Critical Thinking Reviewed

Abstract

            A review of critical thinking skills in the week’s required readings, posts, and discussions with colleagues revealed various definitions and viewpoints. While critical thinking is essential in everything we do in life, this week demonstrated why it is necessary for us as researchers and doctoral students. Success in a doctoral program requires learners to be cultivated critical thinkers with skills to generate analytical, logical, precise, and clear thinking; these skills include an ability to look at all angles of an issue, to discern the effectiveness of support for ideas, to identify biases, and to generate new solutions in response to the challenges of professional leadership.

Treatment

            Numerous researchers have put forth definitions of critical thinking. Our cohort identified aspects of these definitions that resounded with us.  One member observed that critical thinking practice leads to transformation. This change is brought about by incorporation of core intellectual skills such as observation, analysis, inference, and evaluation (“Critical thinking,” 2011, “Skills,” para. 1), as well as by character based skills such as empathy, integrity, courage, and perseverance (“Critical thinking,” 2011, “Habits or traits of mind,” para. 2). In contrast, another member put forth that innovation was an indicator of critical thinking development. A highly skilled mind trained to analyze and interpret data and create solutions through innovative means is the gold standard of a great society. For me, the most striking of the critical thinking qualities were being inquisitive, asking questions, and continued practice. Paul & Elder (2001) unite these concepts in their definition of critical thinking found on their website, the Critical Thinking Community. Additionally, they contend, as did an instructor this week, that most thinking if left unchecked “is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced” (Paul & Elder, 2001, “The Problem,” para 1). Therefore, a cultivated critical thinker is one who works to identify, monitor, and improve the quality of their thinking daily recognizing the influence of bias.

The various viewpoints on critical thinking are also encapsulated in this video:

 

 Conclusion

            Although varying viewpoints of critical thinking exist, a unifying concept is that it is a lifelong process that requires constant practice. The ideal critical thinker is aware of the biases that exist in their thinking and actively monitors this. They analyze, assess, strategize, and change as necessary when new information is presented. As articulated this week, the ideal critical thinker is an innovative transformational leader.

Sources

Critical thinking [Video file]. (2009). Retrieved February 20 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg

Critical thinking. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2001). Our Concept of Critical Thinking. The Critical Thinking Community. Retrieved February 20, 2011 from http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/ourConceptCT.cfm