Welcome!
This website was developed by students for students. We aim to simplify the concept of critical thinking and examine the elements we use everyday that contribute to making us better thinkers.
What is critical thinking?
We hear the term "critical thinking" a lot in college these days. But what does it mean exactly? There is no universal definition for critical thinking, which is one of the reasons it's a hard concept to fully grasp. Below is a definition of critical thinking as defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking (yes such a council actually exists!).
According to Michael Scriven and Richard Paul:
"Critical 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."
Foundation for Critical Thinking Authors. "Defining Critical Thinking." Criticalthinking.org. Web. 24 April 2013
What that boils down to is critical thinking is an active process using different skills in order to solve problems.
If this still seems a bit foggy, below is a link to a brief YouTube video, that spells out critical thinking.
What is critical thinking?
We hear the term "critical thinking" a lot in college these days. But what does it mean exactly? There is no universal definition for critical thinking, which is one of the reasons it's a hard concept to fully grasp. Below is a definition of critical thinking as defined by the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking (yes such a council actually exists!).
According to Michael Scriven and Richard Paul:
"Critical 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."
Foundation for Critical Thinking Authors. "Defining Critical Thinking." Criticalthinking.org. Web. 24 April 2013
What that boils down to is critical thinking is an active process using different skills in order to solve problems.
If this still seems a bit foggy, below is a link to a brief YouTube video, that spells out critical thinking.
Why is critical thinking important?
Critical thinking is important for many reasons:
- on a daily basis we use it to solve problems and effectively communicate
- all areas of our life require critical thinking, whether it's simply driving a car or
putting together an effective presentation at work
- employers want problem solvers who can clearly communicate
How do we develop our critical thinking skills?
According to Scriven and Paul's definition above, we use observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication to build of critical thinking skills. We do these things on a daily basis without even realizing it. We have spent our whole lives developing our critical thinking skills, and through the above actions, they continue to expand and improve.
Breakdown of Critical Thinking: Visit our individual pages to see how these skills contribute to our critical thinking:
Observation, Experience, Reflection, Reasoning, Communication
Try the link below to view The Foundation For Critical Thinking web site, where you can learn everything you need to know about critical thinking.