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Critical Thinking

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PictureCritical Thinking (Costello 2018)

​Critical Thinking
is such a key futures learning skill that it is included as a General Capability in the Australian Curriculum.


Responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century – with its complex environmental, social and economic pressures – young people are required to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to think critically.

Critical thinking skills involve interpreting, analysing, evaluating, explaining, considering alternatives, sequencing, reasoning, comparing, questioning, determining causes, predicting effects, avoiding assumptions, inferring, hypothesising, appraising, testing and generalising' 

Critical thinking:
 - requires you to use your ability to reason 
 - is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information

 - is about rigorously questioning ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value

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Four critical and creative thinking elements in the AC GC Learning Continuum
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(ACARA 2016)
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Watch: 5 Essential Media Literacy Questions
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Developing Critical Thinking Skills (NSW DoE 2019)
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Edward de Bono's Critical Thinking Tool -  PMI Strategy

​See also Evaluating Information Sources

TEDEd Lessons - 5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking 
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Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet
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Image credits: Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2016). The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet. Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/critical-thinking-skills-cheatsheet-infographic
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​References and further reading

ACARA. (2016). Critical and Creative Thinking. Australiancurriculum.edu.au. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/critical-and-creative-thinking/introduction/introduction

Asian Education Foundation. (2016). Critical thinking can help students become better global citizens. ABC Splash. Retrieved from
http://education.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2220872/critical-thinking-can-help-students-become-better-global-citizens?WT.tsrc=Email&WT.mc_id=Innovation_Innovation-Splash%7CSecondary_email%7C20160323

Agoos, S. (2016). 5 tips to improve your critical thinking. TED-Ed. Retrieved from http://ed.ted.com/lessons/5-tips-to-improve-your-critical-thinking-samantha-agoos

Bach, J. (2013). Teaching Critical Thinking (with Dog Food). Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-critical-thinking-dog-food-james-bach

Bluedorn, H. & Bluedorn, N. (2014). Critical Thinking Toolbox: How to Brainstorm. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-toolbox-brainstorm-hans-nathaniel-bluedorn

Collins, R. (2014). Skills for the 21st Century: teaching higher-order thinking. Curriculum and Leadership Journal 12(14). Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/teaching_higher_order_thinking,37431.html?issueID=12910

Critical Thinking Community. (2015). Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies. Criticalthinking.org. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-in-everyday-life-9-strategies/512

Dilekli, Y. & Tezci, E. (2016). The relationship among teachers’ classroom practices for teaching thinking skills, teachers’ self-efficacy towards teaching thinking skills and teachers’ teaching styles. Thinking Skills And Creativity, 21, 144-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.06.001

Hutson, J. (2016). Animations: Critical Thinking. Bridge8. Retrieved from https://bridge8.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/critical-thinking-animations/

Kasten, G. (2015). Critical Thinking: A Necessary Skill in the Age of Spin. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-necessary-skill-g-randy-kasten

Mikel, B. (2018). Mark Cuban Says This Will Soon Be the Most Sought-After Job Skill.  Inc.com. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/betsy-mikel/mark-cuban-says-this-will-soon-be-the-most-sought-after-job-skill.html?utm_content=buffer9b882&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

New York State United Teachers,. (2015). Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving for the 21st Century Learner. Educator's Voice, 8(Spring 2015). Retrieved rom http://www.nysut.org/~/media/files/nysut/resources/2015/april/edvoiceviii_final.pdf?la=en


Popple, D. (2014). PHACT Test for Critical Thinking. Psynetgroup.com. Retrieved from http://psynetgroup.com/phact-test-for-critical-thinking/

Skills you need. (2016). Critical Thinking. Skillsyouneed.com. Retrieved from http://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

​University of New South Wales. (2016). Critical Thinking Guide. Student.unsw.edu.au. Retrieved from https://student.unsw.edu.au/critical-thinking

University of Sydney,. (2016). LEARNING TO LEARN: Developing critical thinking skills. Retrieved from https://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/documents/learning_centre/critical.pdf

University of Technology Sydney. (2016). Critical thinking skills. Uts.edu.au. Retrieved from http://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps/self-help-resources/academic-writing/critical-thinking-skills
​
Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2016). The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet. Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Retrieved from
https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/critical-thinking-skills-cheatsheet-infographic

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2018). 28 Question Stems That Improve Critical Thinking Ability. Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/28-question-stems-critical-thinking?mc_cid=9c06af7e69&mc_eid=1ce2e534c0
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Virtual Library last updated 1 October 2020
Website Author: Cathy Costello M. Ed.

Virtual Library by Cathy Costello is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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