Rodriguez 1

Christopher Melvin Rodriguez

Instructor Connie Douglas

ENG 112-01

21 March 2017

Voices on Critical Thinking

Perhaps one of the most controversial topics as it relates to the topic of critical thinking is

in its value in formal education, rather than the value placed on tests and quizzes. There are

multiple arguments on the use of critical thinking and the best method to assessing it. There are

varying opinions within education from instructors, administrators, and students. However, a

definitive answer has yet to be determined. There are a number of voices with differing

viewpoints and stances. One question that is particularly repeated in these voices is whether or

not critical thinking as a practice should be considered important. Each voice sees it in a

different way.

A documented study from a Harvard University graduate evaluates the use of critical

thinking in school. Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an

issue education it showing merely methods of critical thinking that can be implemented to asses

more critical thinking and viewed critical thinking as very important and see that it should be

used in school. The expert voice on this subject state that yes, assessing the teaching of critical

thinking is hard, but it can be taught. One method mentioned in this study to help promote

critical thinking is called the thinking organizers which would challenge students to shape and

direct their thinking into pro and con lists as a type of organizer on order to put their thoughts on

paper. This is how one scholarly voice from within education believed critical thinking should be

taught among students in school (Clemmitt Marcia 313-36)

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However, there are other voices in the conversation on how critical thinking is seen and

taught. For instance, testing is one type of evaluation method used to assess a students critical

thinking skills. In order to think deeper into this perspective, people must consider the

perspective and voices of both teachers the students voices in this matter. One expert argues in

the article called Teaching Critical Thinking that the education system sees testing and teaching

out of textbook as a useful way to determine critical thinking among students, but these methods

give little insight into critical thinking skills. This viewpoint for education argues that the best

way to teach critical thinking is to teach out of textbook and standardized testing. This education

system is just one of the voices on how critical thinking is perceived and taught in

schoolsexplained by (Clemmitt Marcia 313-36).

Conceivably one of the loudest voice on the matter of emphasizing more critical

thinking methods in class and schools are the ones told to teach it, the teachers. The viewpoint

shared among many teachers is that critical thing is meant to be an effective use of ones

knowledge to solve problems and develop useful skills. There are many teachers that struggle to

teach effective critical thinking methods in class. One study done of a Jordanian secondary

school shows one voice in the conversations take on a social study in which teachers perceive

critical thinking in schools and were then interviewed to record the results. The study says that

teachers in these schools teach critical thinking, but only to a small extent which does not give

enough time for the students to understand the critical thinking process. However, the interesting

component to this interview is that when these teachers were interviewed they said they believed

they were teaching critical thinking but focused on more of the textbook and issuing exams

rather than teaching critical thinking skills to help enable better skills for the students in the

future that Alazzi, Khaled F. "Teachers' Perceptions of Critical Thinking: A Study of Jordanian
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Secondary School Social Studies Teachers" article explains. It should be noted that teachers are

under a lot of pressure to evaluate how they see critical thinking and then how to teach it, but the

classroom space does not always provide the most conducive environment for critical thinking

skill utilization with the expectations of grade recording and emphasis on standardized testing.

This may be the reason why teachers believe that they teach critical thinking well by tests and

the textbook is that there are no better methods that are implemented into their education system.

For example, one method for assessing better critical thinking methods that teachers

implemented were written assignments, exam questions, in class discussion and debate, group

projects, and reading assignments. As for teaching with the textbook, some teachers believe that

there are two ways to show better critical thinking skills and in this example, this method is

called the Group Assignment of Critical Thinking which includes four assignments in the

textbook that are labeled critical thinking exercises (insert source here). Therefore, this voice by

teachers varies somewhat by believing teaching out of the textbook is critical thinking while

others believe it is not.

The students voice is the third and final voice about critical thinking methods in schools

and the methods implemented into the school system. Unlike the other article in the Jordanian

school, while no new methods were implemented into the curricula, a survey was taken for a

business class to highlight the student perspective and voice. The survey elicited feedback on the

student view of a new critical thinking method. This method of surveying students assists in my

line of inquiry by emphasizing better uses of critical thinking. By using a survey, students were

able to engage in deeper thinking about these new methods. The methods that were implemented

into the courses were to engage students problem solving to promote the development of critical

thinking. There are two forms at work. The first one is result-oriented which is meant to assess
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students skills and the second form discussed is called process-oriented which focuses on the

students perception on the critical thinking methods. The result of this was that students view

on critical thinking method importance rises from grade to grade. It can be assumed that the

reason why students have increased interest in critical thinking is that they see that the

importance of critical thinking methods is not always emphasized enough because there is often

a larger focus on a different method called standardized testing.

In the end, the voice on emphasizing better critical thinking methods belongs to the

students who are the ones learning in school. The voice of the teachers and the education system

matters to an extent because they are the ones teaching critical thinking. There are still questions

that remain as to what makes a method a good use of critical thinking. Will the education system

set forth respected and reasonable ways to learn critical thinking? Will the teachers be able to

teach better uses of critical thinking rather than out of the textbook or tests? These questions

have multiple answers and these answers may cause even more questions in the future.

Regardless, these voices that we have heard put forth different views on the subject at matter and

it is up to the people to see the advantages of certain critical thinking methods and if these

methods emphasize an effective use of critical thinking.

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Works Cited

Alazzi, Khaled F. "Teachers' Perceptions of Critical Thinking: A Study of Jordanian Secondary

School Social Studies Teachers." The Social Studies, vol. 99, no. 6, 2008, pp. 243-

248 EducationDatabase, http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?

url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/274617617?accountid=10008.

Carlson, Stephen. "STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING INSTRUCTIONAL

METHODS: FINDINGS IN A BUSINESS CURRICULUM." Allied Academies

International Conference.Academy of Educational Leadership.Proceedings, vol. 16, no.

1, 2011, pp. 11-16 Education Database,

http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/873823672?

accountid=10008.

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Teaching Critical Thinking." CQ Researcher 10 Apr. 2015: 313-36. Web. 16

Feb. 2017.

Cotter, Ellen M, and Carrie S. Tally. Do Critical Thinking Exercises Improve Critical Thinking

Skills? Education Research Quarterly, Vol 33, no. 2, 2009, pp. 3-14 Education Database

http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1416123215?

accountid=10008.