The 21st century is an era whereas a massive change in all areas. This
change will occur continuously. Education is also experiencing the impact of
these changes. Orientation of education have to change direction to focus on
the future for create a superior generation that are able to critically assess
the situation and adapt in new environments. One of the competencies needed in
the 21st century is the ability to think critically. In line with this, the
learning in school should be directed to develop student's critical thinking
skills. Therefore, the teacher as a facilitator must be able to perform the
learning process that facilitates students to develop their critical thinking
skills.
Perceptions of critical thinking are highly varied and not always based
on an informed understanding of the identity and nature of critical thinking. We
can say that critical thinking is the intellectually disciplines process of
actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing,
and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and
action. Profile of critical thinker as this following:
Critical Thinking
|
Non-Critical Thinking
|
|
Epistemological Standpoint:
|
• shades
of gray - strives for depth
• interdisciplinary
• knowledge
is open
• knowledge
is intertwined with thinking
|
• black
and white - superficial level
• uni-
or adisciplinary
• knowledge
is closed
• knowledge
is independent of thinking
|
Modes of Inquiry:
|
• rational
and consistent
• strives
to learn how to think
• holistic/webbed
• original/insightful
• multiple
frames of reference
|
• irrational
and inconsistent
• strives
to learn what to think
• uni-disciplinary/linear
• relies
on second-hand information
• one
or very limited frames of reference
|
Concrete Strategies for Thinking:
|
• suspends
closure
• explores/probes
• questions
• fair-minded
• active
• collaborative/communal
• precise
language
|
• strives
for closure
• dogmatic/avoiding
• doubting
• ego/ethnocentric/emotional
• passive
• authoritative
• vague
language
|
Habitual nature of learning process right now are: (1) teachers tend to
teach the way they were taught which is content acquisition valued over
learning process, (2) students tend to learn only what will be assessed with time,
attention and focus geared at factual learning, and (3) assessments tend to
emphasize content over thought with questions designed around ease of grading,
textbook knowledge, time-constraints of testing, etc.
Periodically, teachers have to reflect their learning process. They
can make the following questions: (1) how do I teach? (2) What does my classroom
experience look like? (3) What strategies am I currently using to promote
critical thinking? (4) Is my teaching method effectively meeting my critical
thinking goals? (5) How do I know that my students are utilizing critical
thinking strategies?
When learning takes place, the teachers should give students opportunity
to ask and answer questions. They expose students to varying opinions and
resources, encourage multiple solutions, not one right answer. Students try to frame
the real problems and solve them.
Finally, to develop student's critical thinking skills, teachers can make
over the learning process by change the goal, that is to create opportunities
to teach critical thinking in their learning.
They can select at least two of the following to accomplish in the next
45 minutes: (1) revise their learning
description to communicate how critical thinking will be integrated in their
learning, (2) rewrite learning objectives to reflect teaching for critical
thinking, (3) create/modify assignments to teach for critical thinking, (4) develop critical thinking evaluation tools for their learning, and (5) develop/modify a specific lesson to teach for critical think. (MP)
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