PROLOGUE
ACTIVE LEARNING
From: Psychology in Action, Huffman et al., 4th
edition
THE CRITICAL THINKING PROCESS
Affective Components-the emotional foundation that either
enables or limits critical thinking.
Valuing truth above self-interest.
Critical
thinkers hold themselves and those they agree with to the same intellectual
standards to which they hold their opponents.
Accepting cbange.
Critical
thinkers remain open to the need for adjustment and adaptation throughout the
life cycle. Because critical thinkers
fully trust the processes of reasoned inquiry, they are willing to use these
skills to examine even their most deeply held values and beliefs, and to modify
these beliefs when evidence and experience contradict them.
Emphathizing.
Critical
thinkers appreciate and try to understand others' thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. Noncritical
thinkers view everything and everyone in relation to the self.
Welcoming divergent views.
Critical
thinkers value examining issues from every angle and know that it is especially
important to explore and understand positions with which they disagree.
Tolerating ambiguity.
Although formal education often trains us to look for a
single "right" answer, critical thinkers recognize that many issues
are complex and subtle, and that complex issues may not have a
"right" answer. They recognize
and value qualifiers such as "probably," "highly likely,"
and not very likely."
Recognizing personal biases. Critical thinkers use their highest intellectual skills
to detect personal biases and self-deceptive reasoning so they can design
realistic plans for self-correction.
Cognitive
Components-the thought processes actually involved in critical thinking
Thinking independently.
Critical thinking is independent thinking. Critical thinkers do not passively accept the
beliefs of others and are not easily manipulated.
Defining problems accurately. A critical thinker identifies the issues in clear and concrete terms, to prevent confusion and lay the foundation for gathering relevant information.
Analyzing data for value and content. By carefully evaluating the nature of evidence and the
credibility of the source, critical thinkers recognize illegitimate appeals to
emotion, unsupported assumptions, and faulty logic. This enables them to discount sources of
information that lack a record of honesty, contradict themselves on key
questions, or have a vested interest in selling a product or idea.
Employing a variety of thinking processes in problem solving. Among these thinking processes are inductive
logic -reasoning that moves from the specific to the general; deductive logic-reasoning that moves
from the general to the specific; dialogical
thinking-thinking that involves an extended verbal exchange between
differing points of view or frames of reference; and dialectical thinking-thinking that tests the strengths and
weaknesses of opposing points of view.
Synthesizing.
Critical thinkers recognize that comprehension and
understanding result from combining various elements into meaningful patterns.
Resisting overgeneralization. Overgeneralization is the temptation to apply a fact or
experience to situations that are only superficially similar.
Employing metacognition. Metacognition, also known as reflective or recursive thinking, involves reviewing and
analyzing your own mental processes-thinking about your own thinking-
Behavioral Components--the actions necessary for critical thinking.
Delaying
judgment until adequate data is available.
A critical thinker does not make snap judgments.
Employing precise terms. Precise terms help critical thinkers identify issues
clearly and concretely so they can be objectively defined and empirically
tested.
Gatbering data.
Collecting up-to-date, relevant information on all
sides of an issue is a priority before making decisions.
Distinguishing fact from opinion.
Facts
are statements that can be proven true.
Opinions are statements that express how a person feels about an issue
or what someone thinks is true.
Encouraging critical dialogue.
Critical thinkers are active
questioners who challenge existing facts and opinions and welcome questions In
return. Socratic questioning is an
important type of critical dialogue in which the questioner deeply probes the
meaning, justification, or logical strength of a claim, position, or line of
reasoning.
Listening actively.
Critical
thinkers fully engage their thinking skills when listening to another.
Modifying judgments in light of new
information.
Critical
thinkers are willing to abandon or modify their judgments if later evidence or
experience contradicts them.
Applying knowledge to new situations.
When critical
thinkers master a new skill or experience an insight, they transfer this
information to new contexts. Noncritical thinkers can often provide correct answers,
repeat definitions, and carry out calculations, yet be unable to transfer their
knowledge to new situations because of a basic lack of understanding.
A great many
people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their
prejudices.
W i I I i
a m j a m e s