Foundations Newsletter

The term Critical Thinking is familiar to most educators, however, in some studies (Paul, Elder, & Bartell, 1996) it was found that 89% of the teachers interviewed asserted that critical thinking was an important objective in education, but only 19% were able to give a clear explanation of critical thinking. In the case of EFL, teachers emphasizing new words, new grammatical structures and difficult sentences is the norm, but often, the deeper understanding of the texts students encounter in the classroom is neglected. In an era of information, learners must develop the ability to criticize, question, evaluate and reflect on the information they receive through the different media in society. How then do we develop the ability to think critically?

The Question of a Definition.

There are many definitions of the term (Ralston et al (2015)), but, despite the differences, the three key elements found in all of them are reasoning, judging and reflecting. Reflection and reasoning lead to the belief in the validity of a premise, a process or a solution to a problem. Therefore, critical thinking develops conclusions by deducing, or inferring answers to questions and then reflecting on the quality of the reasoning; this process leads to an action based on those conclusions.

An Operational Framework

Critical thinking is a skill that must be developed providing opportunities for reflection and feedback since meta-cognitive processes of higher thinking in diverse contexts are involved.  Using critical thinking, or demonstrating critical thinking, is not the same as teaching students to think critically.

Paul and Elder, (2008) and Paul et al, (2006), in Ralston et al (2015), came up with an eight-element-operational framework which clarifies the building blocks of thinking; these blocks are used by anyone who examines, analyzes, and reflects on intellectual work. The elements (see Paul & Elder (2008), in Ralston et al (2015)) are embodied in these questions:

• What is the purpose? (of the exercise, discussion or argument)
• What is the point of view? (of each participant, group, or entity)
• What are the assumptions? (the inherent premises of the argument)
• What are the implications? (of the reasoning, or assumptions)
• What information is missing, or needed to reach a conclusion?
• What inferences are being made?
• What is the most fundamental concept put forward by the participants?
• What is the specific questions being answered?

According to these authors, the application of this framework is what transforms common/general/everyday thinking into Critical Thinking.

Development of the Skill.

Critical thinking abilities can be developed by integrating the following activities into the everyday class (ZHOU, J et al (2015):

• Interpreting (understanding the purpose of the writing by summarizing the main idea(s))
• Analyzing (asking what the implied meaning given by the author is; distinguishing between facts and opinions and; observing different points of view within the text)
• Evaluating (judging the authenticity of the information; comparing one’s own opinion with that of the author and; judging the rationality of the text)
• Inferencing (predicting from the titles and subtitles; asking what the reasonable inferences are and; asking what the implicit conclusions may be)
• Explaining (expressing one’s own opinion; asking whether there are reasonable arguments to support ideas and; writing comments about the text)
• Applying self-regulation (correcting unreasonable inferences and; verifying one’s own point of view by researching relevant material)

In order to achieve all of the above, teachers must ask the learners to give opinions on the text, find reasonable arguments to support their opinions, question the opinion(s) of the writer and:

• Cultivate interest in reading
• Develop good reading habits in the learners
• Enlarge vocabulary in different areas
• Widen the variety of the texts
• Enrich background knowledge
• Promote the expression of ideas about the text(s)
• Promote the provision of explanations by the learners
• Promote critical thinking activities as a tool for teaching

For a specific methodology that can be used see:

• The Effectiveness of the Socratic Method In Developing Critical Thinking.
• Dog Bite Reflections– The Socratic Method Revisited,
• How to Teach Critical Thinking

Bibliography.

Jensen, Roger, D. The Effectiveness of the Socratic Method in Developing Critical Thinking Skills in English Language Learners. Master’s Degree Dissertation, Grace University. 2005.

Karabulut, U.S. How to Teach Critical Thinking in Social Studies Education: An Examination of Three NCSS Journals. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, Issue 49, Fall 2012, 197-214.

Ralston, P. et al. Critical Thinking Development in Undergraduate Engineering Students from Freshman Through Senior Year: A 3-Cohort Longitudinal Study. American Journal of Engineering Education. Vol. 6, No. 2. December 2005.

Toledo, C.A. Dog Bite Reflections—Socratic Questioning Revisited. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, V. 7, No. 2, pages 275 – 279. 2015.

Zhou, Jie et al. The investigation of Critical Thinking Ability in EFL Reading Class. English Language Teaching; Vol. 8, No.1;2015.