Paper About Critical Thinking

The Process of Critical Thinking


The process of critical thinking involves using problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making abilities. It is the capacity for individuals to pose important questions to themselves and provide prompt answers. Since critical thinking is skewed toward self-correcting and is sensitive to context, it is a process that promotes the making of wise decisions (Lipe & Beasley, 2004).

Critical Thinkers


Critical thinkers are those who engage in this process of reflective thought. Skepticism, activity, and open-mindedness are qualities that define critical thinkers. Critical thinkers employ a variety of strategies, such as the metacognitive, substantive, and holistic approaches, to enter the world of critical thinking. The necessity of critical thinking will be discussed along with several methodologies in the article.

Approaches to Critical Thinking


Critical thinking approaches include; holistic, metacognitive, and substantive approach. Firstly, the holistic approach involves evaluating different elements of a complex system as a whole (Fisher, 2014). Therefore, the holistic approach involves paying attention to context and setting of a complex system. Additionally, the metacognitive approach is a process of thinking rationally (Lipe & Beasley, 2004). The approach is designed to solve problems by thinking about the kind of approach one is going to use to solve a problem. In short, metacognitive approach revolves around concepts of awareness and action. For awareness, the critical thinker must understand the problem. Action on the hand means that the critical thinker must invoke cognitive mechanisms to solve the problem (Lipe & Beasley, 2004).Lastly, the substantive approach requires a critical thinker to analyze, assess, disposition, and outline the abilities of the thought, and highlight various obstacles barricading the critical thought. Therefore, to solve an individual problem, a critical thinker must go through all those dimensions (Dunn, Halonen & Smith, 2009). In addition, the approach requires a critical thinker to invoke intellectual standards to bisect elements in a complex system (Rudinow & Barry, 2008). A holistic perspective is an ideal approach because it criticizes the context, the background, and other essential elements of a problem. Seeing systems of problems as a whole is important because looking at things from one direction can cause a critical thinker to miss out on some vital information.

Importance of Critical Thinking


Since critical thinking involves explaining, analyzing, and evaluating different ways to approach problems, it is a vital element in decision making. Through critical thinking, one generates the best way to solve various challenges. Critical thinking also helps people to formulate rational decisions that are supported by concrete evidence. Reflective thinking helps one to avoid future problems because of a decision they made in the past (Cotrell, 2011). Furthermore, critical thinking is a vital element in the world of academics. For example, reflective thinking is responsible for the formulation of new ideas and theories. Most scholars in the past did not look everything in their lives at face value, but they analyzed them, and new concepts were born out of their analysis. Therefore, critical thinking is necessary for academic inventions and formulation of new ideas through research (Dunn, Halonen & Smith, 2009).

Conclusion


To sum up, critical thinking is the process of reflective thinking that enables one to make noble decisions independently and formulate new ideas. Critical thinking helps people to swim deep into problems and avoid being swayed by the floating ones. In the process of swimming deep into problems, critical thinkers use different approaches to critical thinking. The techniques include substantive, metacognitive, and holistic approaches. Notably, the holistic approach entails thinking outside the box and seeing the bigger picture. The fact that it assesses the broadness and complexity of a problem makes it the most ideal approach.

References

Cottrell, S. (2011). Critical thinking skills: Developing effective analysis and argument. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dunn, D. S., Halonen, J. S., & Smith, R. A. (2009). Teaching critical thinking in psychology: A handbook of best practices. Malden, MA [u.a.: Wiley-Blackwell.

Fisher, R. (2014). Teaching children to think. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lipe, S., & Beasley, S. (2004). Cognitive skills in nursing practice. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Rudinow, J., & Barry, V. E. (2008). Invitation to critical thinking. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth.

Deadline is approaching?

Wait no more. Let us write you an essay from scratch

Receive Paper In 3 Hours
Calculate the Price
275 words
First order 15%
Total Price:
$38.07 $38.07
Calculating ellipsis
Hire an expert
This discount is valid only for orders of new customer and with the total more than 25$
This sample could have been used by your fellow student... Get your own unique essay on any topic and submit it by the deadline.

Find Out the Cost of Your Paper

Get Price