Rosemary,
Thank you for these comments about the need for developing skill in critical thinking in students. Your field is one of the classic examples of how important it is to be able to think critically and then problem solve. So the more you can expand their abilities in this area the better prepared they are going to be upon entering the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A critical thinker always asks why, why why. Since I teach nursing it is essential that future nurses learn critical thinking skills to know how to properly intervene when the patient's condition suddenly deteriorates. The blood pressure has dropped. What does this mean to this patient? What has happened to cause this change? What will happen as a result of lower blood pressure in the near future? What action must the nurse take now to prevent further deterioration while the physician is notified?
Our test questions are posed to the student in such a way that they must not only know and comprehend the information but also be able to apply it and analyze multiple pieces of data to reach an answer.
Students find these kind of questions very tough as they are not necessarily taught critical thinking in elementary or high school but more and more our society is requiring that kind of thinking!
Rick,
These are the types of critical thinkers we need to keep our respective fields moving forward.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Someone who thinks outside of the parameters of the norm. Someone who looks at a problem in different means
Ariana,
Good definition of a critical thinker. The more we can develop their knowledge of and expertise in critical thinking the better students are going to be able to be problem solvers. Keep up your great efforts in helping them to be thinkers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A critical thinker will question what he/she is told. This person will analyze situations, scenarios and information and make a decision not based on popular opinion but based on his/her own judgment. A critical thinker understands that there are always questions to be asked and many will not be answered accurately. One understands as a critical thinker that in most cases no one really knows the truth about anything.
Bill,
Good strategy because we receive information all of the time that has built in bias, such as advertisements for cars, clothing, etc.. Being able to sort through the information and pulling out the content that is needed by the individual is a skills everyone needs to develop.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Wikipedia is not an acceptable source where I teach either. I still use it, although not when I need a citable source. I find it useful for quickly getting an introduction to something new. I deal with Wikipedia's supposed unreliability, as well as unreliability in general, by treating all knowledge as tentative.
Miriam,
Your faculty discussion had to have been a good one because this discussion is being held in all kinds of settings. Schools, businesses, industries, etc. feel that individuals lack critical thinking skills. This is why we are offering more opportunities in schools to develop critical thinking skills than ever before. It is a critical need area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A critical thinker is one who takes information and analyzes it in order to make decisions. The other day during a staff meeting we were talking about critical thinking and how it has become a skill that students need to learn whereas in the past it seemed to be innate.
Ward,
Good advice concerning sources that are used to support research that is being done. Also, you make a very good point about how we educators need to see ourselves as life long learners because if we are to stay current in our field and offer the latest instructional delivery models then we must continually seek knowledge.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Just because I am told something does not mean I believe it. An example of this is wikipedia. Wikipedia is not an accepted source for writing documents because it is written by th general public and sources may not be of a proven background. I do like to read it however because it makes me think. I especially like the links in text. If there is a blue link I can co to different places and research more on any portion of th subject. If there is something I do am not sure about I can find another source to bear it out or to question it.
Paul,
Good explanation of how critical thinking works. This is why is we can give our students sufficient experiences they can internalize critical thinking processes and recall them as needed especially in times when time is short and the crisis is large.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Critical thinkers are not only able to look at every angle of a problem in order to solve it, but also able to adjust skills to the nature of their jobs. I realize that critical thinking is much different for one who teaces students, one who responds in emergency patient care, one who fights fires, etc. The main difference is the time allowed in various disciplines.
Mike,
You have given a very analysis of how critical thinking can be expanded and developed. Being competent from a technical standpoint is one thing but having the ability to think critically is another. We need to give them many opportunities to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills and let them grow in these areas. For some students as you know it comes naturally and for others it is a challenge.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believe key attributes of a critical thinker are an individual who is motivated, diligent, and persistent. I feel students need these characteristics to want to learn and excell. I teach Sonography, and sonography students need to think critically in order to present a high quality diagnostic study to the radilogists. These characteristics are as hard to teach or learn just as critical thinking skills are, as Larry pointed out. In my experience, students who can visualize goals and constantly remind themselves of why they are striving to do something well seem better at using critical thinking skills. I find it is difficult to instill these characteristics in students, however, I feel my role is more of a coach or mentor than a lecturer. Briefly, I’ll remind students that by providing a quality exam, they can feel proud and at ease that they provided the best possible patient care for their patients. Also, I regularily remind students of the benefits of striving to be the best student and graduate sonographer. For example, they will have a better chance at landing a position scanning and will enjoy more of life’s luxuries by commanding a higher salary. -Mike
Daniel,
You make such a good point about how learners need to approach the informational and problem solving process. They do need to listen and learn from what is being said rather than just talking for the sake of talking. As the old saying goes "When you are listening you are learning.".
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Karen,
Right you are. If a person can't really see how to approach the thinking needed to think about a situation then they often don't know where to start the problem solving process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I hope what you meant to ask was what are the characteristics of an effective critical thinker. We are all critical thinkers, but some have developed better skils at it.
The thing I see in my IT students is that they are not attentive to the details provided in the question. They expect certain questions, and have answers prepared. Maybe they have learned this proces from politicians, who seem to always have a ready answer, often not directed to answering the immediately preceding question.
Another bad habit is formed in conversations between people at evening dinner. They all have things they want to tell everyone at the table, and are chomping at the bit to get the floor. When they do, they take the converation into the new topic they came in with, rather than reply or embellish the topic of the last speaker.
Bad habits are harder to break than good habits are to form.
So, patience is an important characteristic, as well as ability to remember a thread of thought that has some length to it. You can't just work on the last bit of information you got.
One important characteristic of a critical thinker is metacognition - thinking about thinking. One must not only analyze as many aspects of the problem or situation as possible, but also analyze how one is approaching and thinking about the problem. Perhaps other approaches can be tried.
