers have tried to offer a paradigm of the necessary concepts that might contribute to the educational output of critical thinking, contributing to the design and implementation of the methodology targeted, making the whole process much more measurable.

Educational Theory, 1993

Seen from inside the critical thinking movement, things could not look better. Informal logic, the foundational discipline upon which recent conceptions of critical thinking rest, is a progressive research program. More philosophers and logicians are taking informal logic seriously. Its theory is getting both deeper and broader. More extensive and compelling analyses of basic concepts are increasingly available in the literature; new approaches, such as applied epistemology, are expanding the concepts available to members of the field. Informal logicians are moving away from a near exclusive focus on introductory college courses and text books, and are developing concepts and procedures that can support critical thinlung across the disciplines. There are deep continuities between critical thinlung and other theoretical approaches to argumentation theory and rhetoric, particularly with the work of Jurgen Habermas. Psychological grounding is available from psychologists such as Jerome Bruner and L. S. Vygotsky. There are many suggestive commonalities between critical thinking and social theories of reasoning and learning of all sorts, including trends in cognitive psychology. Critical thinking moves with a strong current in philosophy of education. It speaks to the educational goals associated with liberal education, and places the development of competent and reasonable learners and citizens at the center of its concern. It comports nicely with recent and credible pedagogical approaches such as cooperative and collaborative learning, problem solving, discovery methods in science, writing process, the use of schema in reading comprehension, and multiculturalism. Most important, perhaps, the integration of critical thinking into school practices, the vitality of in-service and pre-service efforts, a growing and influential professional literature, and well-attended conferences, all point to its attractiveness as a framework for progressive educational change. In the United States, national and regional reports identify critical thinking as a desired educational outcome, often citing the business community's belief that critical thinking is necessary within a modern workforce. Critical thinking has, however, been challenged at a deep theoretical level. In 1981, John McPeck published Critical Thinking and Education, which contained a sustained critique that had, at its core, an argument that denied the possibility of critical thinking, construed as striving to offer educationally relevant general procedures and concepts. The argument is both simple and profound:

2020

Critical thinking in the classroom is a common term used by educators. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication as a guide to belief and action (``Scriven, 1996”). The challenge, of course is to create learning environments that promote critical thinking both in the classroom and beyond. Teaching practicing critical thinking provides adults with the opportunity to embrace and take charge of their learning. Typically, students who implement critical thinking skills approach the courseware in a more thoughtful and effective manner, ask more challenging questions and participate in the learning process more intensely. To promote the critical thinking among the students various types of teaching strategies can be used by the teacher in the classroom.

Cultivating a new integral form of insightful and responsible thinking would answer the current crisis with human thinking. In education, every form of thinking should be incentivized, and interrupting the chain opens the possibility for greater freedom of thought and creative solutions. By changing the academic rules and dismantling the bureaucratic system of expensive educational degrees, young people might be more willing to entertain unconventional ideas and possibilities. The current structure of higher education is dominated by critical thinking, which can be an obstacle for students with creative and abstract thinking styles.

2012

The advance of the new technologies and the unprecedented explosion of information and its varied sources have made the need for teaching critical thinking abilities and skills more imperative than ever before. These skills are not elements to be acquired automatically but a mode of thinking and being which transcends discipline divisions. It is based on intellectual traits (ethical behavior, autonomy, integrity, fair-mindedness, courage, perseverance, etc.), on universal intellectual standards (accuracy, clarity, relevance, precision, and depth) and on elements of reasoning (purpose, inquiry, information, concepts, analysis, inference, interpretation, synthesis and evaluation). Despite the pedagogical challenges engendered by the slippery nature of the concept, there is some agreement over the benefits of explicit teaching, collaborative and practical learning. Along the same vein, integration of critical thinking in the Moroccan educational system is inevitable. This system, however, presents serious drawbacks in terms of clarity and coherence of policies, information, accountability, access, equity, quality and efficiency. The urgency of a thorough reform cannot be overstated.

International Education Studies, 2015

Learning critical thinking skills are the goal of educational systems so the term "critical thinking" (CT) is frequently found in educational policy documents. Despite this frequency, however, precise understandings among teachers of what CT really means do not exit. The present study is designed to answer the following question. We can classify critical thinking concept in a conceptual framework. A qualitative content analysis with deductive categorization was used to classify critical thinking concept in a conceptual framework .The research field (statistical population) included all available digital and written sources related to critical thinking. The Research sample was a purposeful homogeneous sample. It is used to describe the sample that includes information based on the qualitative research goals. The results showed that critical thinking concept could be investigated in fields of both psychology and philosophy. While philosophers emphasis on the nature and quality of critical thinking, psychologists focus on cognitive process and components used to investigate the practical problems. So philosophers emphasize critical thinking attitudes while psychologists focus on critical thinking skills.

Theory and Research in Education

It is widely recognised among educational theorists, educators and policy makers alike, that critical thinking should claim a superordinate place in our system of educational objectives. In the philosophical literature on this topic, critical thinking is often conceptualised as the educational cognate of rationality, which in turn is analysed as being comprised of the relevant skills and abilities to assess reasons and evidence, together with the intellectual dispositions to actively use these proficiencies in practice. The resulting picture is in many respects normative and idealised, following the style of philosophical theorising commonplace in the tradition of analytic philosophy of education. In contrast, certain recent empirical findings related to the rational performance of actual human beings seem to cast doubts on the extent to which we can expect people to fulfil these idealised normative standards of rationality. After introducing the relevant philosophical theories and ...

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information because critical thinkers raise vital questions and problems, formulate them clearly, gather and assess relevant information, use abstract ideas, think open-mindedly, and communicate effectively with others. Critical thinking is a very important skill required by everyone in every setting. It helps them deal with all types of problems more effectively ranging from those inside to those outside the classroom.