Critical Thinking
Term Paper EDUS 301: Critical Thinking
By Ashita Bhatt
According to Webster 's New World Dictionary, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write. Every man should be a literate citizen of the world. The importance of literacy is obvious. One sees words everywhere – on signs, in training manuals, on buses, in books. Adults who cannot read risk becoming isolated from the society. Illiteracy affects their ability to find jobs, and ultimately, their very survival. That is why it is so important to get children reading when they’re young, long before they become adults. There is, however, one more challenging question: what to do so we can discover the pleasure of learning, its usefulness and its pertinence for our own life and even for the world? Do we want to be able to read and write to merely meet the definition of literacy? Do we not want to be asking ourselves why something makes sense and what logic works behind our answers? We want to read and write, but we also want to be able to use a computer, to have all the information to live life enjoyably. We also want to be able to have an understanding about visuals, people, society, surroundings and the universe. It means to be able to understand all of these and to be able to express our understandings to others. We essentially want to challenge the human brain and push its boundaries to incorporate critical thinking so that we may learn logically, strategically, and effectively. I read this article in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy about critical thinking and comprehension that in a nutshell shows why and how to incorporate critical thinking skills into the curriculum.
I liked this paper especially because it advocates the importance of critical thinking in our day-to-day life. Thinking critically has become an important tool of education. Knowing to carry an umbrella on a rainy day or not touching a hot fire are not examples of critical thinking. Critical thinking allows an
By Ashita Bhatt
According to Webster 's New World Dictionary, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write. Every man should be a literate citizen of the world. The importance of literacy is obvious. One sees words everywhere – on signs, in training manuals, on buses, in books. Adults who cannot read risk becoming isolated from the society. Illiteracy affects their ability to find jobs, and ultimately, their very survival. That is why it is so important to get children reading when they’re young, long before they become adults. There is, however, one more challenging question: what to do so we can discover the pleasure of learning, its usefulness and its pertinence for our own life and even for the world? Do we want to be able to read and write to merely meet the definition of literacy? Do we not want to be asking ourselves why something makes sense and what logic works behind our answers? We want to read and write, but we also want to be able to use a computer, to have all the information to live life enjoyably. We also want to be able to have an understanding about visuals, people, society, surroundings and the universe. It means to be able to understand all of these and to be able to express our understandings to others. We essentially want to challenge the human brain and push its boundaries to incorporate critical thinking so that we may learn logically, strategically, and effectively. I read this article in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy about critical thinking and comprehension that in a nutshell shows why and how to incorporate critical thinking skills into the curriculum.
I liked this paper especially because it advocates the importance of critical thinking in our day-to-day life. Thinking critically has become an important tool of education. Knowing to carry an umbrella on a rainy day or not touching a hot fire are not examples of critical thinking. Critical thinking allows an
References: Critical literacy as comprehension: Expanding reader response, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Date: September 1, 2004. Burns, M. (2004) Writing in math Educational Leadership, 62(2), 30. John A. Van De Walle (2006), Elementary and Middle School Mathematics - Teaching Developmentally, Seventh edition, White Plains, NY: Longman Pub. Co. Pugalee, D. K. (1997) Connecting writing to the mathematics curriculum Mathematics Teacher, 90, 308–310. Chapman, K. P. (1996) Journal Pathways to thinking in second-year algebra Mathematics Teacher, 89, 588–590. Doughtery, B. J. (1996). The write way: A look at journal-writing in first-year algebra. Mathematics Teacher, 89, 556–560. Jacquelin Darvin, Teaching Critical Literacy Principles to Math and Science Educators, Teaching Education, Vol. 18, No. 3, September 2007, pp. 245–256. http://www.freeinquiry.com/critical-thinking.html Schafersman, S. (1991). An introduction to Critical Thinking. Quotes chosen from www.quotescafe.com