Critical Thinking
As a Respiratory Instructor I find it difficult to encourage students to use critical thinking skills. I am not sure if it is due to the lack of knowledge of what critical thinking is.
Katrina,
I think it probably is due to lack of experience with critical thinking opportunities. This is why I use a lot of case studies to help my students to think critically and propose solutions to problems. The more they can do this the better prepared they are going to be when they enter their field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
According to Bloom's Taxonomy of critical thinking skills, knowledge is the lowest level of thinking skills. Based on knowledge, students must progress to applying the knowledge in order to explain, interpret, and relate the why and how of things in the case. Students must correlate the consequences of the effect to the causal factors, they can then defend their choice of action and modify where it needs to be improved.
Teresita,
Good points about how just having knowledge does not make you a critical thinker. Students often mistake the fact that they passed a test with being critical thinkers. This is not the case as we know. We need to help them see how they need to explore different ways of approaching a problem and then proposing solutions that will fit within the confines of the situation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The ability to regurgitate knowledge does not equate to understanding. Critical thinking means that one would need to take that knowledge and through reasoning apply that knowledge to the situation you are in.
Pattara,
You make a very good point about application. This is what critical thinking is about. Those individuals that can do critical and reflective thinking will be sought out and moved up in the work world.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
