B.A. Sem
: 3 : Life Skils - III
Unit : 1
Chapter : Critical Thinking
"Learn
from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not
to stop questioning." — Albert
Einstein
"What
we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with
diligence." — Samuel Johnson
10.1
Critical Thinking – Concept
Critical thinking is a rich idea. People have been
developing and talking about it for the last 2500 years.
•
The words
"critical thinking" became common in the mid-to-late 20th century.
Many thinkers have described it in their own way. When we put all these ideas
together, we get a full picture of what critical thinking means across many
subjects.
•
Critical thinking
is defined as an ability to analyse information and experience in an objective
manner.
•
According to
Jones (1996), critical thinking mostly means checking how good, correct, or
true different ideas are, so that we can reach a decision or know what action
to take.
•
Critical thinking
is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating
information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,
reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In
its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend
subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance,
sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.
In simple words, this means critical thinking is a
careful and skilled habit of thinking. We use it to understand, apply, break
down, combine, and judge information we get from watching things, from our own
experiences, from reflecting, from reasoning, or from talking with others — and
we use this thinking to decide what to believe and what to do. When done really
well, this thinking follows some universal values, such as being clear,
accurate, exact, consistent, relevant, backed by good evidence and good
reasons, and being deep, wide, and fair.
•
Critical thinking
is also called critical analysis. It is clear, rational thinking that involves
judging things carefully. Different experts describe it a little differently.
According to Barry K. Beyer (1995), critical thinking means making clear,
well-reasoned judgments. While thinking critically, our ideas should be
reasoned out and thought through properly.
•
The National
Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as the
intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from,
or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.
•
Critical thinking
means examining the basic parts found in all reasoning — the purpose, the problem
or question, assumptions, concepts, evidence, the reasoning that leads to
conclusions, the results and effects, objections from other points of view, and
the frame of reference. Because critical thinking responds to different
subjects, issues, and purposes, it is part of a family of connected ways of
thinking, such as scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical
thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, and
philosophical thinking.
Critical Thinking Defined by Edward Glaser
In an important study on critical thinking and
education in 1941, Edward Glaser explained critical thinking as follows:
"The ability to think critically, as conceived in this volume, involves
three things:
1. an attitude of being disposed to consider in a
thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one's
experiences,
2. knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and
reasoning, and
3. some skill in applying those methods."
➤
Critical thinking
is not always the same for everyone. If a person thinks with selfish motives,
the thinking is usually weak in logic, even if it seems to work in a practical
way.
➤
But when critical
thinking comes from fairness and honesty, it is usually of a higher, better
quality — even though people who are used to selfish thinking may call it
"idealistic".
➤
No person thinks
critically all the time. Everyone sometimes thinks in an undisciplined or
irrational way. So, the quality of a person's critical thinking depends on
things like how much experience they have and how deep that experience is in a
particular subject or type of question.
Hence, Critical thinking is
➤
"The process
of actively and skill fully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing,
and
➤
Evaluating
information to reach an answer or conclusion"
➤
"Disciplined
thinking that is clear, rational, open minded, and informed by evidence"
➤
"Reasonable,
reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do"
➤
"Purposeful,
self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation,
and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual,
methodological, contextual considerations upon which that judgment is
based"
➤
"Includes a
commitment to using reason in the formulation of our beliefs" — in
critical social theory, this means being committed to social and political
practice of participatory democracy; being willing to consider other
viewpoints; being willing to bring new or changed views into how we think and
act; and being willing to help others become critical thinkers too.
➤
The skill and
habit of doing an activity with reflective scepticism (McPeck, 1981)
➤
Disciplined,
self-directed thinking that shows the finest form of thinking suited to a
particular way or area of thinking (Paul, 1989, p. 214)
➤
Thinking about
one's own thinking, in a way that organises and clears it up, makes it work
better, and helps notice mistakes and biases in our own thinking. Critical
thinking is not simply "hard" thinking, and it is not aimed only at
solving outside problems (other than the problem of improving one's own
thinking). Critical thinking is directed inward, with the goal of making the
thinker more rational. We do not use critical thinking just to solve problems —
we use it to make our own way of thinking better.
Critical thinking calls for the ability to
➤
Recognise
problems and find workable ways to solve them. Understand how to prioritise and
decide what to do first when solving problems. Collect and organise the
information that matters. Notice assumptions and values that have not been
openly stated.
➤
Understand and
use language correctly, clearly, and carefully. Read and understand data, judge
evidence, and evaluate arguments. Notice whether or not there is a logical
connection between different statements. Draw conclusions and general ideas
that are properly supported.
➤
Test the
conclusions and general ideas we arrive at. Rebuild our beliefs based on wider
experience. Make accurate judgments about specific things and situations in
everyday life.
Critical thinking involves
•
being able to
question and evaluate information
•
solving problems
•
thinking beyond
the immediate situation
•
looking at the
big picture and the context of a topic
•
asking questions
about different aspects of the topic — What? How? When? Who? Why? What if?
•
looking at theory
and asking how it relates to practice
•
reading different
viewpoints about issues and forming your own conclusions
•
reflecting on
your work and deciding how to improve it in the future
10.2 Qualities of
a Well-cultivated Critical Thinker
The following are qualities of a well cultivated
thinker.
Raises vital questions and problem, stating them clearly and exactly. Collects and
checks information that matters, uses ideas to understand it well, and reaches
conclusions and solutions that are well thought out, testing them against
suitable standards.
Thinks open mindedly within different systems of thought, noticing and judging their
assumptions, results, and practical effects when needed. Also communicates well
with others while working out solutions to difficult problems.
Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and
self-corrective thinking. It requires agreeing to high standards and using them
carefully. It involves good communication and problem-solving skills, along
with a commitment to overcome our natural tendency to think only about
ourselves or our own group.
No one is a critical thinker completely and perfectly. Each person is a critical
thinker only to a certain degree, with their own strengths and blind spots, and
their own tendency to fool themselves sometimes. This is why building critical
thinking skills and habits is something we keep working on throughout our life.
10.3
Characteristics of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking uses a kind of thinking called
reasoning, where we build and/or judge reasons that support our beliefs. Its
main features are:
Critical thinking also involves reflection — checking and judging our own thoughts and ideas, as
well as those of others. In the end, critical thinking is practical. Our
actions become more sensible when they are based on beliefs we can justify. So,
critical thinking is really the careful and thoughtful process of deciding
whether to accept, reject, or hold back judgement about whether a claim is
true, or about a suggested way to act.
Critical thinking involves the use of a group of
interconnected skills to analyse,
creatively combine, and judge what you read and hear.
Critical thinking involves certain dispositions. A disposition is simply a tendency to act or think
in a certain way.
To learn how to think critically, a person must learn
skills that build on one another, one after another. Only by focusing on and
practising these basic skills can someone truly master critical thinking.
Critical Thinkers are:
➤
Curious about the
world.
➤
Creative
questioners.
➤
Frequently asking
"why?" and looking for reasons to support a position.
➤
Interested only
in trustworthy, reliable sources of information.
➤
Able to keep the
whole situation and its context in mind while understanding something.
➤
Relevant thinkers
who stay focused on the main point.
➤
Always looking
for other explanations, arguments, or positions.
➤
Open minded, and
genuinely consider viewpoints other than their own.
➤
Willing to change
their position when there is enough evidence to do so.
➤
Able to hold back
judgement when the evidence is not enough.
➤
Eager to be
precise.
➤
Able to
understand that knowledge has limits, so they look for probability rather than
absolute proof.
➤
Able to recognise
how personal bias plays a role in knowing something.
➤
Able to handle
the different parts of a complicated whole in an orderly way, and can guess the
next step in a process.
➤
Sensitive to the
feelings, knowledge levels, and understanding of other people when sharing
their findings.
10.4 Virtues of
Critical Thinkers
The following are the details.
Open minded nature: A successful critical thinker is never rigid or closed-minded. He or
she can look at any issue from many different angles and make a decision
without letting emotions get in the way of good decision-making. Being
open-minded also means accepting good, valid ideas from others, even when those
ideas go against what one believed before. Being open-minded is the biggest
virtue of a critical thinker.
Habitually inquisitive-minded: A successful critical thinker is naturally curious and
always wants to understand different things, no matter how distantly they are
connected to their own life. Such a person stays curious about everything
happening around them. This curiosity is indeed a great virtue of a critical
thinker.
Truth seeker: A
successful critical thinker always wants to find the truth and live according
to it. The main goal of all critical thinkers is to seek the truth. They try,
as fairly as possible, to check facts using reliable sources. They look for the
truth before forming a final opinion about anything. They are people who try to
convince others in a conversation, but they can also be convinced easily if
someone else has stronger logic and facts. Because of this, dealing with them
becomes easy and rewarding. This is perhaps one of the greatest virtues found
in any civilised society.
Well Informed: A
successful critical thinker is someone who stays well informed. Staying
informed is not just a habit for such a person — it is a way of life. They are
interested in understanding different issues connected to their life, and in
doing so they gather a lot of information, which makes them well-informed
people. They keep collecting more and more information about the things that interest
them.
Through this process, they keep adding to their pool
of information, updating old information and adding new information. This whole
cycle of learning becomes a way of life for them. It is easy for us to
understand the good results of living this way.
Trustful of reason: Successful critical thinkers trust any argument that is based on sound
reasons. They believe in speaking sensibly, based on reasons and logic. They
try to convince others using logic, and they too can be convinced using reason
and logic. They are less emotional and more rational and logical while judging
a situation. They cannot be convinced by illogical reasons or rumours.
Flexible: Critical
thinkers are not rigid in their thinking, and they cannot afford to be rigid
either. They try to understand a situation from different possible angles,
weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each option, and try to understand the
pros and cons of a decision from different points of view. Because of all this,
we can agree that everyone needs to stay flexible.
Fair-minded in evaluation: Since they are truth seekers and guided by logic, they
naturally have to be fair-minded while judging anything. They cannot afford to
be biased or prejudiced while evaluating any situation. Their judgements cannot
be based on emotions or gut feelings. This is why they are fair-minded in their
evaluation.
Honest in facing personal biases: Since critical thinkers are fair-minded in evaluation,
they have no problem accepting and admitting their own shortcomings, and
seeking advice from experts whenever needed. This makes it easy for them to be
honest about facing their own biases, which is a great virtue of a critical and
reflective thinker.
Willing to reconsider: Because they are flexible by nature, critical thinkers
are always ready to reconsider their views on any issue. This shows a learner's
attitude, and this ability can take them to greater heights. Even after a
person has concluded something on an issue, they can revise their thinking and
be willing to look at it again from a different point of view, based on new
facts and logic.
Therefore, there is no rigidity or stagnation in them.
They are always willing to reconsider issues whenever needed.
Clear about issues: Successful critical thinkers are clear about how they handle the
different issues around them. They do not stay stuck in conflicts for long,
since they are skilled enough to resolve them quickly. In this process too,
their conclusions are based only on facts and logic, not on emotions.
Not impulsive: From
the virtues explained above, it is clear that critical thinkers cannot afford
to be impulsive. In their thinking process, emotions are not allowed to take
over logic. They reach conclusions based on sound logic and facts. This is why
they are not impulsive by nature, and they are never in a hurry to form their
views.
Logical minded and do not lose temper in discussions: As mentioned above, they are logical-minded people,
and they do not lose their temper easily during discussions. They try to
convince others while staying calm and composed. Because of this, they too can
be convinced easily during discussions if the other person is logical. This is
a great virtue of a critical thinker.
Orderly in complex matters: The strength of critical thinkers lies in their
ability to organise and arrange even complicated issues in a systematic way, so
that they can handle them properly. Even in the way they approach things, they
remain orderly.
Diligent in seeking relevant information: They are hardworking, careful, and intelligent enough
to look for relevant information from genuine sources. They do this whenever
they realise they need to check the right source, whether it is books, people,
newspapers, or any other source.
Do not hesitate in consulting expert opinions: Successful critical thinkers do not hesitate to
consult experts and take their opinions when needed.
Reasonable in selection of criteria: Critical thinkers weigh the pros and cons based on a
set of standards, which they build for themselves. While building this set of
standards, they stay fair and reasonable.
Focused in inquiry: While exploring and thinking about any issue, they are never casual
about it — they stay serious, and to do that, they need to remain focused.
10.5 Components of
Critical Thinking
We can understand critical thinking better by
understanding its different parts. Some of these parts, as they relate to the
skill of critical thinking, are explained below.
Analytic and Synthetic abilities: This is the ability to break down the different parts
of a social or personal situation, and to put many other related issues
together in a meaningful way, so that we can understand the situation better by
weighing its pros and cons.
Objectivity: This
is the ability to look at social and personal situations calmly and fairly,
based on pros and cons, while keeping personal feelings and bias aside.
Anticipation of consequences: This is the ability to guess ahead of time what the
results of a particular line of thinking might be, in social and personal
situations.
Intelligence: This
is the general ability to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of any situation
while trying to understand it.
Logical thinking: This is the ability to think and reason in a systematic way about all
social and personal situations in life, based on objective principles.
10.6 Steps of
Critical Thinking
The Six Steps of Critical Thinking are:
Step 1: Remembering → Step 2: Understanding → Step 3:
Applying → Step 4: Analysing → Step 5: Evaluating → Step 6: Creating
(This cycle of six steps forms the diagram "Steps
of Critical Thinking" shown in the original chapter.)
Step-1: Knowledge/Remembering
➤
In terms of
critical thinking, the most basic level of gaining knowledge means being able
to identify what is being said.
Step-2: Comprehension/Understanding
➤
Comprehension
simply means understanding the material you have read, heard, or seen. While
understanding it, you make this new knowledge your own by connecting it to what
you already know.
➤
The more involved
you are with the information, the better you will understand it. As always, the
main way to check whether you have understood something you read or heard is to
see if you can explain it in your own words.
Step-3: Applying
➤
Applying means
that you know what you have read, heard, or seen, that you understand it, and
that you carry out some task using what you understood in a real situation.
Step-4: Analysing
➤
Analysis means
breaking down what you read or hear into its different parts, so that you can
clearly see how the ideas are arranged, connected, or related to each other.
Analysis looks at both the form and the content.
Step-5: Evaluation
➤
Evaluation happens
once we have understood and analysed what has been said or written, along with
the reasons given to support it. After that, we can judge this information to
decide whether we should believe it or not, and whether or not to act on it.
Step-6: Creating
➤
Synthesis
(creating) means being able to combine the parts you have analysed with other
information, to make something new and original.
10.7 Developing
Critical Thinking
•
Critical thinking
is a set of skills or abilities that a person can build up over time.
•
It does not have
to be negative — it is really about forming your own conclusions based on
evidence.
•
It is basically
the process of gathering information about something, thinking about it, and
then coming up with your own views.
Here are some strategies that can help students learn
to think critically:
Classroom Assessment Techniques
✓
In this method,
students are allowed to assess the lessons regularly. Asking questions such as
"What is the most important thing you learnt from today's lesson?"
helps students begin thinking critically.
Case Study / Discussion Method
✓
Another useful
method is to start a discussion or share a case study in the classroom. Do not
give the conclusion straightaway. Let the students explore the discussion or
case on their own and reach a conclusion by thinking it through.
Conference Style Learning
✓
Another way to
build critical thinking in students is for the teacher to avoid simply
"teaching" in class, and instead act as a facilitator, like in a
conference — guiding the class while the students themselves do the reading and
explaining. It is important that teachers do not confuse this role with being
passive; they should still stay in control of the lesson while letting the
students do the thinking.
Writing Assignments
✓
Giving students
broad writing assignments allows them to think through an issue properly.
Encourage them to reason out and argue both sides of the issue.
Ambiguity
✓
Being a little
unclear or open-ended on purpose forces students to think for themselves. But
remember that there is a difference between being purposefully ambiguous and
simply confusing your students.
10.8 Approaches to
Life Characterising Good Critical Thinking
The details are as follows.
◆
Inquisitiveness
about wide range of issues
◆
Concern to become
and stay well informed
◆
Alertness to
opportunities to use critical thinking
◆
Self-confidence
in one's abilities to reason
◆
Open-mindedness
about divergent world views
◆
Flexibility in
considering alternatives and opinions
◆
Understanding the
opinions of other people
◆
Fair-mindedness
about appraising reasoning
◆
Honesty in facing
one's own biases, prejudices, stereotypes, egocentric tendencies
◆
Prudence in
suspending, making, altering judgements
◆
Willingness to
reconsider and revise views
◆
Clarity in
stating question or concern
◆
Orderliness in
working with complexity
◆
Diligence in
seeking relevant information
◆
Reasonable in
selecting and applying criteria
◆
Care in focusing
attention on the concern at hand
◆
Persistence
through difficulties
◆
Precision to the
degree permitted by subject and circumstances (Messina and Messina, 2005)
QUESTIONS
4. Discuss the concept of critical thinking
5. What are the characteristics of critical thinking?
6. How do you develop critical thinking among children?
References :
Bhatt, Rajeshkumar I. Life Skill Education. Notion Press, 2017.
