Critical Thinking in Classroom
Critical thinking is recognised as one of the 4 skills of the 21st Century. It is also a widely used term in different education spaces. But what is critical thinking? And how do we help our students become critical thinkers in the classroom and beyond.
Let’s begin by understanding the term ‘critical thinking’. The word critical should not be viewed as a negative term but in fact refers to the ability to evaluate thoughts, opinions and ideas. When we critically think about something, we are thinking about how we think about it i.e. we are practicing metacognition. As a critical thinker, one looks at the situation, an opinion or an idea, evaluates different propositions and perspectives and then reaches a conclusion.
An example of what this would look like is asking a student why they chose one method over the other in solving a mathematical problem and letting them explain their thought process, another example could be sharing their opinion backed with evidence about historical events in the classroom.
Critical thinkers are able to use deductive reasoning and logic to arrive at a conclusion. They are able to identify their own biases and are able to make decisions based on data and evidence. They are also open to learning and seek multiple perspectives before forming their own conclusions.
No wonder it is an important skill for everyone. When we help students develop critical thinking, we are preparing them for the real world.
Here are some ways we can help students develop critical thinking in the classroom:
Asking the Tough Questions: More often than not, classroom discussions are limited to questions around comprehension. Move beyond the comprehension to questions that encourage deeper thinking. Ask the tough questions, the why’s and not just the what’s.
Project based learning: Use project based learning where students collaborate, another important skill, and work with each other to explore a real world problem or challenge and come up with a solution.
Inquiry based learning: Rather than the traditional format of presenting the information and facts to students, use inquiry based learning where you present the class with scenarios, problems or questions and engage students in high level questioning. Inquiry based learning helps students make real world connections and promote active learning and critical thinking.
Independent Learners: Promote autonomy in learning by giving students choices and options of what they want to learn. When students are curious about something they will be more motivated to explore it in detail.
Model Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is a skill. For students to be able to build it, they need to know what it looks like in action. Use lesson plans and conversations with students to model critical thinking. For example, in a language class, you can model how to share their review of a book with the help of evidence.
Critical thinking prepares students for their lives by helping them make rational decisions about various choices they will be making in the future. Therefore we must be deliberate in modeling and teaching the same in our classrooms.
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