CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

To be successful, PBL requires, critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking is assumed to be the purposeful and reflective judgement about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments. Critical thinking may involve determining the meaning and significance of what is observed or expressed, or, concerning a given inference or argument, determining whether there is adequate justification to accept the conclusion as true. Hence, Fisher & Scriven define critical thinking as "Skilled, active, interpretation and evaluation of observations, communications, information, and argumentation." Parker & Moore define it more narrowly as the careful, deliberate determination of whether one should accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim and the degree of confidence with which one accepts or rejects it.

Paul, Binker, Jensen, and Kreklau (1990) have developed a list of 35 dimensions of critical thought:

(a) Affective Strategies

* thinking independently

* developing insight into egocentricity or sociocentricity

* exercising fairmindedness

* exploring thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts

* developing intellectual humility and suspending judgment

* developing intellectual courage

* developing intellectual good faith or integrity

* developing intellectual perseverance

* developing confidence in reason

(b) Cognitive Strategies--Macro-Abilities

* refining generalizations and avoiding oversimplifications

* comparing analogous situations: transferring insights to new contexts

* developing one's perspective: creating or exploring beliefs,
arguments, or theories

* clarifying issues, conclusions, or beliefs

* clarifying and analyzing the meanings of words or phrases

* developing criteria for evaluation: clarifying values and standards

* evaluating the credibility of sources of information

* questioning deeply: raising and pursuing root or significant questions

* analyzing or evaluating arguments, interpretations, beliefs, or
theories

* generating or assessing solutions

* analyzing or evaluating actions or policies

* reading critically: clarifying or critiquing texts

* listening critically: the art of silent dialogue

* making interdisciplinary connections

* practicing Socratic discussion: clarifying and questioning beliefs,
theories, or perspectives

* reasoning dialogically: comparing perspectives, interpretations,
or theories

* reasoning dialectically: evaluating perspectives, interpretations,
or theories

(c). Cognitive Strategies--Micro-Skills

* comparing and contrasting ideals with actual practice

* thinking precisely about thinking: using critical vocabulary

* noting significant similarities and differences

* examining or evaluating assumptions

* distinguishing relevant from irrelevant facts

* making plausible inferences, predictions, or interpretations

* evaluating evidence and alleged facts

* recognizing contradictions

* exploring implications and consequences"