Unit 05

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Students Learning Outcomes

After Completion this unit, students will be able to:

1- What are the benefits of critical thinking.
2- Why critical thinking is important.
3-Create a critical thinking culture in schools.
4-What are the teaching Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking.
5- What are the ways to Train Employees to Be Critical Thinkers.
Importance of teaching critical thinking skills in the classroom

Critical thinking has become an essential skill in today's world. Students need to learn to develop better
critical thinking skills. It is almost too easy these days to go on the internet and find instant answers to
questions. The result is that students are falling behind in their ability to ask the correct questions and
analyze those answers.

What is Critical Thinking?

This has been described as:

The ability to ask the right questions
To be able to read between the lines
Recognize that there is problems
Recognize the difference between suggested assumptions and clear details.
The ability to be able to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information
Be able to identify bias.
Good critical thinking allows a person to consistently draw the right conclusions .It is not just the ability
to criticize.
Create a critical thinking culture in schools
Two of the main methods that can be used in introducing critical thinking skills in the
classroom are:

Socratic Questioning
This was developed by Socrates the early Greek Philosopher and is still relevant
today .It relates to the importance of looking for evidence, questioning always,
analyzing and realizing implementation.
There is no value in feeding students endless facts and content to remember parrot
fashion .Students should be encouraged to ask questions about a subject and learn
from the answers drawing up their own conclusions.
Teachers should respond to all answers with a further question. Stimulate students to
ask further questions and in so doing establish connections between various topics.
IN this way teachers can help students to discover facts for themselves.
1. RED Critical thinking
This was introduced by Watson and Glaser in the 1930’s.
The acronym for RED stands for:

Recognize assumptions - separating fact from opinion

Evaluate Arguments -Ability to analyze evidence objectively
Draw conclusions - Arrive at logical conclusions.
Advantages of critical thinking in schools
 Improves problem solving abilities and helps in decision making
by excluding guess work.
 Increases creativity
 By analyzing problems the right life choices can be made
 Organizational ability improves.
 Saves time .Critical thinking teaches how to prioritize time and
resources allowing you to only analyze what is needed.
 Critical thinking teaches students how to be their own person and
not to take everything they read on the internet at face value.
 Students who receive some training in critical thinking will adapt
quickly to a university environment where such a skill is needed.
Teaching Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking
Here are some teaching strategies that can be implemented to encourage and
promote critical thinking among students:

1. “Let’s think”
It’s very easy to always find a solution for a student who needs your help. Avoid that
and instead, try responding with “Let’s think about how we can do this.” Then, you
can assist the student in figuring out the best possible solution for the problem.
2. Brainstorm
Give students an opportunity to think. Regardless of the subject, have students
analyze what they’ll be doing, learning, or reading – before actually starting each
activity. Ask lots of questions, like “What do you think this book will be about?” Or
“Tell me two things you think you will be learning in this lesson about American
History?”
3. Make Connections
Encouraging students to make connections to a real-life situations
and identifying patterns is an excellent way to boost their critical
thinking skills. Ask students to always be on the look for these
connections, and when they find one to make sure they tell you.
4. Compare & Contrast
Have your students compare and contrast just about anything, to get
them critically thinking. For example, students can compare and
contrast the book class is presently reading or an interesting Science
lesson with the previous one.
5. Group Activities
When children are around their classmates working together, they
get exposed to the thought processes of their peers. They learn how
to understand how other people think. This allows them to become
better problem solvers when presented with difficulty.
Strategies for Building Students’ Critical Thinking

Socratic Seminars: Socratic seminars are wonderful tools for facilitating in-depth student
conversations based on a given text. Students are asked to read and respond to a text
assigned by the teacher and then prepare themselves for class discussion. Students are
expected to listen to and respond to their peers, and each student participates in the
conversation while the teacher facilitates discussion and remains neutral.
Simulations: To encourage more critical thinking, give students opportunities to participate
in simulations. Specific areas of study come to life, and students will have to make
decisions as if they are experiencing events firsthand. Simulations can have a lasting
positive impact on content retention.
Encouraging Creativity: Rather than providing detailed directions for students to complete
an activity, simple make available any necessary materials, then step back and allow kids
to use their creativity. Teachers might be surprised at the quality of work that students
can produce when they control their own learning.
Depth and Complexity Icons: Sandra Kaplan introduced 11 depth and
complexity icons, including big idea, details, ethics, unanswered questions,
rules, patterns, trends and the language of the discipline. These icons help
stimulate in-depth analysis. Use them across grade levels to help students
think critically about any subject.
Compare and Contrast: As part of everyday instruction, encourage students to
compare and contrast concepts, living things and objects.
Literature Circles: Allowing students to select books can lead to great classroom
discussion. When discussing the text with others, young people are motivated
to delve deeper and think critically about issues they may not have considered
on their own.
Debates: Debates sharpen students’ ability to persuade an audience regarding a given stance on a topic. Kids must
be prepared for rebuttal, which means they’re always “thinking on their feet.” Debates force students not only
to think critically, but to listen carefully and speak articulately.
Instant Challenges: Instant challenges are an excellent way to begin the school day, as students will need to think
critically and express their creativity under pressure. Working as a group, students must complete a challenge
within a short amount of time, then present their work to the class, which judges their performance. Small
groups get basic task parameters, but not specific instructions on how to complete their challenge.
Open-Ended Questioning: Students are accustomed to hearing questions that have only one possible answer.
Asking students open-ended questions will enable them to think at a higher level and should also foster more
intriguing conversation.
Reciprocal Teaching: Try this strategy during language arts instruction. Break students into small groups of four,
where each has a role as a summarizer, question generator, clarifier or predictor. Students will also take turns
as the guide. The purpose of reciprocal teaching is encouraging students to participate in discussion and think
deeply about what they are reading.
The Importance and Benefits of Critical Thinking and Reflection in the
Workplace
Critical thinking and reflection can be beneficial in the workplace in the following
ways:

1- Maintaining Effective Leadership

Critical thinking and reflection are crucial in the work environment. Those involved in
management should improve their critical thinking skills as these skills will more often
than not enable them to comprehend various situations in the workplace in a better
manner. This, in turn, helps the leaders make impartial judgments.
Critical thinking enables one to look at situations keenly and weigh all probable
solutions before coming up with the ultimate decision. Because critical thinking is a
form of in-depth analysis, it involves intellectual criticism thus allowing the decision
makers to combine knowledge and research.
To be a successful leader, one must be able to utilize critical thinking skills.
2. Teamwork Advancement
During a critical thinking process, the whole workforce can be involved. The
more persons that are involved in the process, the more the solutions that are
arrived at. Critical thinking can be of great benefit to a workplace that comprises
workers from different backgrounds.
Not only does it give a justification for these people to work collectively to come
up with solutions, but it also promotes teamwork and gives each employee a
chance to have a say in the progression of the company.

It is also important to note that critical thinking tasks promote tolerance amongst
workers within the work environment and can be used as part of
diversity training.
3. Time Saving
Not all information is relevant during the decision-making process. Critical thinking
can, therefore, teach you how to prioritize your time and resources by systematically
analyzing what is useful and what is not.

Ultimately, through critical thinking, a good leader will know that the decisions
arrived at are the correct ones, in effect saving time that may be used on other
matters.
4. Different Approaches to Problem Solving
In the workplace, critical thinking enables one to be aware of the
different approaches to a problem and the ability to evaluate these
approaches systematically.

Through critical thinking, instead of relying on regular problem-solving

techniques, workers will be able to identify other valuable approaches.
This will eventually make the company successful in its day to day
activities.
5. Improved Communication
Critical thinking teaches you how to evaluate and come up with evidence for any
given idea, thus making you an effective communicator. Consistent and appropriate
points to back up your idea are crucial in communicating a proposal effectively.

6. Discovery of Spin-offs
During the critical thinking process, extra information can be uncovered that can be
applied to several other situations. For example, a critical thinking task on how to
undertake a new business venture may lead to new ideas for pursuing other business
endeavors.
7. Resolution of Workplace Conflicts
In a workplace, non-critical thinking can create an atmosphere that can cause
anxiety for some workers and a sense of confidence that is false for those
who subscribe to it. However, critical thinkers can create a setting where
conversation cultivates fresh ideas. It builds understanding and allows for
self-reflection.

Whenever you are dealing with a conflict, critical thinking can help you
make a decision that is fair to those involved, thus benefiting the whole
company or organization.
8. Final Product
Coming up with the best final product requires a keen eye for detail and willingness to search for
flaws. These abilities can be provided for by a critical thinker. The capacity to evaluate a product for
accuracy and functionality, among other qualities is important in the sustenance of a company’s or
organization’s standards.

Mediocrity is bound to arise in the absence of critical thinkers within the workplace. Some human
thoughts tend to be biased and full of assumptions. Critical thinking will, therefore, help you to be
aware of and rectify your faults.
For example, if you are the one who came up with a product, you may be biased towards it. However,
the critical evaluation will enable you to look at the product without prejudice.
Conclusion
Nowadays, it’s been somehow complicated to advance critical thinking
at work due to the fact that most people presume that every person in
their place of work is busy and has no time.

Clearly, from the above, it is evident that critical thinking is beneficial

for everyone in the workplace and can contribute in taking a company to
the next level.
Ways to Train Employees to Be Critical Thinkers

1. Provide critical thinking skills training.

There are two ways to teach critical thinking. The first is to explicitly teach the skills
required for critical thinking.

These include analysis, judging thoughts according to established standards, logical

reasoning, recognizing similarities and differences, seeking evidence and
information, being able to visualize a plan and predict its likely outcome, and
evaluating one’s own thought processes.

Research has found that this is the most effective way to teach critical thinking.
However, combining this type of training with the techniques below make the
training even more effective.
2. Use critical thinking questions.
Ask your employees questions that make them think.
• What will happen if we do this?
• What other options can you come up with?
• What is the counterargument for going ahead with this plan?
• What could possibly go wrong?
• What evidence supports implementing this solution?
• What evidence contraindicates this solution?
• How would people of different races, genders, ages, and socioeconomic
backgrounds view this solution?
 3.Practice critical thinking through simulation.

Create scenarios that allow your employees to practice coming up with

solutions to problems they are likely to encounter.

These exercises help employees take the knowledge they acquired during
skills training and learn how to apply them to real life situations.
4. Encourage discussion and debate.
Have your employees propose multiple solutions for a problem and discuss
the pros and cons of each.

Discussion and debate encourage reflection and expose employees to other

points of view, helping them to recognize their own biases and look at the
problem from different perspectives.