Application of Critical Thinking on Teaching

Wang+Jianhui

【Abstract】Critical thinking is an important element of all professional fields and academic disciplines. For all the great works， critical thinking plays an important role， critical thinking is a process of consideration and understanding of the known problem and the information receiver will consider and evaluate the problem in new ways. As a teacher， there is an important task that is foster the ability of “critical thinking”， we must always willing and ready to accept the students doubts and always cultivate their critical thinking abilities. We also need to doubt， correct and improve ourselves； this is a very good way to enhance our teaching.

【Key words】critical thinking； academic discipline； cultivate； tips

I. Definition of critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to consider a range of information derived from many different sources， to process this information in a creative and logical manner. Challenging it， analyzing it and arriving at considered conclusions which can be defended and justified. It is the questioning and assertion backed up with evidence. it involves not accepting everything as read but it is a process of asking why something is the way it is， working ones way through a problem， it is the evaluation of the work of writers of articles， journals or books and the use of serial sources of written information； comparing of ideas from different writings， questioning practice through theory， embedding thinking in the practice. It has been narrowly described as “the correct assessing of statements”， it has also been described humorously as "thinking about thinking.

II. Importance of critical thinking

Critical thinking is an important element of all professional fields and academic disciplines. The concepts and principles of critical thinking can be applied to any context or case but only by reflecting upon the nature of that application. Critical thinking forms， therefore， a system of related， and overlapping， modes of thought thinking like a painter， sculptor， engineer， business person， etc. It is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze， evaluate， and restructure their thinking， thereby reducing the risk of adopting， acting on， or thinking with， a false or incomplete belief. However， even with knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning， mistakes can happen due to a thinker's inability to apply the methods or because of character traits such as egocentrism. Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice，bias， propaganda， self-deception， distortion， misinformation， etc. Given research in cognitive psychology， some educators believe that schools should focus on teaching their students critical thinking skills and cultivation of intellectual traits.endprint

III. Principles of critical thinking

At the practice of critical thinking， we should submit to some principles， in this chapter the author will show the most basic principles of critical thinking：

Willingness to criticize oneself

Critical thinking is about being both willing and able to evaluate one's thinking. Thinking might be criticized because one does not have all the relevant information – indeed， important information may remain undiscovered， or the information may not even be knowable – or because one makes unjustified inferences， uses inappropriate concepts， or fails to notice important factors. One's thinking may be unclear， inaccurate， imprecise， irrelevant， narrow， shallow， illogical， or trivial. Due to ignorance or misapplication of the appropriate learned skills of thinking， a person must always be ready to criticize himself.

Reflective thought

The concept “reflective thought” was introduced by John Dewey in 1910 in his “How We Think”， a work designed for teachers. “Active， persistent， and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends”.

The deliberation characteristic of strong critical thinking associates critical thinking with the reflective aspect of human reasoning. Those who would seek to improve our individual and collective capacity to engage problems using strong critical thinking skills are， therefore， recommending that we bring greater reflection and deliberation to decision making. Critical thinking is based on self-corrective concepts and principles， not on hard and fast， or step-by-step， procedures.

IV. Applications of critical thinking in teaching

The key of the significance of critical thinking in academics is in understanding the significance of critical thinking in learning. There are two meanings to the learning of this content. The first occurs when learners （for the first time） construct in their minds the basic ideas， principles， and theories that are inherent in content. This is a process of internalization. The second occurs when learners effectively use those ideas， principles， and theories as they become relevant in learners' lives. This is a process of application. Good teachers cultivate critical thinking （intellectually engaged thinking） at every stage of learning， including initial learning. This process of intellectual engagement is at the heart of the Oxford， Durham， Cambridge and London School of Economics tutorials. The tutor questions the students， often in a Socratic manner （see for students to excel at thinking critically， especially at the graduate level and in research， where it is crucial， they must be taught not how to know the answer， but how to ask the question. As Schwartz explains in "The importance of stupidity in scientific research， researchers must embrace what they do not know. Critical thinking is a primary tool in approaching this.endprint

7-RES

Re-view： when you view the thing you saw before for a second time， you will see a thing differently.

Re-cognize： there are many different ways in coping with the encounters， find the best solution for you and value it.

Re-organize： for the already known elements you can recombine them and find the most suitable way.

Re-apply： for the found idea， using it again in a new and different context and find out the suitableness of the way

Re-tell： just like the “reapply”， saying it again in a new way and find our the suitableness of this way.

Re-draft： for all the new ideas， you all need to revise， clarify and re-evaluate it， and make best use of it.

Re-creation： this is the impetus for your thinking， this can make your task fun and easier.

The “PEER” method used for critical thinking

for “PEER” every letters represents a procedure for the critical thinking： “P” is the first step of the whole procedure， that is “make a Point”， the second step is “give Evidence or Example to prove your point”， the next “E” is “give an Explanation of what you are saying”；the last “R” is “Respond with an evaluation or personal view”.

VI.Conclusion：

For students to excel at thinking critically， especially at the graduate level and in research， where it is crucial， they must be taught not how to know the answer， but how to ask the question. as a teacher， imparting knowledge is important but what is more important is leading the students thinking， thinking independently and critically， and only in this way， can they achieve more in their college life.

Reference：

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