Why is Teaching Critical Thinking Important?
After looking at what constitutes critical thinking, it is then prudent to inspect why it is important to teach. These reasons include:
- Improving learning via critical thinking skills ("learning is the most important goal of schooling (Kassem, 2000)")
- Liberating the mind by creating "competent" and "independent" judges (Siegel, 1980)
- Sustaining democracy since critical thought "sustains, builds, and perpetuates the democracy (Abrami, et al., 2008)"
- Providing economic opportunities as "people with well-developed critical thinking skills are in high demand (Willingham, 2008)"
- Enabling people to keep pace with the modern, ever-changing world
Improving Learning
Liberating the Mind
Another important reason for teaching critical thought is its liberating effect. By becoming critical thinkers, students are given the ability to think as individuals, to analyze, and to critically assess information which in turn allows them to be positive actors in their own lives and in the world around them. Without critical thought people would be subject to “unjustified beliefs, unsupportable attitudes, and paucity of abilities which can prevent that person from competently taking charge of his or her own life (Siegel, 1980).” Critical thinking skills give the ability to prevent this and instead of being hampered by unsound thinking people are given the empowered to pursue their own ends. By teaching critical thought we give the ability “to scrutinize the evidence and judge independently the rightness of our claims. In this way the student becomes a competent judge; more importantly, the student becomes an independent judge (Siegel, 1980).” This liberation puts people in control of their own lives and allows them to make the best personal and rational decisions based on the information at hand.