- Literally,Critical thinking can be defined as a refined way of thinking in order to come up with an improved or a better quality of thought about issues.
- Some of the places I 've heard about critical thinking are in my sociology,psychology, and anatomy and physiology classes.
- According to (Paul $ Elder 2006 p.xxiii) Critical Thinking can be defined as "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".
- In order for one to engage in in an effective critical thinking, the following processes must be engaged;thinking should be analyzed, thinking should be evaluated and thinking should be improved ( Paul $ Elder, 2006, p.xxiii)
- Critical thinking is connected to research strategies in a way that research strategies is highly dependent on critical thinking skills such as synthesis, evaluation,organization and information to knowledge to be able to come up with a credible research.
References.
Elder, L., $ Paul, R. (2006). Critical Thinking: Tools for taking charge of your Learning and your life: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Very nice post, Nkeiru! You nailed it.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Paul Elder mean when he says that thinking should be improved?
Thinking is an action that humans perform, just like eating and sleeping. In the case of eating, we can consume anything that is edible and call it eating. As human beings, however, we can choose what we would like to eat, based on many factors--the nutrition content of the food, what is available to be eaten, the budget we have to spend on food, etc..
In the case of thinking, a human being can make decisions and come to conclusions based on biological reflex, personal experience, some form of education, and/or additional information. Does Paul Elder mean that thinking should be improved by including all of these factors into the process, or something more?
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Professor Wexelbaum