In grade school, we wrote critical thinking essays every wednesday on a topic chosen by the teacher. I remember dreading Wednesday’s even the words on the assignment bored, “Critical thinking essay due” made me cringe! I never knew why we called the assignment that. I just hated spelling, writing in cursive and not getting a star or sticker on my paper and instead red pencil.
When I got older, the topic of critical thinking kept reoccurring and eventually gave me a new understanding. Critical thinking to me, means expoloring outside of what you know and accept through challenging yourself to understanding and create your interpitation of it.
According to the Foundation of Critical Thinking, “Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it.” The deffinition goes on, by directing the way a person is successful in this process, “critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.” Foundation of Critical Thinking: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/our-concept-of-critical-thinking/411 |
I think the connection between crital thinking and and IM204 reasearch stratagies class, is to make us question topics we “know” about and expand.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post on critical thinking. I am sorry to hear that you had a traumatic experience with critical thinking essays in grade school! In spite of that experience, it seems as if you have embraced the meaning of the critical thinking, and you see its connection with IM 204.