Importance of Critical thinking

of Filipino Students

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Term Paper for College Academic Skills in English

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by

JAROD ANGELO M. AREVALO

2019124761@feu.edu.ph

arevalojarod@gmail.com

Section 22

B.A. in Communication Arts Digital Cinema track

November 2019

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

Topic:

This paper discusses Filipino student's awareness or knowledge towards critical

thinking, and current problems Filipinos students facing specifically in their critical

thinking skills, to create and suggest a plan of actions to help students with their problems

and also be able to give tips to further develop their skills in critical thinking. This paper

was created to give importance and awareness as to why students should develop their

critical thinking skills to be able to face complex problems that they would face in the

future, to make students future-ready.

Purpose/Introduction:

Critical thinking is the ability to think in order to form an analysis and

evaluation and form a judgment to an issue, and it is important for a student to learn

to Critically think, most importantly for us Filipino students, the purpose of this paper

is to find out the awareness or knowledge towards what is Critical thinking, and to

give awareness to students as to why having critical thinking skills is important to

make them future-ready to face different complex problems, and to identify if Filipino

students have problems facing on critical thinking. According to an article by

Watanabe-Crockett (2015). Critical thinking, it encourages curiosity, curiosity is

important for students, students who are not curious can be easily discouraged to

learn because of the lack of interest because they are not curiosity. Critical thinking

also helps their problem-solving skills, as students who can critically think tends to

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

be instinctual problem solvers, students need to be solid critical thinkers to face the

different complex problem they could face in the future. these are only a few of the

important reasons to develop Critical thinking skills. Filipino Students should be

aware of the importance of critical thinking skills, however, students are facing

problems that are hindering them from developing their critical thinking skills.

What is Critical thinking?

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills for a student to learn, according

to Sosnowski (N.D.), in our era today students are always exposed to multiple standardized

tests, which often require students to read different books do assignments and have the

ability to recall the ideas without retaining the information beyond the exam, some

educational frameworks suggest that in order to achieve deeper learning, we must focus on

critical thinking, including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information.

Doyle (2019) states “What is critical thinking? Critical thinking refers to the

ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It

involves the evaluation of sources, such as data, facts, observable phenomena, and

research finding.” (Doyle, 2018) following Doyle’s quote, Good critical thinkers

have the ability to draw and create reasonable conclusions from the different sets of

information and be able to discriminate which are useful and less useful details in

order to solve or to make a decision.

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

 “Why Everyone Needs Critical Thinking” (N.D.) stated why critical thinking is

important in educations. According to the article, Learning in demands the strength in

critical thinking, because in learning it requires interpretation and integration of the new

learnings of a student, then it's different practical uses for application, which are all

necessary in whenever they encounter novel situations, problems that have different

conditions and also when there is given innovative opportunities, opportunity to innovate

and create. ("Why Everyone Needs Critical Thinking", N.D.)

What are the problems of Filipino students towards Critical thinking?

Critical thinking is vital to a students education, but their problems that arise that

causes students failure further develop their critical thinking skills, based on an article by

Lugtu (2018) that’s there’s already a decline in critical thinking of Filipino students, the

Philippines ranked 16th most ignorant country, ignorant on situations like their countries

key issues according to Lugtu, he also stated that this problem started way back the Spanish

colonial era, throughout the history of Philippines until Martial law, and until present day.

(Lugtu, 2018)

On Lugtu (2018) article states that the problems roots are in our educational system

we have today, specifically in the rote memorization, rote memorization is learning through

repetition in order for the student to memorize or recall, examples of this present in classes

is the graded recitations and examinations which rewards students who memorize their

lessons, which only make students recall information temporarily in their brains. According

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

to Lugtu (2018) he is more concerned with the already low base critical thinking and

continuous decline of critical thinking, one of the biggest reasons for why is this occurring

is because of the development of the different technologies like smartphones, social media,

and video games which now plays a bigger role of children, teenagers, and students daily

life. (Lugtu, 2018)

A study created by Patricia Greenfield but was not specifically stated by Lugtu

(2018) on what the name of study is, but based on Lugut’s idea on the study that it revealed

that learners of today have changed their way on how they expose their selves to these

modern technologies, it changed them to the point wherein their critical thinking skills and

analysis has deteriorated. (Lugtu, 2018)

These are the problems that are concerned with Filipino students facing today, educational

systems that are not focusing on developing students critical thinking ability, and to add to

this the invention of technologies is also worsening the state of students and not helping

their ability to critical think, yes these technologies has its positives and negatives in

helping students, but in areas like developing one's critical thinking skills it does not help

the students.

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

Plan of Action or Possible Solutions:

There many different ways or solutions to fix the different problems that students

of today are facing with critical thinking. in continuation of the article of Lugtu (2018), he

also stated a possible solution to the problem. Yes there is a solution, but it’s a long term

solution according to Lugtu, this is what he is saying, Critical thinking plays a crucial role

to young people, our educational system, both the public and private, needs to develop

instructors, professors, teachers who could teach by Reflective thinking, that allows the

students to use their minds and raise their questions and opinions, in order to create and

explore more different possibilities and scenarios, and let the students engage in more

substantive discussions and debate. And also for parents should let their children develop

their own viewpoints, by exposing them to meaningful and educational multimedia

programs, and instilling discipline to their children on using their gadgets. (Lugtu, 2018)

Sosnowski (N.D.) also stated activities that would help middle schoolers and also

high schoolers to develop their critical thinking skills, according to her article for middle

schoolers, to develop their critical thinking skills by the use of everyday situations invite

them to discuss or create a discussion out of those situations, this situations maybe the

different advertisements that they see on print materials or maybe the TV, analyze the

methods of persuasion used and the point of view of the advertisements, same with

classroom discussions encourage students to question their presumptions on historical

figures (Sosnowski, N.D.), for the high schoolers, to develop their skills in critical thinking.

By studying their textbooks and creating classroom activities in conjunction with those

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

textbooks, creating different reading strategies and learn to paraphrase information, to

establish their own side or position on the author's claim. Also, a good way of practicing

critical thinking skills is through debate, by giving classroom debates it gives the

opportunity for the student to give their opinion and their pros and cons on an issue. these

are some of the activities that She suggests to develop student's critical thinking skills.

(Sosnowski, N.D)

Conclusion:

Filipino students should be aware of the importance of critical thinking skills,

however students are facing problems that is hindering them from developing their critical

thinking skills, as the paper discuss we could see how important and necessary it is for a

student to develop their critical thinking skills in order for them solve different complex

problems, paper also discussed about the current problems that students are facing like for

example technologies and the educational system (Lugtu, 2018), and to fix the problems

we must encourage the students to use their minds, to analyze, to form opinions of their

own, as Lugtu (2018) and (Sosnowski, N.D.) has suggested, to create activities that would

help students develop their critical thinking skills, given that it is important for a student to

have critical thinking for the different applications of it in education ("Why Everyone

Needs Critical Thinking", N.D.). encourage the students to think further and deeper, to

make the students curious because learning doesn't stop in school it could also be applied

in real-life situations

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications

 No. of words: 1, 441

References:

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2015, April 17). 6 Benefits of Critical thinking and why

they matter. Retrieved from https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/critical-thinking-

benefits

Sosnowski, J. (N.D.). Developing Critical thinking skills in Middle school & High

school students. Retrieved from https://education.seattlepi.com/developing-critical-

thinking-skills-middle-school-high-school-students-3738.html

Doyle, A. (2019, October 6). Critical thinking definition, skills, and examples.

Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/critical-thinking-definition-with-

examples-2063745#citation-2

Why Everyone Needs Critical Thinking (N.D.). Retrieved from

https://insightassessment.com/article/why-everyone-needs-critical-thinking

Lugtu, R. (2018, March 8). The Decline of critical thinking. Retrieved from

https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/03/08/business/columnists-business/the-decline-of-

critical-thinking/384799/

Importance of Critical thinking of Filipino Students B.A. Communications