What Is Critical Thinking and How To Apply It

Critical thinking is an intellectual discipline in which the ability to critically evaluate and assess information, observations, experiences, and theoretical knowledge from a variety of fields and perspectives are paramount. In this sense, critical thinking can be said to be a form of mental preparation prior to undertaking a specific task. As such, it is a basic tool for learning. As any teacher will tell you, it is extremely important to teach from a “warts and all” perspective – that is, from the “heart and lungs” of the subject matter. In this regard, critical thinking is the most skillful, intellectually rigorous method of actively and efficiently synthesizing, reviewing, examining, synthesizing, critically examining, synthesizing, building upon, and ultimately accepting and applying the information garnered from observations, experience, analysis, reasoning, communication, or experience, as a guiding principle to action and belief…

In light of this, any successful teacher will tell you that critical thinking, in the form of teaching, is a process in which the critical thinker synthesizes, through an extended process, the “guts” and meat of the material presented to the class. This being so, any examination service that claims to provide “exam help” or has made itself responsible for giving students an “examination” needs to make sure that they’re doing their job right. Examining a curriculum, materials, notes, test samples, etc. is not enough! This examination must be a fair and even-handed examination of all that is presented. No side points should be favored over another nor any personal opinion allowed in this process.

Indeed, a good examination service will strive to avoid creating an “expert view,” which is nothing more than a hasty and inaccurate critical thinking session about the selected material. Rather, every point raised during this “expert view” must be considered based on the facts, evidence and arguments presented. Any and all opinions must be grounded in solid foundational principles and factual data. This process does not allow for the “opinion” side of critical thinking, but rather requires the critical thinker to build upon other peoples’ and evidence-based arguments and perspectives in order to arrive at the best possible solution to whatever problem they are faced with.

What is the proper definition of critical thinking skills? It is an ability to learn, analyze, evaluate, weigh, compare, contrast and synthesize. A good example of this process in action would be a teacher presenting a student’s research findings on a given topic. The teacher has the opportunity to either endorse the data, discuss the study methodologies, draw relevant inferences, rebut the arguments presented against it, or offer their own opinion(s) in support of the topic.

So, how can teachers enhance their critical thinking skills for the classroom assessment process? First, they should make sure that they fully understand the entire methodology and focus on both supporting and invalidating the evidence presented. Next, they should know how to communicate their findings and incorporate them into the lesson plans or discussion topics, allowing for the exchange of questions and concerns from students. In essence, teachers are being engaged in a dialogue with their students about the research and its implications. Finally, they need to know how to apply the techniques they have just learned and should always include some form of a caveat for “if you disagree with my conclusions you cannot take my argument seriously.” Of course, the teacher should always have specific reasons for disagreeing and should provide a logical explanation as to why they are disagreeing.

These days, it seems that everyone, from students to teachers and even employers are using critical thinking skills. Why? The reason is that critical thinking skills are important not only in everyday life but also in the classroom, office environment, and in the world at large. Critical thinking involves the ability to think objectively, draw valid conclusions based on evidence and to defend those conclusions logically.

So what do we mean by being critical? Well, just being critical requires us to be interested in what we are evaluating; it does not require that we enjoy the process. Furthermore, being critical is not related to our personal opinion of a person, topic, idea, or situation; rather, it is related to an attitude of openness to new ideas and evidence that may challenge our original beliefs. Just as critical thinking requires the ability to be open to new information and reasoning, it also requires that we be intellectually disciplined enough to form and maintain appropriate critical thinking habits. In other words, if you want to learn to think critically, then you need to spend some time developing your intellectual discipline.

Finally, and most importantly, critical thinking skills are not about having a particular opinion or a point of view; rather, they are about researching, evaluating and then respectfully engaging with ideas and data that may support and oppose your initial conclusions. It is a good idea to develop a set of questions for yourself that you ask yourself when examining any issue, topic, or situation. Then, if the answers that you find are consistent with your previously stated critical thinking skills, then you are on the right track! Remember, learning to think critically starts with asking questions!