This conceptualization of critical thinking has been refined and developed further by Richard Paul and Linder Elder into the Paul-Elder framework of critical thinking. Critical thinking - in being responsive to variable subject matter, issues, and purposes - is incorporated in a family of interwoven modes of thinking, among them: scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, and philosophical thinking." It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought implicit in all reasoning: purpose, problem, or question-at-issue, assumptions, concepts, empirical grounding reasoning leading to conclusions, implication and consequences, objections from alternative viewpoints, and frame of reference. Paul and Scriven go on to suggest that critical thinking is based on: "universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. Critical thinking has been described as an ability to question to acknowledge and test previously held assumptions to recognize ambiguity to examine, interpret, evaluate, reason, and reflect to make informed judgments and decisions and to clarify, articulate, and justify positions (Hullfish & Smith, 1961 Ennis, 1962 Ruggiero, 1975 Scriven, 1976 Hallet, 1984 Kitchener, 1986 Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991 Mines et al., 1990 Halpern, 1996 Paul & Elder, 2001 Petress, 2004 Holyoak & Morrison, 2005 among others).Īfter a careful review of the mountainous body of literature defining critical thinking and its elements, UofL has chosen to adopt the language of Michael Scriven and Richard Paul (2003) as a comprehensive, concise operating definition:Ĭritical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. The ability to think critically calls for a higher-order thinking than simply the ability to recall information.ĭefinitions of critical thinking, its elements, and its associated activities fill the educational literature of the past forty years.
0 kommentar(er)
