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Critical thinking and Information Literacy: Critical Thinking

Information Literacy and Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you're thinking in order to make your thinking better.

—Richard Paul

. . . when a definition, or attributes, of a concept are not clear, the ability of the concept to assist in fundamental tasks is greatly impaired.” 

As quoted in Edwards, Sharon L. “Critical Thinking: A Two-Phase Framework.” Nurse Education in Practice, vol. 7, no. 5, 2007. P. 304. Excellent Article Critical thinking: A two-phase framework Edwards, Sharon L.

Critical Thinking - What is it?

Critical thinking is the process of thinking about thinking, of becoming aware that thinking is a process, and that learning thinking processes can make your thinking better.  Critical Thinking involves three interwoven connections:  It analyzes thinking, it evaluates thinking, it improves thinking. 

 

Critical thinkers can:

  •  Evaluate information in a systematic way
  •  Understand the logical connections between ideas
  •  Identify inconsistencies in others’ thinking
  •  Effectively solve problems and make informed decisions
  •  Separate what is important and what is irrelevant information
  •  Construct strong evidence-based arguments
  •  View situations from different perspectives
  •  Ask hard questions to challenge observations and assumptions

Source:  GE Foundation Workplace Skills Program: Module Six Critical Thinking Skills Program, as found in Erie Schools- GE Foundation Workplace Skills Program (n.d)  

Other Aspects Show that Critical thinkers can also: 

  • Attend to contradictory, inadequate, or ambiguous information. 
  • Construct cogent arguments rooted in data rather than opinion.
  • Select the strongest supporting data.
  • Recognize that a problem may not have a clear or single solution.
  • Correctly present and use evidence to defend arguments.
  • Present evidence in an order that contributes to a persuasive argument. 

Source: What is Critical Thinking Anyway?

Critical thinkers can take their thinking apart, making inferences based on existing information or using knowledge of a concept in diverse ways. They can reformulate questions, break tasks into segments, apply information, or generate new information. These are skills that can be learned but most often they need to be taught.

What is Critical Thinking?

. . . when a definition, or attributes, of a concept are not clear, the ability of the concept to assist in fundamental tasks is greatly impaired.” 

As quoted in: Edwards, Sharon L. “Critical Thinking: A Two-Phase Framework.” Nurse Education in Practice, vol. 7, no. 5, 2007. P. 304. Excellent Article Critical thinking: A two-phase framework Edwards, Sharon L.

Google Images- Image attribution flickr enokson