What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking has so many characters that we can practice in our daily teaching.

1. Critical Thinking examines assumptions (Epstein, 2003).
Assumptions people made usually based on their culture. For example people from low-context culture tend to think that to be direct when speaking is better. So, critical thinking helps us to be objective.

2. Critical Thinking is a thinking that is free (as free as possible) from bias and prejudice (Haskins, 2006)
Critical thinking requires us to understand things in their context.

3. Critical Thinking distinguishes fact from opinion (Debela & Fang, 2008)
When we think that someone is rude, it doesn't mean that he is really rude. Sometimes, his behavior shows his culture. It is okay if we see from his culture, but somehow, when we compare it to our culture, his behavior is rude.

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4. Critical Thinkers Imagine and Explore Alternatives (Brookfield, 1987)
To understand someone's intentions, it is necessary to understand their perspective.

5. Critical Thinking is based on "universal intellectual values" (Scriven & Paul, n.d.):
Clarity: Think Clearly.
Accuracy: Base our thinking on the correct information.
Consistency: Apply a rule to all similar contexts.
Depth: Consider information deeper, not only the surface.
Breadth: Consider a wide range of information.
Fairness: be fair.

6. Critical Thinking is a Process (Debela & Fang, 2008)
Critical thinking is a process, it takes time.

7. Critical Thinking can be learned and taught (Debela & Fang, 2008)
Critical thinking can be broken down into steps, this is how it can be learned and taught.

References:

Brookfield, S. (1987) Developing critical thinkers: challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Debela, N., & Fang, B. (2008). Using discussions to promote critical thinking in an online environment. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 72-77. Retrieved from http://www.iiisci.org/journal/cv$/sci/pdfs/e183sl.pdf

Epstein, R. L. (2003). The pocket guide to critical thinking. (2nd ed.) Toronto, Ontario: Wadsworth. Haskins, G. R. (2006). A practical guide to critical thinking. Retrieved November 22, 2006, from
http://www.skepdic.com/essays/haskins.pdf

Scriven, M. & Paul, R. (n.d.) Defining critical thinking. Retrieved November 22, 2006, from
http://www.criticalthinking.org/