Developing critical thinking

Developing critical thinking

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. (By Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, 1987.)

According these authors, the most important aim of this skill is to be able to belief in ourselves as well of being capable to take actions in order to make things better, fear and justice for all.

Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.  People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically. 

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, unshapely, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly; both in money and in quality of life, there for, good quality thinking should bring good quality life.

 Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated; it implies effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.

Having done this definition I would like to share or communicate my currently situation as student in the didactic I, another course that I was taking in this semester.

The current critical, Didactic I course, that I was taking, “was canceled”, it was the more reliable sample of arbitrariness, in which the school has reached in the highest academic life levels, in our school of language sciences. That is, the current administrative system of the undergraduate program in foreign languages, with its accreditation quality is in process.

In relation to its accreditation process in high quality international standards without any relationship or affiliation with the students point of view.  Moreover, it has been resolved the request made by students by “cancelling the course”, as it was the only solution or maybe as retaliation against the emergence of a deep desire to restore and change this school crises, that the school is passing at this time, students are not as they used to be, they demand to be treated as critical, analytical, being able to transform their social reality.

This fact smells pretty bad, it allows to affirm that is not criticism and analysis the guiding principles of the school of linguistics, something already known, but with this situation is absolutely proven. So what does a school that says they are critical and analytical, supporting a decision like this? This allows us then to argue that there are other principles that drive the actions of the school.

Now, who canceled this didactic I course? The faculty of the School of Language Sciences? This is the same school that aims to move forward a certificate of quality, regardless of their  only reason; the well  being of the students, today the called didactic I course and 13 others with similar irregularities. How it can be understood that this course has been canceled, leaving 25 students sentenced to the postponement of his professional degree for over three more semesters?

What will come from the school? Washes hands: as has been done for many semesters against students' requests, pleasantly watching as more and more students thicken academic dropout statistics. And then say that nothing could be done against this critical situation of the school and the didactic I course. The only goal of the school should be student resurgence over political selfish and petty interests of a few.

Concluding all these ideas I would like to rephrase, Paulo Freire, Education should raise the awareness of the students so that they become subjects, rather than objects, of the world. This is done by teaching students to think democratically and continually questioning, making critically meaning views from everything they learn and live.

By: Alexis Herrera Monsalve.