Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed - the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task. Critical thinking also involves evaluating the thinking process - the reasoning that went into the conclusion we've arrived at the kinds of factors considered in making a decision. Critical thinking is sometimes called directed thinking because if focuses on a desired outcome.
-Diane F. Haplern (1996)
The purpose of critical thinking is, therefore, to achieve understanding, evaluate view points, and solve problems. Since all three areas involve the asking questions, we can say that critical thinking is the questioning or inquiry we engage in when we seek to understand evaluate, or resolve.
-victor p. maiorama(1992)
Critical thinking is the art of thinking about your thinking while you are thinking in order to make your thinking better: more clear, more accurate or more defensible.
-Paul, binker, adamson, and martin (1989)
Broadly speaking, critical thinking is concerned with reason, intellectual honesty, and open-mindedness, as opposed to emotionalism, intellectual laziness, and clsoed-mindedness. Thus, critical thinking involves: following evidence where it leads; considering all possibilities; relying on reason rather than emotion; being precise; considering a variety of possible viewpoints and explanations; weighting the effects of motives and biases; being concerned more with finding the truth than with being right; not rejecting unpopular views out of hand; being aware of ones own prejudices and biases; and not allowing them to sway one's judgement.
-kurland, daniel j. I know what it says... what does it mean?(1995)
Critical thinking includes the ability to respond to material by distinguishing between facts and opinions or personal feelings, judgments and inferences, inductive and deductive arguments, and the objective and subjective. It also includes the ability to generate questions, construct and recognize the structure of arguments, and adequate support arguments; define, analyze, and devise solutions for problems and issues; sort, organize, classify, correlate and analyze materials and date; integrate information and see relationships, evaluate information, materials and data by drawing inferences, arriving at reasonable and informed conclusions, applying understanding and knowledge to new and different problems, developing rational and reasonable interpretations, suspending beliefs and remaining open to new information, methods, cultural systems, values and beliefs and by assimilating information."
-mcc general education initiatives
Uses of critical thinking
Ellis(1997) claims that critical thinking...
1. underlies reading, writing, speaking and listening... the basic elements of communication
2. plays an important part in social change.. institutions in any society - courts, governments, schools, businesses - are the products of a certain way of thinking.
3. helps us uncover bias and prejudices.
4. is a path to freedom from half-truths and deceptions.
5. the willingness to change one point of view as we continue to examine and re examine ideas that may seem obvious. such thinking takes time and the willingness to say three subversive words: I dont know.
attributes of a critical thinker
ferrett(1997) enumerates the following attributes of a critical thinker:
1. asks pertinent questions
2. assesses statements and arguments
3. is able to admit a lack of understanding or information
4. has a sense of curiosity
5. is interested in finding new solutions
6. is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas
7. is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts
8. listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback
9. sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment
10. suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered
11. looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs
12. is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found
13. looks for proof
14. examines problems closely
15. is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant
Reading and thinking are inseparable. When we read, we think as well. Hence, critical reading requires critical thinking. what is critical thinking? Harris and Hodges (1981) describe critical thinking as 1. the process of making judgment in reading: evaluating, relevancy and adequacy of what is read... 2. an act of reading in which a questioning attitude, logical analysis, and inference are used to judge the worth of what is read according to an established standard... among the identified skills of critical reading involved in making judgment are those having to do with the author's intent or purpose; with the accuracy, logic, reliability and authenticity of writing; and with the literacy forms, components, and devices identified through literacy analysis. To harris and Hodges(1995) it is the process of arriving at a judgment about the value or impact of a text by examining its quality in terms of form, style and rhetorical features, the readability of the author and the consistency between ideas it presents and the reader's experience, including.. internal evaluation... and external evaluation..
Characteristics of critical readers
Schumm and Post (1997) believes that critical readers are:
1. willing to spend time reflecting on the ideas presented in their reading assignments
2. able to evaluate and solve problems while reading rather than merely complie a set of facts to be memorized
3. logical thinkers
4. diligent in seeking out the truth
5. eager to express their thoughts on a topic
6. seekers of alternative views on a topoc
7. open to new ideas that may not necessarily agree with their previous thought on a topic
8. able to base their judgment on ideas and evidence
9. able to recognize errors in thought and persuation as well as to recognize good arguments
10. willing to take a critical stance on issues
11. able to ask penetrating and thought-provoking questions to evaluate ideas
12. in touch with their personal thoughts and ideas about a topic
13. willing to reassess their views when new or discordant evidence is introduced and evaluated.
14. able to identify arguments and issues
15. able to see connections between topics and use knowledge from other disciplines to enhance their reading and learning experiences
steps in critical reading
1. before you read - scan the piece to get an idea of what it is about and what the main argument is. this may include reading an introduction if there is one, or the subheadings.
2. while you read - keep a running dialogue with the author through annotation by recording your thoughts, ideas and questions. underline, highlight or circle important parts and points, and write comments in the margins.
3. after you have read - look over your annotations to get an overall idea of the text. you may also choose to write a summary to solidify your understand.
4. responding to the text - after you have developed a clear sense of the authors argument and line of reasoning, you are able to analyze the author's argument and methods. then, you can develop your own ideas - perhaps into an essay of your own.
Considerations in critical reading
empire state college suggests that we consider the following in our analysis:
1. consider the authority of the writer - using both the information that you have about the writer as a person(training, political affiliations, life experiences) as well as clues from the language, tone and approach of the text, decide whether the writer is credible. is the writer knowledgable? what biases or values may be playing a role in his/her argument?
2. consider the logic of the writer's argument - it is important to ask yourself what the writer wants you to believe and whether the reasons and supporting evidence convince you of this viewpoint. examine the credibility of the "facts" as well as the line of reasoning that ties the facts to the main assertion.
3. expose the ways in which the writer gets your interest. a writer may use one or more of the following strategies to get the reader intellectually and emotionally involved in the text by: 1. trying to get the reader to identify with the author or evoke respect for the authority of the author (for example, through the tone) 2. trying to get the reader to care about a subject, cause, or problem (perhaps by appealing to their emotions by using shocking statistics, anecdotes, or detailed descriptions) 3. trying to get the reader to align him/herself with a greater class of readers (e.g. the educated, women, environmentalist) and 4. using the assumed interest and values of the reader as a foundation for another argument.
4. consider the writer's use of language and style- the writer makes many decisions concerning language and style that serve to influence your responses as a reader. examine the following aspects of the writing: overall tone, sentence formation, choice and connotation of words, use of punctuation, and brevity or length of passages. how do the writer's choices about language and style aid their argument? what do theses choices reveal about the writer's argument?
5. consider the idealogy that informs the text. try to uncover the idealogy - the system of beliefs, values, and ideas about the world - that underlies the text. a simple way to do this is to write down words and ideas that are valued in the text or reprenseted by the author in a positive way. then write down the opposite of each word. theses binaries or pairs of opposites; will reveal the idealogy that informs the text.
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