Critical Thinking Is More than Common Sense

1322 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare and contrast traditional and distance learning

If one were to ask a group of high school seniors questions like, “Who was the first U.S. president?” or, “What equation is associated with the Pythagorean Theorem?” they would likely discover that the majority of the students would answer correctly. However, if one were to pose the questions, “Why did the Civil War occur?” or, “Why are international trade relations between other countries important to the U.S.?” they would receive fragmented responses at best; few students would be able to provide clear and concise answers. This simulated example clearly underscores some of the current flaws in the education system across the nation. Instructors teach students, and expect them to learn; they do not teach them how to learn. Many educators have taught students well how to compile trivia and miscellaneous facts, but few have truly embraced the method of critical thought in the classroom. Kansans praise the system for the improving test scores, yet they fail to see through the blanket of such pseudo-success, and they do not realize the true mediocrity of the Kansas educational curriculum. Secondary schools in Kansas should place a greater emphasis on critical thinking in the classroom.

As indicated by studies from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, students fall short when it comes to critical thought and reasoning (Jasparro, 86). Because of the current classroom practices of rote memorization, “students are generally deeply habituated to passivity and low-level performance,” reports Linda Elder, executive director for the Center for Critical Thinking, who promotes the integration of critical thought into current curriculum. “Most [students] have no conception of what discursive reasoning is. Most have spen...

... middle of paper ...

...mprovement Research Series. Nov. 1991. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory <http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/6/cu11.html>.

“Critical Thinking Skills Key to Raising SAT Scores.” Business Wire. Lexis-Nexis Online. 30 August 1991. Keywords: Critical Thinking.

Elder, Linda. “The 18th International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform.” 18th International Conference on Critical Thinking. 4 Aug. 1998. The Center for Critical Thinking <http://www.criticalthinking.org/University/univcomm/conf/conftext.nclk>.

Jasparro, Ralph. “Applying Systems Thinking to Curriculum Evaluation.” NASSP Bulletin 82.598 (1998): 86.

Paul, Richard. “Content is Thinking; Thinking is Content.” Content is Thinking. 28 June 2001. The Center for Critical Thinking <http://www.criticalthinking.org/criticalthinking.org/University/univlibrary/content.ht ml>. ---.

Show More
Related

  • Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge By Diane Ravitch: Article Analysis

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The article, “Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge” by Diane Ravitch, discusses how in the past people have been deprived from the thinking process and abstract thinking skills. Students need to be given more retainable knowledge by their teachers to improve their critical thinking skills. (Ravitch).

    Read More

  • Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths 'And Growing Up Tethered'

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Colombo introduces his section on critical thinking by asking a question “Why do instructors mean when they tell to think critically?” (2). His point is that we should no just focus on the surface meaning. He uses the example of the cover of our Rereading America textbook. He says that the average student from the United States may just believe that the book only applies to the United States. When a student from anny other country in the Western Hemisphere might complain that the title reflects a discriminatory view of what it maens to be an American. Since America contains all the countries of North, South, and Central America. He goes on to explain that most think they want us to ask questions rather than just relay the text back through memorization. That kind of thinking is nearly useless in the real world. What job is there that all you do is relay data back? There are almost none of these

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Taylor Gatto's Idiot School System

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    When students become critical thinkers they are analyzing and reflecting on what they are learning, therefor advancing their skills in problem solving. Problem solving requires one to be able to tackle the problem abstractly from many points of view. Often problems can have more than one solution so it is required to be able to analyze the information and be able to apply it in various ways. In “Idiot Nation” by Michael Moore, he argues that the lack of attention political leaders give to schools in America is one of the biggest factors hindering proper education .Moore puts the blame on leaders like Dwight D. Eisenhower and William Clark, as well as the people who vote for them. The problem is that “the political leaders...have decided it’s a bigger priority to build another bomber than educate our children.”(Moore 131)Moore believes leaders put more effort into military artillery rather than proper education .The solution to America’s problems is not more bombs or weapons. The real solution are the children, the future of America. Therefore it is vital that we turn them into impeccable problem solvers, to solve America’s problems not with weapons but with knowledge. Critical thinking does just that. In an article called “How Critical is Critical Thinking” by Shawn Ryan D he makes references to the various studies of critical thinking and its relation to problem solving.

    Read More

  • Martha Graham

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martha Graham was born in 1894 in Pennsylvania. Her father was a doctor who specialized in nervous disorders; he was also very interested in diagnosing the disorders through watching movement. Graham's desire to dance was sparked by the body being able to express its internal senses. Later in life, Martha repeated her father's words, “Movement never lies.” After watching a ballet in 1911, Martha, inspired by the performance, enrolled in a junior college that was centered around the arts. Afterwards she attended Denishawn school, where she studied under Ted Shawn. Shawn made a dance for her, “Xochital” in which Martha portrayed an attacked Azte...

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified?

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998. 475-479.

    Read More

  • Martha Graham: The Life And Life Of Martha Graham

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    She danced and choreographed for over seventy years. Graham reached many achievements in her lifetime. For example, she danced at the White House, traveled abroad as a cultural ambassador, and received the highest civilian award of the USA: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She received honors ranging from the Key to the City of Paris to Japan's Imperial Order of the Precious Crown. Beginning in the mid-1910s, she began her studies at the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, until the year of 1923. In 1922 Graham performed an Egyptian dance with Lillian Powell in a Hugo Riesenfeld short silent film that attempted to synchroni...

    Read More

  • A Guide to Critical Thinking

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author Vincent Ruggiero defines critical thinking in his book Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking, as a “search for answers, a quest.” It is the idea that one does not accept claims, ideas, and arguments blindly, but questions and researches these things before making a decision on them. From what I learned in class, critical thinking is the concept of accepting that there are other people and cultures in this world that may have different opinions. It is being able to react rationally to these different opinions.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Hitler

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hitler will always be remembered in history as the vicious dictator who started World War II. The crimes that he committed could never be erased from human kind. Even at the last minutes of his life, Hitler still believed that everything he did was out of his obligation of Germany and the Third Reich. The famous Fuhrer was totally convicted that his actions were justifiable. Hitler was indeed a very intelligent man and a clever strategist during his influential reign over Germany. He utilized his skills to gain the enormous support in just a few years. Being the great Fuhrer of Germany, Hitler played an essential role to the revival of the nation. If it was not for Hitler, Germany could had never gone so far, and gotten its achievements in World War II.

    Read More

  • Who Should Be Blamed for the Holocaust?

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hitler had a lot to do with Germany.’ Hitler started volunteering for the German army.’ This supports one way on how he rose up to power and did everything he did. In addition, “ As leader of the Nazi party he orchestrated the holocaust, which resulted in the death of four million Jews.’’ (BCC programmes) This shows Hitler was the one who was blamed and planned everything out.

    Read More

  • Close Reading Response Essay

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind legislation, students across the country are being required to read texts that have greater and greater complexity. Content-area teachers are charged with the task of supporting these students as they struggle to master these more complex texts (Fisher and Frey, 2014). By using reading strategies such as think-alouds, close reading and building background knowledge teachers can help make the reading more accessible for English Language Learners (ELLs). Stimulating critical thinking begins prior to reading. By tapping into the student’s prior knowledge, they will be able to make connections with the reading passage which is one of the first steps of critical thinking.

    Read More

  • The Power Of Adolf Hitler

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Among these dictators was Adolf Hitler, who called on the German masses to restore the national glory that had been damaged by defeat in 1918. He urged German scorn democratic rights and roo...

    Read More

  • Critical Thinking Reflection

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    Critical thinking is a significant and essential topic in recent education. The strategy of critical thinking skills helps identify areas in one's courses as the suitable place to highlight, expand and use some problems in exams that test students' critical thinking skills.

    Read More

  • Freire's Characteristics Of The Teacher As A Learner

    1979 Words  | 4 Pages

    Paul R. (1995). Critical thinking: How to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. Richard, Paul “Critical Thinking: Basic Theory and Instructions Structures,” Foundations for Critical Thinking. 1977. P

    Read More

  • Importance Of Common Sense

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    Common sense is to some degree instilled in all of us, it is something we are born with, if one believes it or not. It is something used every day, but we as humans do not realize it: for example, common sense is comparable to blinking; we do it without thought. The dictionary definition of common sense is, the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions (Merriam-Webster). While that defines what common sense is, everyone has their own personal description and meaning. My opinion is, a sense of good judgment and thought process. When using good judgment, one thinks about how this will affect him or her now and in the future. Is it a smart decision with positive outcomes or a bad decision with regretful outcomes?

    Read More

More about Critical Thinking Is More than Common Sense

Open Document