Effectiveness of Critical Thinking Instruction

Critical thinking changes with context, there’s no one definition — there are several that complement one another. Critical thinking doesn’t mean simply criticism. It means not accepting information at face value. It helps individuals improve the quality of their lives and makes them more rational. Critical thinking makes it necessary to develop very specific ways to measure progress and results. Thinking is part of the human nature, based on the individual’s experience. Excellence in thinking, however, could be achieved with hard work. Critical thinking involves continuous attempts to explore knowledge on the basis of evidence that supports it. It is the process of searching, obtaining and evaluating information to develop one’s thinking, and the ability to use this information by adding creativity. These abilities are essential for making sound judgments. Critical thinking is a way of going about living and learning that empowers us and our students in quite practical ways. When taken seriously, it can transform every dimension of school life: how we formulate and promulgate rules; how we relate to our students; how we encourage them to relate to each other; how we cultivate their reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The common denominators of critical thinking are the most important by-products of the history of critical thinking. Critical thinking requires the systematic monitoring of thought; that thinking, to be critical, must not be accepted at face value but must be analyzed and assessed for its clarity, accuracy and relevance. Critical thinking, by its very nature, requires that all reasoning proceeds from some goals and objectives; that all data when used in reasoning must be interpreted. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n22p47