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Critical Thinking is considered such a key futures learning skill that it is included as a General Capability in the Australian Curriculum. It is closely linked with Creative Thinking.
Responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century – with its complex environmental, social and economic pressures – requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully.
The Australian Curriculum states:
'Critical thinking is at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. Examples of critical thinking skills are interpreting, analysing, evaluating, explaining, sequencing, reasoning, comparing, questioning, inferring, hypothesising, appraising, testing and generalising' (ACARA 2016).
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
Responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century – with its complex environmental, social and economic pressures – requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully.
The Australian Curriculum states:
'Critical thinking is at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. Examples of critical thinking skills are interpreting, analysing, evaluating, explaining, sequencing, reasoning, comparing, questioning, inferring, hypothesising, appraising, testing and generalising' (ACARA 2016).
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
(ACARA 2016)
TEDEd Lessons - 5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet
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://splash.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2220872/critical-thinking-can-help-students-become-better-global-citizens.
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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