What is Critical Thinking?
“Anyone who wants to understand the field of teaching thinking or, even more so, to apply it in the classroom, is paralyzed by the abundance of theories of good thinking and its teaching (Harpaz, 2011).”
One of the main problems associated with critical thought is the mire of competing definitions and usages. This is not a new problem as various historical thinkers have offered their opinion ranging from Socrates to Francis Bacon to Descartes (Paul, Elder, & Bartell, 1997). Contemporary thinkers have added to the confusion (Abrami, et al., 2008; Bailin, 2002; Ennis, 1991; Paul, Elder, & Bartell, 1997; Pithers & Soden, 2000; Daniel & Auriac, 2011; Vieira, Tenreiro-Vieira, & Martins, 2011). However, I will focus only on the following notable interpretations:
John Dewey
Richard Paul
Robert Ennis
Others
Image: Kassem, C. L. (2000, Winter). Implementation of a
School-Wide Approach to Critical Thinking Instruction. American Secondary
Education, 29(2), 26-36. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41064423