Development of critical thinking. What is critical thinking and is it possible to develop it? How to develop critical thinking

Criticism is applicable to any field of activity. In essence, this is an attitude towards the environment, often of a negative nature. But there is a type of thinking called critical, which does not have the goal of finding bad things in the objects under consideration. This part of mental activity is designed to perceive at a high level, understand reality and treat it objectively. There is also a technology for developing critical thinking. Its essence is that everyone can assess the degree of reliability of the information received and form a system of analytical views regarding its interpretation and substantiation of conclusions.

Origin of the term

The idea of ​​critical thinking dates back to ancient times. It comes from the work of Socrates, who 2500 years ago declared: no one can depend on authorities. After all, they can behave far from rationally. An idea must arise before it can be trusted. Socrates proved that the search for evidence is very important. The most popular method of teaching critical thinking is “Socratic questioning,” which brings clarity and logic.

The practice of Socrates and the skepticism of Aristotle were developed by Plato. A tradition has emerged of thinking systematically on the path to comprehending deep realities. Skepticism arose in the writings of philosophers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The profundity of antiquity was developed by them. Methods for developing critical thinking have evolved into an understanding of the power of information, the importance of its careful collection, and proper use. And the resources of such a mentality have increased thanks to the contribution.

Why be able to think critically

The technology for developing critical thinking and applying it to reality is used in many areas. This is the basis for acquiring the ability to reason and make decisions. The technique helps you think purposefully. In the educational field, it develops the following abilities in students:

• observation;
• synthesis and analysis;
• induction and deduction;
• choice from many options;
• logic in reasoning;
• concretization from abstract concepts.

The ability to think critically makes it possible to perceive information objectively and gives the right to doubt. The data can be presented in the form of a hypothesis that needs evidence.

Development of critical thinking as a pressing problem of our time

By developing critical abilities, a person can correlate his existing data or knowledge with experience, compare them with those that have appeared from other sources. Problems arise every day, and therefore it is necessary to consider various possible solutions. This requires a balanced approach to the options.

Critical thinking is characterized by the following number of parameters:

• Having received data, the reflector is at the beginning of the process, but not at the end of it.
• First you need to pose a number of questions, find out what problems need to be solved.
• Arguments must be convincing.
• Critical thinking is its social variety.

A person who has developed this ability is knowledgeable and gives fair assessments. He is not afraid of difficulties, he is ready to rethink the problem and find out the state of things.

The emergence and development of critical thinking against the background of information flows is of particular relevance. A person acquires a number in the field of research culture.

Technologies for developing critical thinking

The methodology for achieving successful results in education has been developed by the International Reading Association. This is a technology for developing critical thinking - a set of techniques aimed at teaching subjects. With its help you can gain the following skills.

• For processing growing information flows.
• Formulating your thoughts in the correct form.
• Forming your own opinion based on experience and understanding it.
• Problem solving, learning ability.
• On collaboration in a team,

The ideas that underpin the development of critical thinking through reading and writing (CRCT) lie in the interaction between the teacher and the learner. It is necessary to develop analytical and creative approaches to acquired knowledge in students. At the same time, the purpose of training is the education of the individual, not the process. The teacher must first make the student capable of learning.

An individual with developed critical thinking cannot be controlled. After all, such a mindset is goal-oriented, and a person who possesses it gives adequate assessments of situations.

Development includes the following 3 stages:

• Challenge is the phase of generalization, activation, etc. Search for goals for the perception of new things. For example, the audience needs to be interested and.
• Comprehension is a period of assimilation of new knowledge, its analysis and addition to existing ones for systematization. When working with text, markings, tables, and individual notes are used.
• Reflection is a stage of reflection at which one’s own opinion is taken into account, gaps are filled and one’s own position is formed based on arguments. Knowledge is put into practice, discussions are held and points of view are exchanged.

Technology uses various techniques. Let's consider those that successfully shape the criticality of the mind.

Using reflective technologies in development

Techniques for developing critical thinking at its third stage - reflection - are aimed at testing students. And also on their own analysis of the achievement of their goals, the search for solutions.

• When analyzing, new things become clearer and a further learning path is built. The greatest benefit comes from verbal or written form, where you can give structure to the material.
• When exchanging points of view, differences in assessments of the same text are realized. Some judgments are acceptable to learn, while others are subject to debate. The advantages of the technology for developing a critical mind at the reflection stage are that the skills are truly consolidated.
• A combination of individual and group processes. Sharing ideas broadens your vocabulary and understanding. Dialogues show the teacher a diversity of opinions.

The advantages of this technology for the development of critical thinking are realized through methods, including essay writing (a genre of journalism). The student reflects in writing his experiences and impressions on a specific topic. This 20-minute practice activity is an artistic reflection.

Development of critical thinking in foreign language lessons

All three phases of technology are also used when mastered by students. Some experience decreased activity and lack of interest. It is assumed that this is a consequence of the inability to work with sources and navigate them. If the goal is not the amount of information to be absorbed, but the ability to manage, search and apply it, it will be possible to achieve better results. Let's consider the following techniques.

• Clusters (bunches) help systematize acquired knowledge. In essence, the method places the key concept in the center, and the remaining associations are logically linked to it. You will get the same summary, but in schematic form. The learner can train himself/herself on grammatical structures more successfully.
• The prediction tree allows us to predict the development of the plot in the story: students describe the end of the story. The topic is the trunk, and the branches are possibilities and probabilities. The reasons and arguments of opinions will be leaves. A similar technique is applicable when consolidating vocabulary by discussing texts.

Techniques for developing critical thinking through reading and writing

Reading and writing are the main processes of information exchange. You can also learn analysis and systematization from them. All methods for developing criticism of the mind include reading, including notes from the teacher’s speech. The skills acquired through technology for developing critical thinking are intended for the information space where they can be applied.

Techniques for developing critical thinking using RCMCP technology are as follows.

• Active writing. For example, a cluster, a labeling table.
• Active reading, listening. Techniques - insert (pencil marks in the margins using markers: information corresponds to knowledge, contradicts it, is new or is not clear), stops or pauses.
• Group or pair reading.

Development of critical thinking of students in mathematics lessons

Critical thinking techniques in mathematics classes are also designed to engage students through the successful implementation of learning skills. Analysis and logic will allow you to apply the results to tasks, including non-standard ones.

• At the challenge stage, the student develops versions of the solution to the problem.
• Comprehension of new knowledge is used. Solving from simple to complex is the traditional method.
• During the reflection phase, the student is given creative and challenging tasks.

Critical thinking technology techniques in math lessons include tables. For example, the Z-X-U principle involves three columns: We know - We want to know - We find out. First, the first section is activated: “What have we already mastered?” Controversial issues are listed in the next column. After the student masters the text, the “Learned” column is filled in and the answers are entered.

The development of students' critical thinking in mathematics lessons also includes clusters. Knowledge is systematized by a diagram or drawing. This is an effective way to study a topic. For example, when studying a triangle, schoolchildren write down all the words related to it. After reading the textbook, the cluster is supplemented. The skill of systems thinking, finding analogies, forecasting, and considering options is acquired.

Books on Critical Thinking

From the literature on critical thinking, one can name the book by D. Halpern “The Psychology of Critical Thinking.” The source will help you learn to think for yourself. It will also be useful for teachers and methodologists.

The book “How to Lie with Statistics” by D. Huff, American lecturer and writer talks about how the masses are manipulated by abusing statistical data. The bestseller will be of interest even to people who have nothing to do with statistics.

"Game theory. The art of strategic thinking in business and life" by A. Dixit and B. Nalebuff also promotes the development of critical thinking. The authors believe that relationships are like games. If you think strictly, you can predict the next move of the person being played with. This theory is a new look at

Critical thinking is the true art of in-depth analysis of information and the ability to develop your thinking abilities. Thinking critically does not mean thinking more or about more complex things. First of all, it is to think “better, more qualitative”. By honing your critical thinking skills, you develop your intellectual curiosity. But it's not that simple. Critical thinking requires serious discipline. You must be completely objective and, very importantly, self-critical. You need to seek and recognize the truth even in situations where you were wrong.

Steps

Sharpen your interviewing skills

Constructing a question-assumption. We talk a lot about everything. This is how our brain processes certain pieces of information. This is the basis of our daily life. But what to do in a situation where our assumption turns out to be incorrect or incorrect? Indeed, in this case the whole process will be initially a failure.

Do not accept information as truth until you have researched the issue yourself. Instead of checking how accurate the information is, we very often trust the inscriptions on the labels or some, in our opinion, reliable source. Don't waste time and energy double-checking information, even if it comes from a reliable source. Not everything is true that is written about in magazines, newspapers and what is talked about on television channels and on the radio.

• Learn to trust and use your instinct. Especially in the most controversial issues. If something seems questionable to you, look for more information about it and also use different sources. Soon enough, you will learn to distinguish between useful information and filter out unnecessary information.

1. Such a thing as a question. Remember, the quality of the information you receive depends on how you ask the question. The ability to ask the right questions is perhaps the quintessence of all critical thinking. Without knowing which questions to ask first and which ones to leave for the final part, you will never get the desired result. The ability to find the right questions is a basic principle of critical thinking.

Adjust your point of view

Identify your own biases. Human judgments are often subjective, and sometimes even unfair and offensive. One scientific study showed that the number of parents informed about the safety and need for vaccination is significantly less than the number of all vaccinated children. Why is that? The hypothesis is that most parents perceive this information as correct. Consider your biases when dealing with information.

Think several steps ahead. Not 1 or 2 steps, but several, like chess players. Don't underestimate your opponent - this has ruined more than one grandmaster. You must enter into an intellectual duel with him, calculating all possible combinations.

Read great works. Nothing compares to the transformations in our thinking and perception that occur after reading another interesting book. Whether it's Moby Dick or lyric poetry. You should not just read, but penetrate into the essence of the book and ask questions.

Put yourself in other people's shoes. This helps develop critical thinking skills. Empathy will help you better understand human psychology, motives and aspirations of people. Don’t be heartless, because every person needs the ability to sympathize.

Set aside 30 minutes every day to train your brain. There are dozens of ways you can improve your brain function. Here are a few such ideas:

• Use Internet resources and libraries to find more information about the subject of your thoughts. Uninformed criticism is worse than ignorance.
• Don't be too judgmental, but be brave enough to think critically. Avoid saying “never” unless you are 100% sure. Be convincing in your arguments, use facts. Speak slowly and confidently, there is no need for a race here.
• Distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning methods. You must when the conversation is conducted from the particular to the general, and when from the general to the particular.
• Ask other people for their opinions. People from different age and social groups can give you a whole new perspective on things.
• Read other people's reviews in newspaper and magazine articles. Learn from their mistakes and strengths to improve your own style.
• Pay attention to what other critics think about you.
• Be diplomatic. Your goal is not the person himself, but the proposal he puts forward.
• Think hypothetically-deductively. That is, given a specific situation, apply the appropriate knowledge of principles and limitations and show them in an abstract, possible way.
• Criticism will be much more successful if its subject is in your area of ​​expertise. For example, who better than the artist will appreciate a painting? And who, if not a writer, can better speak out about a book or literary work?

Warnings

• use the “sandwich” method: compliment, suggestion, wish. The criticism will turn out better if you use this approach. You can also use the person’s first and last name, a sincere smile, and a look into the eyes.
• Never criticize in an offensive manner. In this case, the person takes a defensive-attack position (especially if the subject of the dispute concerns him personally). Therefore, you should not, for example, in a conversation with an abortion supporter, add fuel to the fire by saying that abortion is a crime. In such a situation, the person does not listen to arguments and it will be even more difficult for you to convince him otherwise. And in conclusion - criticism works great with praise.

Problem:

Many people think that there is nothing unusual about this, that we always use it. But we often shy away from it, distort it, or are downright biased. However, the quality of our life, our actions depend on the quality of our thinking. Wrong thinking costs us money and affects our quality of life. Excellent thinking can, in turn, be systematically developed.

Definition:

Critical thinking is a type of thinking - about any subject, content or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his thinking through the skillful use of structures and intellectual standards inherent in thinking.

Result:

A person with well-developed critical thinking:

Raises tough questions and problems, articulating them clearly and clearly;
- collects and admits relevant information using abstract ideas to interpret them effectively;
- comes to informed conclusions and decisions, checking them against criteria and standards;
- thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and accepting, as necessary, their assumptions, involvement and practical relevance;
- Communicates effectively with others when developing solutions.

Critical thinking, in short, is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-evaluating and self-correcting thinking. This involves agreeing to strict standards, which entails effective communication and problem-solving ability. and a commitment to overcome our natural egocentrism and sociocentrism.

The technology of “Critical Thinking” is focused not only on cooperation between teacher and students, the active participation of the student himself, but also on creating comfortable conditions that relieve psychological stress. Working using the “Critical Thinking” technology, the student realizes his needs and opportunities to learn to solve his problems independently, and also learns ways to evaluate his own activities. Using the “Critical Thinking” technology in foreign language lessons, the teacher develops the student’s personality primarily through direct teaching of a foreign language, resulting in the formation of communicative competence that provides comfortable conditions for cognitive activity and self-improvement.

The main parameters of “Critical Thinking” (which is an integral part of global thinking), filling the content and defining the goals of education, are the holistic perception of the modern world, knowledge of the world in the interaction of all its sides and oneself in this world, the openness of the individual in relation to the new, the ability to see alternative ways to solve problems, overcome stereotypes.

The thought-active approach to teaching has also found its implementation in the complex developmental technology “Critical Thinking”, which ensures the implementation of educational and training goals. This is a complex technology that develops the ability to justify the preference of one idea over another, solve complex problems, and argue with reason. If earlier individual methods and techniques of work were used in lessons, then the “Critical Thinking” technology made it possible, using already accumulated experience and created scientific theories, to combine everything into one system, develop an algorithm for constructing a lesson, bring the form of education in Russia closer to European education, and significantly increase effectiveness of lessons, save time.

The main stages of a lesson when using the “Critical Thinking” technology are the stage of challenge, comprehension, and reflection.

CALL. At the challenge stage, use various techniques (individual / pair / group work; brainstorming; content prediction; problem questions, etc.) and tell the whole class in their own words what they know. Thus, previously acquired knowledge is brought to the level of awareness. Now they can become the basis for mastering new knowledge, which gives students the opportunity to more effectively connect new information with previously known information and consciously and critically approach understanding new information.

REFLECTION. At the comprehension stage, when the learner comes into contact with new information or ideas by reading a text, watching a movie, listening to a lecture, he learns to monitor his understanding and not ignore gaps, but write down in the form of questions what he did not understand for clarification in the future. Everyone speaks out about how he guessed the meaning of the words, what guidelines helped him in this, what, on the contrary, confused him. Such self-analysis must be taught to children. Further development and consolidation of knowledge occurs in other forms of work. In group work, two elements must be present - individual search and exchange of ideas, and personal search certainly precedes the exchange of opinions.

It should be admitted that students were not immediately imbued with the ideas of the new technology; some initially resisted the unusual organization of learning, because traditionally they were accustomed to obtaining knowledge from the teacher’s explanations. But gradually the students got the hang of it and things started to progress.

REFLECTION. At the reflection stage, students think about the connection with what they learned in the lesson, consolidating new knowledge, and actively rebuilding their ideas in order to include new concepts. A lively exchange of ideas between students gives them the opportunity to get acquainted with different points of view, teaches them to listen carefully to a friend, and defend their opinion with reason. The last stage of reflection involves the creative application of acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities. And thus, another criterion for the effectiveness of the innovation process is realized. We form a personality capable of continuous learning and self-education.

Technology gives the student:

Increasing the efficiency of information perception;
- increasing interest both in the material being studied and in the learning process itself;
-ability to think critically;
- the ability to take responsibility for one’s own education;
- ability to work in collaboration with others;
- improving the quality of education for students;
- desire and ability to become a lifelong learner.

Technology gives the teacher:

Ability to create an atmosphere of openness and responsible cooperation in the classroom;
- the ability to use a teaching model and a system of effective methods that promote the development of critical thinking and independence in the learning process;
- become practitioners who can competently analyze their activities;
- become a source of valuable professional information for other teachers.

Currently, the concept is being introduced into the lessons of other teachers, since this technology is universal, that is, it is suitable for any teacher, in any subject and gives stable results, a creative group has been created at the school to study the technology. Critical thinking.. I am far from in order to make this new technology absolute, but, in my opinion, it deserves the closest attention and study from teachers, methodologists, and psychologists.

Working on this topic, I developed methodological booklets for teachers of English in English, and for teachers of other subjects in Russian.

The presentation is based on the text “Christopher Reeve” (Adapted from Hello! Magazine). The text contains interesting sociocultural information from the life of the actor. However, this information is not given to students entirely and immediately. The lesson takes place in the computer lab. The complete presentation is fed to the host computer. At work stations, students can only see one slide; they cannot switch slides independently. This is done by the teacher from the head computer. The text is divided into separate unfinished semantic passages; at the end of each passage there are questions and four answer options. Students read the passage to themselves and verbally express their versions of the correct answer. The answer must be justified. When arguing their assumption, students need to use their knowledge and be able to formulate their answers in English. Thus, the studied factual material is repeated and updated, knowledge in other subjects is integrated, and speech skills of monologue and dialogic speech are developed, since one can disagree with the opponent’s point of view and put forward one’s own theory. It is not important how correct the answer was given; the train of thought and the level of argumentation are of great importance. Once everyone has given their opinion on the first slide, they eagerly wait to see whose version is correct. The teacher includes the next slide where they can find out the correct answer and move on to discuss the next question.

As an additional incentive and to create an element of the game, you can give out tokens to those who gave the correct answer. This is done only after everyone has answered, the next slide opens and the students find out the correct answer on their own

The last slides ask students to draw a conclusion based on what they read and write the final part of the article, after which they can read the author's conclusions. And only in the very last slide, after a preliminary discussion about possible options for the title of the text, do students see the title of the article.

In addition to the informational value, the educational aspect is of great importance, since the article touches on the problems of strength of character and human relationships. The basics of ethics are taught when discussing the culture, style and lifestyle of other people, the desire to communicate, and respect for the culture of other countries are fostered.

When it is not possible to conduct lessons in a computer class, I use this method of working with text without a computer presentation, on paper. You have to cut the printed text into separate pieces and distribute them in parts, which is very inconvenient. A computer presentation allows you to make your work more productive, aesthetically pleasing and spectacular. The impact on visual analyzers activates the emotional sphere of students and has a positive effect on the activity of thought processes. A culture of mental work is being fostered, a culture of extracting and processing the necessary information.

When conducting reflection and self-reflection at the end of the lesson, all students usually note the importance and benefit of such lessons and express a desire for further work in this direction. Subsequently, they bring additional materials to lessons from the Internet and help the teacher in preparing similar presentations.

In this way, I hope my students progress through stages of development of critical thinking

It is the ability to reason and resolve doubts that helps us make better decisions. In this article we will tell you what critical thinking is and what techniques exist to develop it. In addition, you will learn how to foster critical thinking in children and how it can benefit in an educational context.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking can be defined as the ability to think clearly and rationally and understand the logical connections between different concepts and ideas. Essentially, it is the ability to develop independent and reflective thinking.

Critical thinking involves the use of reasoning abilities. Its essence is to actively learn and not just be a passive recipient of information.

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How can you stimulate critical thinking?

1. Don't accept facts as they come

The first step to developing critical thinking is to evaluate the information that comes to us from the environment. Before you do what you've always done or accept what you've been told, reflect on the situation. Think about what the problem is and what possible solutions are available. Of course, you make your own decisions about what to believe and what to do. But if you take some time to evaluate the situation, you'll likely be able to make better, more informed decisions.

2. Define your goals

What result do you expect? What would you like to receive? What is your goal? Determining the goal you intend to achieve is important for creating a plan of your actions and steps towards achieving your plans.

3. Research the facts

A huge amount of information comes to us every day from various sources. Keep in mind that this information can be a very powerful tool when making decisions. When you have a problem to analyze, a perspective to evaluate, or an important decision to make, search the Internet, research the facts, read publications on the topic. Analyze different opinions, arguments, beliefs. Find out if there is conflicting information. The more information you have, the better equipped you will be to give a reasonable answer.

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4. Don't assume that you are right

It's always nice to know that you are right. We all enjoy it. But if we initially set ourselves the attitude that our arguments are fair and are the only true ones, then we refuse to get to know and consider other points of view. Your thoughts, beliefs and arguments are just one possible explanation, but there are many other alternative views that are also valid. Open your mind to consider and appreciate other points of view.

5. Start with the simplest

There is a line of thinking that is often used in scientific research to figure out which hypothesis is correct. This technique is called Occam's Razor. Its proponents recommend favoring the simplest explanations until they are proven to be false.

6. Divide the problem into several parts

When you are faced with a complex problem, try breaking it down into several parts. This way, it will be easier for you to evaluate and find a solution for each individual part, and then by combining the results you get, you will come to a solution to the main problem.

Development of critical thinking in the educational environment

Today, our education system lags behind most European countries in many ways. The average school's mode of teaching is based on passive acquisition of knowledge, which may or may never be useful to students in the future.

One of the main tasks that should be set for the teacher is to develop in children the ability to think, reason and defend their point of view, collect and research information about the phenomena of the surrounding reality, and not just transfer to them the knowledge embedded in the school curriculum. This is critical to their adult life. Children must learn to ask questions and resolve doubts rather than take things for granted. It is important to teach them not to trust without thinking anything they read, see or hear from the media, friends, family members and other sources of information. Learn how the CogniFit neuro-education platform works to help unlock the potential of every student through cognitive activities and exercises.

What can we do to teach children to think critically? How to promote the development of critical thinking in the learning process?

1. Encourage group work

The group work environment is ideal for children to learn to think and develop their cognitive abilities. When they are surrounded by peers and working together, they are exposed to different thinking processes and are exposed to other points of view and opinions. Thus, they learn to understand and analyze how other children think, and come to the realization that their form of thinking is not the only possible one. They also learn to question their own beliefs and respect other people's opinions.

2. Encourage children to use their creativity

3. Don't rush to help

Children get used to the fact that we give them everything ready-made. Every time a child has a difficulty, he turns to you for help, and you instantly find a solution. To help develop your child's critical thinking, give him the opportunity to try to solve a problem on his own. For example, when he needs to solve a math problem, don't tell him the specific steps, but instead ask leading questions that will help him find the solution himself.

4. Use brainstorming techniques in your lessons

Brainstorm ( Brainstorming) before the start of any lesson stimulates students' critical thinking. This helps them reflect and see alternatives. Ask them questions like: “What do you think this book is about? What new will you learn from this topic?

5. Teach children to compare and contrast

A good way to develop students' critical thinking is to compare and contrast the different information we have available to us. This technique can be applied to any topic. To stimulate children's critical thinking, have them compare two methods for solving the same problem, two books, etc. You can also discuss together the advantages and disadvantages of this or that aspect.

6. Ask children questions

When a teacher asks questions, it often pushes students to think, makes them more attentive, and helps them apply and consolidate what they have learned. Ask them: Do you agree with this statement? Which option do you think would be the best? Explain why this phenomenon is observed? Avoid questions that lead to one answer. Try.

7. Invite debates and discussions

Discussions are a very good way to get children to think and reason about a given topic. This helps them form their own opinions and respect the opinions of others.

An effective way to develop critical thinking through discussion is to have students defend two opposing positions.

The following video will give you some tips for improving your critical thinking.

Translation by Alexandra Dyuzheva

- This the ability to draw your own conclusions based on available facts. Encyclopedic articles call it a system of judgments, but it is rather a thinking technique that helps one independently come to well-founded conclusions, isolating truthful data from the information flow as opposed to rumors, interpretations and interpretations.

Critical thinking does not include processes such as memorizing and assimilation (understanding) of information, creative and intuitive thinking. Its core is analysis.

To understand the essence of critical thinking, you need to go from the opposite - to see its absence from the outside. And to discover this gaping vacuum we will have to go... to school.

The modern school education system is based solely on the process of memorizing and using the acquired knowledge for operations with an already known result. All germs of critical thinking in school are carefully uprooted, leaving room only for memorized rules and one-line algorithms. Often this practice is carried over to universities. In this way, generations are raised incapable of thinking.

Remember what you did when you were asked to write an essay or review of a work of art? In both cases, you found books with ready-made materials and selected pieces of suitable text from them. In “pre-computer” times, this process was reduced to rewriting, later to searching on the Internet and copying. Students' coursework and even dissertations are also done. Everyone is accustomed to the fact that a report, abstract or review looks like a compilation of other people’s thoughts.
Teachers don't just turn a blind eye to this - they encourage it. We will not delve into thoughts about who benefits from this, and whether it benefits anyone at all, but the fact remains that most people are not accustomed to critical thinking. They do not know how to think for themselves, consuming already chewed and digested information through the catheter of the media, the Internet and television.

Fortunately, critical thinking is not an organ, so it does not atrophy from not being used for a long time. One awareness of its necessity and importance is already a starting point for the formation of one’s own critical thought. The benefit of this tool, I think, is obvious - it is more difficult to deceive a person who thinks for himself, to impose unfavorable working and living conditions on him, or to drag him into a fraudulent scam. In addition, developing your own opinion is easier and more enjoyable than adopting someone else’s.

Critical thinking has 5 characteristics(Professor, USA David Kluster)

Firstly, it’s independent thinking.
Secondly, this is generalized thinking
Thirdly, this is problematic and evaluative thinking
Fourthly, this is reasoned thinking
Fifthly, critical thinking is social thinking

How to develop critical thinking? To do this, you need to follow some rules when working with information.

Go to the original sources

“My friend’s friend told me” is the most common source of information; it is also called “word of mouth.” Of course, it is not bad for conveying gossip, which often turns out to be true, but it is hardly worth using it as an authoritative opinion. It’s one thing that “Lenka, it turns out, is already pregnant with her second”, and quite another thing - “Uncle Vasya said that a global default will happen soon, go change your currency urgently.” The first news, at a minimum, does not concern you in any way, but the second can significantly change the course of your life. Moreover, it is not guaranteed that it will be in a good direction. Uncle Vasya may be the best political commentator in the whole neighborhood, but who said that after today’s half-liter his forecasts will be crystal prescient?

I, and you too, have repeatedly seen a picture of general panic generated by rumors - they are buying up bags of salt, buckwheat, and household appliances. And all because “Uncle Vasya said.” No official news, no premises from which one could conclude that there will never be buckwheat in our country again or that money will be abolished, and from now on everyone will pay with irons.
Go to the original sources! They may be official statements from banks, governments or other organizations, laws issued that must be published in the press. To develop critical thinking, you must find the very first point of information output, not yet clogged with layers of interpretations, opinions, analytics and everything else - you must study the information in its original form and draw your own conclusions based on personal experience and knowledge.

Don't trust authorities

To understand the root causes, you need to learn to trust only what you see with your own eyes, without using the prism of someone else's perception. All people are stupid to one degree or another, there is not a single one hundred percent sage whose ideas will be true at all times. Something may become outdated, and something may be controversial from the very beginning. Of course, one must rely on the experience and knowledge of scientists and thinkers, but they should only be tools of knowledge, and not a replacement for one’s own opinion.
The development of critical thinking must begin with the understanding that a new idea can be developed only by analyzing pure information from primary sources, and not by joining the herds of admirers of certain trends. By the way, sometimes they are quite absurd.

Get the information right

The main method of assimilation of information that we were taught is mindless memorization. A much more effective method that not only helps to remember data, but also teaches you how to analyze it is understanding. It is much easier to reproduce facts and concepts that a person has understood than just a set of words that do not have much meaning for him.
To do this, you can create the following operating algorithm. Arm yourself with a piece of paper and a pen. Read the text (watch the video). Write down the main points. Reproduce the information in your own words, based on existing abstracts.
This is the most common retelling that we were asked at school, and which is very difficult for children who are used to cramming everything - they try to reproduce the text word for word, instead of remembering its content.

Learn to write essays, reviews and reports

Maybe you have not been a student for a long time, but in order to develop critical thinking, you must catch up on the skill of independent writing of a scientific paper that you lost during this golden time. This will help you learn how to effectively work with information, structure it, filter out questionable data, draw conclusions - in other words, think critically.

How to do this correctly? If this is a review, you need to read the book. If it’s an abstract or report, read the encyclopedic articles, extracting from them the information you need.
Study the opinions of experts on this issue, but not in order to bury your own under them, but to learn the history of the development of human thought in relation to the object being studied. And write. Write what you think, describe the course of your thoughts. Structure your main ideas using subheadings, prepare an introduction at the beginning, and a conclusion at the end. Own. Write everything honestly, so that you like it yourself.
You can take any topic - the main thing is that you are interested in doing this report or essay. If nothing comes to mind, write a review of any book without turning to supporting literature.
In fact, this is the most effective technique for developing critical thinking.
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An opinion developed independently may surprise you with its surprise, or it may turn out to be generally accepted. You may find out that such conclusions belong to the followers of some school or that they have already been expressed by rebels of science opposing established dogmas. It doesn’t matter whether anyone else thought this way before you or not - the main thing is that these are your own conclusions that you can trust. They weren’t forced on you, they weren’t sold, they weren’t given as a gift.

A critically thinking person is resistant to manipulation; he will not fall victim to stereotypes or the opinions of the crowd. This is a separate category of people who are able to penetrate into the essence of things, find answers to questions that have plagued humanity, and generate new ideas.