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Teaching
Critical Thinking
As educators, we often face the question addressed by Marilyn Cairns of Northeastern University in her article "Which should we teach, critical thinking or the facts?" We need to recognize, as Craig Nelson of Indiana University did, that sometimes there is a tradeoff between content and critical thinking and that less content and more critical thinking in the classroom will generate a better educated student. In addition, we as faculty defeat ourselves by maintaining a skewed sense of what should happen in the classroom and what we can expect from our students. By taking the time to teach critical and creative thinking skills to students, we are not only teaching them the skills that will help them to learn any discipline on their own, we are also teaching them to persevere as they work their way up the ladder and grapple with the most challenging encounters in their fields and in their everyday lives. Students can become responsible learners who will, in turn, influence others to carry the same critical and creative thinking torch. This
section of the Think Bank focuses on educational trends related to
teaching critical thinking. Here you will find a template for using Bloom's
taxonomy to write lesson plans promoting the use of critical thinking;
tactics for teaching problem-solving; and links to metacognition-related
resources. As you try some of the ideas for increasing your students'
critical and creative thinking skills, you will no doubt find your own
thinking skills enhanced as well!
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