Understanding Critical Thinking For Teachers

Understanding Critical Thinking For TeachersIt's more than possible that if you're reading this article, you are an educator or even just a learner who has been contemplating the benefits of critical thinking. In fact, there are many situations where critical thinking can actually make a big difference in your life.Many people think of a critical thinker as someone who doesn't trust facts and wants to go with their gut. This is partially true, but there are also some misconceptions out there that just don't mesh with the realities of critical thinking. To clear these up a bit, I'm going to define some critical thinking concepts that will help you develop your own beliefs about things.A critical thinker is a person who is always thinking. The reason they're thinking is that they've discovered that their belief structure isn't aligned with reality. A person with strong critical thinking is thinking about issues and questions, even when they aren't particularly interested in answers. Th e goal of critical thinking is to replace what you believe with what is real, and questioning what you've thought about and accepted to be true about things is a critical skill to have.So what are some examples of what I mean by critical thinking? Maybe you believe your friends are better off marrying someone of another race, but would you accept the same conclusions if you had looked at this through a critical lens? Or maybe you believe the government is spending too much money on welfare and the business sector is responsible for the high unemployment rate, but wouldn't you accept a different conclusion if you were critical?I think of critical thinking as more than just a person who thinks, but more like a person who is constantly seeking the truth. A critical thinker might be very careful about the facts, but not willing to go to court to force that fact into the light, and instead would look for alternative, independent, evidence.These days we have all kinds of programs, classes , courses, websites, and schools designed to help educators or students develop their critical thinking skills. Some work better than others, but regardless, critical thinking is really something that can help you learn the truth about whatever it is you believe, even if it's about topics you know nothing about.To sum up, critical thinking skills are important if you're thinking, and if you don't know them yet, you may want to consider a basic course in critical thinking, such as John Holt's Critical Thinking Skills. By reading the information in his book, you'll learn all the tools you need to develop critical thinking into a habit.