As Wikipedia defines Critical Thinking: “Critical Thinking consists of mental process of analyzing or evaluating the Information, particularly statements or propositions that people have offered as true.”
We ask our teachers to “Be Future-Ready” or say we are teaching “for the jobs that don’t exists yet.”
Well, these are the powerful statements, but at the same time, they give teachers the impression that we are drastically changing what we are doing.
So, how do we plan education for unknown job needs??
The simple answer is, we can’t predict the jobs, but whatever they are, students will need to think critically to do them. So, our job is to teach our students HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
WHY SHOULD STUDENTS HAVE CRITICAL THINKING?
There is a difference between memorization and learning. That difference is Critical Thinking. Everything you learn in school might have practical implication in your professional life… You must have critical thinking skills in order to not just follow ideas or facts but to find the meaning and connection behind them.
The answer to the above question is, critical thinking helps from relevant arguments, find errors in reasoning, and synthesize to problems. It is very important to develop these skills in students, as it helps them to make tougher choices in life from choosing majors in school to opening a new venture in future. Critical thinking is a core of decision making.
HOW TO INCREASE SKILLS AS A STUDENT?
- Ask questions?
Allow students to ask question about. Don’t let them hold back or judge them no matter how silly or easy the questions may seem to be. Questioning raises the ability to reason as well as answer to those particular questions.
- Participate in discussion
Participate in the school discussion like declamation, declaration or extempore, where students are given to put their view in front of the audience to speak and think with or against the notion. If critical Thinking is in the practice of a student, sometimes they unknowingly self-answer to the doubts they have carry.
- Study with Help of examples
It is easy to remember information through examples and stories as they reflect the practical implications. They contribute to mindful learning. Real-life examples, anecdotes, analogies, and facts help develop critical thinking skills. Examples not only simplify the topics but subconsciously forces students to critically think to answer to their own doubts to make understand.
- Go beyond academic learning
The academic curriculum helps you lay the foundation for further learning. It is impossible to gather every piece of knowledge in the world or even on a particular subject. But if something strikes your curiosity, then go beyond your academic textbooks and indulge in more research and learning with the help of the Internet.
