Critical Thinking

  Critical thinking is a topic that frequently comes up in the world of education. As teachers, we are often asked to make sure our students are thinking critically and to ensure we are providing them with opportunities to practice their critical thinking skills. But what actually is critical thinking beyond just thinking deeper? Robert Ennis (2011, pg. 5) gives a detailed description of his idea for critical thinking, but he mainly defines it as “reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.” Paul and Elder (1993, pg. 4) describe critical thinking as “the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.” 

We can teach our students critical thinking skills in many different ways to turn them into independent critical thinkers. Ennis (2011) gives many great strategies, one simple one being Reflection, Reasons, and Alternatives, or RRA. You can encourage your students to be reflective by asking them to stop and think about something before they quickly come to a conclusion, answer, or idea. Students can be encouraged to give reasons by asking questions such as “How do you know?” or “What are the reasons?” Alternatives focus on being aware of possible alternative solutions, points of view, answers, etc. 

Nicholas Provenzano gives some great suggestions for fostering critical thinking in his article Helping Students Hone Their Critical Thinking. He incorporates elements similar to RRA that Ennis shares, and although it is geared towards secondary school students many elements could be applied to elementary school as well. 

One way we can help teach and foster critical thinking is by making time for reflection (Provenzano, 2023). Encouraging students to slow down and think about what they think and believe. One great way to help teach reflective thinking is by modeling it as the teacher. I will often “think out loud” with my third-grade students so that they know exactly what my thought process is and what reflection might look like. 

Another great way to encourage critical thinking skills is by asking open-ended questions (Provenzano, 2023). Open-ended questions require students to stop and think about the answer which in turn prompts more reflective thinking. Provenzano (2023) suggests having students write answers to open-ended questions in a journal independently first, and then having students share their thoughts in small groups or as a whole class. This allows students to answer the question on their own, but still hear what others thought of the same question. 

One of my favorite ways that Provenzano (2023) suggests for teaching critical thinking is providing diverse perspectives. Paul and Elder (1993) talk about the value of identifying and appreciating other points of view. A good critical thinker is someone who can not only see and understand others' points of view and perspectives but also seek them out. Every student comes from a different background and has different experiences and perspectives. One way you can encourage students to share their perspectives is by bringing in guest speakers who come from diverse backgrounds or utilizing diverse texts and resources that show varying viewpoints on a topic. 

Critical thinking incorporates skills that students benefit from in the classroom and beyond. In order to be good critical thinkers students need lots of practice, and as teachers, we have the opportunity to create an environment where students can learn and practice these skills. 

References

Ennis, R. (2011). Critical thinking: Reflection and perspective part II. Inquiry: Critical Thinking 

Across the Disciplines, 26(2), 5–19.

Paul, R., Elder, L. (1993). The miniature guide to critical thinking: Concepts and tools.

Provenzano, N. (2023, March 23). Helping students hone their critical thinking skills. Edutopia. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-critical-thinking-middle-high-school