Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"Critical Thinking Skills

Scheffer and Rubenfeld discuss critical thinking habits and critical thinking skills. For each of the critical thinking skills shown below, they give a number of activity statements.

1. Analyzing

• Separating or breaking a whole into parts to discover their nature, functional and relationships.
• "I studied it piece by piece"
• "I sorted things out"

2. Applying Standards

• Judging according to established personal, professional, or social rules or criteria.
• "I judged it according to..."  

3. Discriminating

• Recognizing differences and similarities among things or situations and distinguishing carefully as to category or rank.
• "I rank ordered the various..."
• "I grouped things together" 

4. Information Seeking

• Searching for evidence, facts, or knowledge by identifying relevant sources and gathering objective, subjective, historical, and current data from those sources
• "I knew I needed to lookup/study..."
• "I kept searching for data." 

5. Logical Reasoning

• Drawing inferences or conclusions that are supported in or justified by evidence
• "I deduced from the information that..."
• "My rationale for the conclusion was..."

6. Predicting

• Envisioning a plan and its consequences
• "I envisioned the outcome would be..."
• "I was prepared for..." 

7. Transforming Knowledge

• Changing or converting the condition, nature, form, or function of concepts among contexts
• "I improved on the basics by..."
• "I wondered if that would fit the situation of ..."

 Please, go to the attached website link to see the reference...

http://www.umich.edu/~elements/5e/probsolv/strategy/ctskills.htm

Dear Dr Hazim Hashim Tahir

Thanks for sharing an excellent piece of information...

Have a great day!

-Selvam.

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"What are the Importance and Benefits of "Critical Thinking Skills"?

Critical Thinking is the ability to analyze the way you think and present evidence for your ideas, rather than simply accepting your personal reasoning as sufficient proof. You can gain numerous benefits from mastering critical thinking skills, such as better control of your own learning and empathy for other points of view.

Critical Thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism."...

Please, go to the attached slide to see what  are "Critical Thinking Skills" consist of? and to press on the attached website link to read the the rest of the interesting article...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-importance-benefits-critical-thinking-skills-islam/

I regard critical thinking skills as (1) the ability to think logically and (2) the consistent use of this ability in daily life.

Dear Dr Kirk MacGregor, thanks a lot for your participation and sharing your excellent views...

Have a great day!

-Selvam...

What is critical thinking skills?

Skills involved the evaluation, argument, judgement, conclusions' deduction based on data & information provided & the interpretation of those conclusions (Baker etc, 2000, Bassham, 2005)

How to improve critical thinking skills in children?

Think there are many ways to do that, personally finding following approach is useful:

Is creativity and critical thinking the same?

They are not the same.  Creative thinking skills are the skills involved the creation or generation of ideas, processes, experiences or objects (Torrance, 1967).  I'd written a high level conceptual paper merely based on literature review on how these 2 thinking skills will impact students' academic performance but without empirical evidence.  If you are interested, you can refer to this RG link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266201785_Influence_of_Overconfidence_Risk_Aversion_Creative_Thinking_and_Critical_Thinking_on_Students%27_Academic_Achievement_-_A_Conceptual_Paper

Article Influence of Overconfidence, Risk Aversion, Creative Thinkin...

Critical thinking means making rational, well thought out logical decisions. It is a way of thinking that does not simply accept all arguments and conclusions, but has a position that involves questioning such arguments and conclusions.It requires wanting to see what evidence is involved to support a particular argument or conclusion. People who use critical thinking are the ones who say things

Dear Selvam Ramasama,

You raise two main questions:

(!) How to improve critical thinking skills in children?

(2) Is creativity and critical thinking the same?

On what follows I elaborate on your questions.

Let me start by saying that like John Laudan, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and many philosophers of science,  I am convinced that the increase of the conceptual clarity of a theory, research, question, or concept through careful clarifications of meaning is.one of the most important ways in which science progresses [see, for this respect,  Laudan, J. (1977). Progress and its problems: Toward a theory of scientific growth (p. 50). Berkeley: University of California Press. Wittgenstein, L. (1958). Philosophical investigations (p. 232e) (G. E. M. Ascombe, Trans.) (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall]. 

It is generally alleged that critical thinking refers to one’s capacity to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe; that it includes one’s ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking; that peoples with critical thinking skills are capable of, for example, understanding the logical connections between ideas, identifying, constructing and evaluating arguments, detecting inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning, solving problems in a systematic way, noting the relevance and importance of ideas, and reflecting on the justification of one's own beliefs and values.

Critical thinking, therefore, is not a matter of compilation of information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from premises he knows, and he knows how to use information to solve problems, and to seek important sources of information to inform himself/herself.

A common misunderstanding about critical thinking is to judge it as being critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing logical fallacies and bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking, therefore, can help us acquire knowledge, improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. Of course, we can also use critical thinking to improve social institutions.

Another common misunderstanding about critical thinking is that it hinders one’s creativity because it requires following the rules of logic and rationality, and creativity might require breaking rules. Critical thinking, however, is quite consistent with thinking, say, "out-of-the-line", challenging consensus and pursuing divergent ideas and less popular approaches. If anything, critical thinking is part and parcel of creativity because we need critical thinking to evaluate and improve our creative ideas (see more below)  

The following example clearly illustrates that creativity or divergent thinking and critical thinking are highly consistent with each other. It is said that Karl F. Gauss (1977-1855) left his primary school teacher highly perplexed when, at the age of 8 years, he gave a creative answer to the following problem his teacher had written shortly before on the blackboard: “ What is the sum of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8?”. All of a sudden, and apparently without having time enough to perform the respective operation of adding, Gauss replied that the result of the arithmetical operation at hand was 36. “Why is this so?” -- The teacher asked again. She became more perplexed when Gauss replied that this was so because 4 X 9 = 36. “I cannot understand” -- The teacher replied and went on:  “Why did you perform an operation of multiplication instead of an addition operation?”  “I did that -- Gauss replied -- because I easily realized that 1+ 8 = 9; “2 +7 = 9; 3 + 6 = 9; and 4 + 5 = 9. Hence, 4 X 9 = 36”. Even if it were given by a non-expert adult in mathematics, we would certainly say that Gauss’ answer and way of thinking was highly creative and was a clear example of divergent, new, and insightful thinking. As critical thinking also includes one’s ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking, Gauss’ answer is a telling example of both creativity and critical thinking.

The example also substantiates a procedure of how to get access to one’s critical thinking. In other words, to ask individuals to justify their answers or performance on issues wherein critical thinking may be involved is a kind of “think aloud” procedure, a procedure often employed by researchers to get access to underlying psychological processes at issue, for example, in one’s critical thinking and one’s creative thinking or acting. 

Critical thinking often involves evaluating arguments and detecting inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning. Because of this, the domain of conditional reasoning is an appropriate domain for one to observe individuals’ ability to think critically, that is, to see, for example, how individuals of different ages solve each of four classical logical arguments (i.e., Modus Ponens, Modus Tollens, Denial of Antecedent, and Affirmation of Consequent). Of course, for one to know individual’s critical thinking while solving these logical arguments or problems one has to ask them to justify (or think aloud) their responses and solutions.

As you know, conditional reasoning has do to with “if…then statements”.  Modus Ponens: If p (Mary is at school), then q (John is also at school); p is the case (Mary is a school). Hence, q is necessarily the case (John is also at school). Modus Tollens: If p (Mary is at school), then q (John is also at school); not q is the case (John is not a school): Hence, not p is necessarily the case (Mary is not at school). Denial of Antecedent:  If p (Mary is at school), then q (John is also at school); not p is the case (Mary is not at school). Hence, nothing can be concluded about q (i.e., John may be or may be not at school). Affirmation of Consequent: If p (Mary is at school), then q (John is also at school; q is the case (John is at school). Hence, nothing can be concluded about p (Mary may be or may be not at school). There is mounting evidence that shows that even 5-year-olds draw the “correct” conclusion when Modus Ponens is the case (i.e., John is at school), that 9-year-olds draw the “correct” conclusion when Modus Tollens is the case (i.e., Mary it not at school at school), and that even some adolescents and adults are not capable of drawing the correct conclusion when Affirmation of Consequent and Denial of Antecedent are the case (i.e., It is not possible to say whether or not Mary/John are at school). Of course, children are not capable of dealing with either Affirmation of Consequent or Denial of Antecedent problems. It is worth mentioning, however, that when 9- year-olds or even younger are asked to justify their conclusions when, for example, Modus Tollens is the case, their justifications are not based on critical thinking nor are they based on an idea of logical necessity. More precisely, their justification for their apparently correct conclusion is based on what is called a process of matching bias (i.e., if it is true that If Mary is at school, John is also at school, then it is also true that if John is not at school, Mary is not at school either. To be based on an idea of logical necessity and guided by critical thinking, children would have to say that if John not were at school and Mary was there, then it would be necessarily false to say that if Mary is at school John is also at school. It is because of such matching bias that children and even some adolescents and adult say that, in Denial of Antecedent problems, for example, if Mary is not a school, John is not at school either, which amounts to commit a fallacy or draw an incorrect conclusion. 

All that said, critical thinking is a major ability in either theoretical (e.g., to solve conditional reasoning problems) or practical domains (e.g., to critically evaluate our moral decisions and choices in real-real moral dilemmas, such as to steal to save a human life). To ask individuals to think aloud, or justify their answers when they are confronted with issues having to do with critical thinking are but two procedures (not processes) of getting access to their critical thinking. Given that in semi-structured interviews, individuals are asked to justify their answer, which, in turn, is a thinking aloud procedure, such interviews are also a good procedure to assess individual’s critical thinking. Needless to say, to ask subjects for justifications, thinking aloud, and performing on semi-structured interviews are deeply intertwined.

As I see it, creativity is a complex process and phenomenon. Thus, there are several definitions of creativity.  For example, creativity is generally understood as (a) an act of bringing about new and imaginative ideas into reality; (b) an ability to perceive the world in a new way or manner; and (c) a capacity to find hidden patterns, to establish links between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate new solutions.

 It is generally assumed that creativity involves two psychological processes: to have new ideas and then act on them. In this vein, you are only, for example, a creative researcher when you know how to perform, say, good and even excellent research.  As Wittgenstein (1958) once cogently remarked inner processes (e.g., to have good ideas on how to perform research) are in need of outer or external criteria. (e.g., to conduct it).   

As I see it, creativity is, above all, divergent thinking and acting. I could substantiate my idea through Gauss’ example mentioned above. To my knowledge, the concept of creativity has given rise, among others, to three common misunderstandings. First, it is often said that creativity is, say, a given of nature some people have and others do not possess. Even though we need an intact brain in order to be creative and innovators, creativity (and critical thinking), goes well beyond genes, molecules, neurons, and the like, and it can be fostered and promoted. For example, it is more likely to win a Nobel Prize if you live, say, in a scientific atmosphere where there are Nobel laureates than in an uncultivated social environment. Second, creativity is not a “nothing-or-all" phenomenon. This means that even ordinary people can exhibit at times some creative activities. Finally, creativity generally requires hard work, not simply inspiration. It is alleged that Einstein once said that it is only in dictionnaries that “success” (and creativity) appears first than “work”. It is worths mentioning that, when asked to say how people come up with creative ideas, Piaget [see Bringuier, J. (1980). Conversations with Jean Piaget. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press) gave quite an informal, albeit original, response. More precisely, Piaget said that if you want to be creative, then:  (1) avoid reading all that was previously published on the matter where you want to be creative. If this is not the case, you risk spending all of your available time and, even so, not to having time enough to read all that was already written on that matter wherein you want to be creative. (2) Read a lot about all that is somehow related to the field wherein you wish to be original and creative. Parenthetically, Piaget was an expert in psychology but also in biology, epistemology, philosophy, logic, and the like. (3) Do have, so to say, a conceptual "enemy". In other words, if you want to get ahead and be creative, you need, so to say, to have a theory or even a metatheory. Needless to say, what new and creative scientific ideas and theories are greatly depends upon one’s conception of science. Gaston Bachelard, Karl Popper, John Laudan, Thomas Kuhn, and Imre Lakatos, just to cite five examples, had different, may be complimentary, conceptions of science.

Two caveats are in order at this point. As I see it, to question how creativity is related to critical thinking (or vice-versa) is different from questioning why creativity is related to critical thinking or the other way around. Actually, when, for example, you ask why creativity is related, for example, to one’s critical thinking in the academic domain, you are looking at creativity as something that causes, conditions or brings about critical thinking or vice- versa. When you ask, for instance, how creativity is related to one’s critical thinking in the above mentioned domain you are looking for the underlying processes (psychological, sociological, neural, and so forth)  that occur in your mind/body (namely the brain) when, creativity, for example, enhances one’s critical thinking in any domain of knowledge and acting, or the other way around. 

 Let me give an example from my area of expertise, developmental psychological, that shows that a “why” question is different from a “how” question. Consider the case of an 8-year-old child who is capable of liquids conservation in Piagetian terms (i.e., to understand, for example, that a certain amount of drinking water remains the same amount when it is poured from a tall and thin container, A, to a low and wide one, B. What independent variables, factors, conditions, or antecedents do lead that child to acquire (construct) such competence? This is a why question. For example, when Piaget referred to what he called the three traditional factors of development (i.e., maturation, physical experience, and social experience, including language), he was answering to a why question. When Piaget’s referred to what he called the operational arguments (i.e., identity -- when you pour the drinking water from A to B, it remains the same amount of drinking water as before because you only passed  it from A to B; reversibility -- if one passes again the water form B to A, it remains in A as it was before in terms of tallness and thinness of the container at hand; and compensation – when the water passes from A to B, it is now contained in a container, B, that is taller than A, but B is also thinner than A), he was responding to a how question or addressing the underlying psychological, or even neural processes that occur when the child understand liquids conservation. Of course, the underlying psychological processes hypothesized by Piaget in the example above became only apparent when they are invoked by the child as s/he is asked to justify his/her operational understanding of liquids conservation. 

 Here it goes my second caveat. Why you ask whether creativity and critical thinking are related, this relation should be seen in a bidirectional sense in that, for example, creativity fosters critical thinking and critical thinking promotes creativity.

 All that said, I assume that what you want to really know is about this bidirectional relationship.

As creative individuals are, among others things, those who bring about new and imaginative ideas in any domain of knowledge and acting, have an ability to perceive the world in a new manner, and are capable of finding hidden patterns, establishing links between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and generating new solutions for old and current problems (see the Gauss’ example above) it is more than natural that they become critical thinkers of issues of any type, issues having to do, for example, with their academic or professional carrier, just to cite two domains. It is alleged that Piaget [see Bringuier, J. (1980). Conversations with Jean Piaget. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press] was so engaged with his scientific interests (e.g., to know how new forms of thinking and intelligence emerge, evolve, and attain full maturity with development and how these forms of thinking/knowing become necessary once constructed) that he only went to the cinema three times in all his life and promised to himself, when he was about 18-years-old, to write about twelve critical, original pages every day. This is a clear example that shows that creativity and critical thinking are closely associated with each other. It should be mentioned that there is amassing evidence that shows that critical and creative individuals are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated, or, as Edward Deci put essentially self-determined.

How does one’s creativity and critical thinking relate to each other? In others words, what psychological, neural, and so forth, processes underlie the positive influence of creativity on critical thinking or vice-versa? As I am not a neuroscientist, I do not know what neural processes (e.g., electrical potentials, neural firings and connections) occur when one’s creativity influences one’s critical thinking and acting or the other way around. Even so, I am quite aware that, in terms of neural processes, different neural processes happen in our brain when we think critically or uncritically, creatively or in a non-creative way, and that it is interesting and challenging to search for those neural processes. However, if it makes good sense to say of a person as a whole that s/he is creative and critical, it would be misleading and even nonsensical to say that it is our brain that is critical, innovative, and creative. What psychological processes are at work when we think/act in a creative or critical way? This is a difficult-to--answer question. First, as creativity and critical thinking are complex phenomena, the psychological processes at work when creativity, for example, enhances one’s critical thinking are also complex. Second, we need external criteria to reach a conclusion about such internal psychological processes.

As creative individuals are, intrinsically motivated or have a motivation that is self-satisfying and self-rewarding in itself, it  is certainly a psychological process that mediates the influence of one’s creativity on one’s critical thinking or vice-versa. Moreover, intrinsically-motivated individuals prefer challenging to easy work; are oriented to curiosity, not to others’ approval; are guided by independent mastery attempts not dependence on others; rely on independent judgment, not on others’ judgment, and appeal to internal, nor external, criteria for success/failure.

The example of Gauss referred to earlier speaks in favor of a cognitive complex process involved in the influence of one’s creativity on one’s critical thinking or the other way around.  Note that Gauss was able to differentiate and coordinate several dimensions or perspectives (e.g., to coordinate an arithmetical operation of adding with an arithmetical operation of multiplication). Thus, among others, motivational and cognitive processes are at work when one’s creativity, for example, enhances one’s critical thinking. There are tests to assess both one’s creativity and critical thinking. It is often the case that mental tests assess external performance not its underlying psychological processes. As cognitive processes are in need of external criteria (see above), a Piagetian clinical interview would be a good, even excellent methodology to capture such processes.  In other words, only when Gauss was asked to justify his answer to the above mentioned problem (i.e., “What is the sum of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8?”) could we capable of having access to the underlying cognitive processes at work in Gauss’ creative answer to such problem. In this vein, it is worth mentioning that in order to grasp the individual’s cognitive processes underlying his/her answers to Piagetian developmental tasks, Piaget’s clinical method [see Piaget, J. (1929). The child’s conception of the world. London: Kegan Paul Trench Trubner] generally appeals, among others, to the following procedures: (a) Justifications, that is, individuals are asked to justify their answers on such tasks [i.e., “Why do you say that when the amount of water contained in a given container, A, is poured to an empty container, B (see above), it continues to be the same amount of water as that initially contained in A?” (b) Counter-suggestions. In a typical Piagetian counter-suggestion, the interviewer confronts the child being interviewed with an answer given by a putative child which is contrary to that one s/he gave to the critical question in the focal task (e.g., “You say that when the water passes from A to B, the amount of water continues to be the same as before. However, a child as old as you told me that there is more water in B than there was in A. Are you right, is s/he right, or might both of you be right?”). The child’s responses to the presented counter-suggestion are generally coded as refusal (i.e., the focal child says that it is s/the, not the putative child, who is right), acceptance (i.e., the focal child says that it is the putative child who is right), and hesitation (i.e., the focal child says that both children may be right). And (c) Repeated questioning. As you certainly know, in the liquids conservation task, there is also a third container, say, a container C, which contains the same amount of water as that contained in A and which is equal to container A in terms of tallness and wideness. The child being interviewed is also asked to say that if there is more water in A, in C, or the same amount of water in A and C and why.

 There is mounting evidence that shows that one’s creativity and critical thinking are deeply related.  I think that, among others, motivational (e.g., intrinsic motivation) and complex cognitive processes in terms of the number of differentiation and integration of dimensions, perspectives, and the like are at work when one’s creativity enhances, for example, one’s critical thinking.  I also think that a well conducted Piagetian clinical interview, an interview that appeals to repeated question, justifications and counter-suggestions is a good, even excellent intellectual tool to see and find how one’s creativity and critical thinking are related.

I hope that I have got your question and that this helps. I also hope that my appeal to conceptual clarifications is seen in a positive and constructive way

Best regards

Dear Dr Han Ping Fung and Dr Orlando M Lourenço,

Thanks a lot for sharing your excellent and elaborate views on critical thinking skills and ways and means of improving this skills in children....

Have a great say!

-Selvam....

Dear Selvam Ramasamy,

In my previous comment, I did not elaborate on a part of your question:  How to improve critical thinking skills in children?

I do it now

Teachers/parents can do a lot to enhance the creativity and critical thinking of their pupils/children. Many books, chapters and papers are devoted to this issue.  Because of this, my response to your question is more based on my scientifically grounded convictions than on the reading of particular book, chapter, paper, and the like.

In what follows I provide you with some informal suggestions so as to foster your pupils’/students’ creativity and critical thinking. As noted, though informal, such suggestions are based on scientific research. Here they go. 

(1) If you, as a teacher/parent, want to enhance children’s critical thinking and creativity, then you should not commit what I call the education-fundamental error, that is, you should not espouse the idea that children have not to be rewarded or praised for doing what they should do (e.g., to perform well at school) but should always be reprehended or even punished for any incorrect answer or misdeed. The more you reprehend your children for any misdeed or incorrect answer, the less they are likely to be creative, innovative, and critical.

 (2) If you, as a parent/teacher, want to enhance children’s creativity and critical thinking, then you should be, so to speak, an attentive teacher/parent to all of your pupils’/children’s behaviors, namely those related to intellectual and social matters. Among other things, when you are an attentive figure you are very careful about children’s sense of autonomy – that they should be respected as individuals – and intimacy – that they are entitled to establish close relations with others. Contrary to what seems to be case, the psychological senses of autonomy and intimacy are deeply intertwined. Suffice it to say that if one is capable of establishing close relationships with others – intimacy -- then the others consider him/her as a partner who is entitled to have respect and esteem from them – autonomy. Needless to say, a relatively well developed sense of autonomy and intimacy goes well with a happy, healthy, and creative life. There is mounting evidence that shows that when children and adolescents consult a clinical psychologist they often say, for example, that their parents and/or teachers want to have a total control over all of their behaviors, attitudes, and the like – i.e., parents and teachers do not recognize children’s and adolescents’ sense of autonomy and identity -- or/and that their parents/teachers do not know almost nothing about their concerns, problems, and so forth  --  i.e.,  parents or teachers do not value children’s and adolescents’ sense  of intimacy.

(3) If you, as a teacher/parent, want to foster children’s creativity and critical thinking, then you should do everything you can so as to enhance their sense of competence, self-efficacy, self-esteem, control over events, and the like. All of these senses are important psychological senses. There is no drug that generates and fosters them. This means that they greatly depend on the child’s sense of autonomy and intimacy.  For instance, there is mounting evidence that shows that an internal locus of control (see J. Rotter’s work), and a high self-efficacy (see A. Bandura’s ideas on self-efficacy) are positively associated with the child’s sense of autonomy and competence, just to cite two examples. For instance, you foster your child’s internal locus of control whenever you show him/her that the more s/he socializes with peers, the more peers socialize with him/her. Albert Bandura, as you certainly know, also found, for example, that the more one has a high sense of self-efficacy, the more one achieves what s/he wants to, and hence, the more s/he is likely to be creative and critical.

(4) If you, as a teacher/parent, want to foster children’s creativity and critical thinking you should make use of the active methods in their education and learning. There is mounting evidence that shows that, in sharp contrast with the traditional and conservative methods, whose goal is to inculcate and transmit to students the existing knowledge and values from one generation to another, the active methods are neither entirely teacher-centered nor entirely student-centered but rather appeal to an interaction between a teacher organizing classroom situations and involving students in experimentation [See Piaget, J. (1973). To understand is to invent: The future of education. New York: Grossman Publishers)]. Therefore, these methods are suitable teaching/learning methods for the appearance of creative, autonomous, and critical individuals, not individuals who are oriented to an uncritical acceptance of dogmas, established truths, or truths imposed on them from outside. .

(5) Do not appeal to power assertion, that is, do not try to control the child’s undesirable behaviors by appealing to your physical power or control over certain resources such as toys, fruit-gums, and the like [See, Hoffman, M. (1970). Moral development. In P. Mussen (Ed.), Carmichael's manual of child psychology (Vol. 2. pp. 261-360). New York: Wiley), p. 285]. (e.g., “if you do that -- do not socialize with peers for instance -- you won’t have toys anymore”)

(6) Do not appeal either to what Hoffman called withdrawal of love, a kind of blackmail in that parents/teachers try to control the child’s undesirable behavior by threatening him/her with unpleasant psychological consequences, such as, “if you do that – to hit your sister, for example – then  mom does not like you anymore”. Thus, in the withdrawal of love strategy parents give a direct, albeit not physical, expression of their disapproval of the child’s misdeeds or undesirable acts. 

(7) Appeal to what Hoffman called inductive or explanatory practices. Contrary to power assertion and withdrawal of love discipline strategies or practices, in inductive or explanatory practices parents/teachers try to get the child’s adherence by explaining to him/her the negative effects of his/her misdeeds and undesirable acts on others (e.g.,” if you not socialize with your sister she will be sad”).

(8) Be an authoritative, not an authoritarian or permissive parent/teacher when dealing with the child’s misdeeds (see, for this respect D. Baumrind’s several writings on parenting styles). An authoritative figure is demanding but warmth; an authoritarian parenting is demanding, but cold; a permissive mother is guided, say, by the slogan “laissez faire, lesser passer, laissez aller (let’s it go).

(9) When trying to foster the child’s creativity and critical thinking do not want to go too fast. In this respect, there is a maxim that says: “Go slowly, because I am in a hurry”. This means that creative and critical thoughts and acts may not appear all of a sudden and hence their acquisition may involve several steps. For example, for a child to come up to be a creative scientist, it is recommendable that s/he goes from, say, easy research questions to more complex ones. It has been found that a certain target is more easily attained when its attainment is seen in several steps. Bandura’s work on social learning and cognitive-social learning testifies on the behalf of this my practical suggestion.          

(10) Do not forget to dress your child, say, in a beautiful way. Of course, children are beautiful in themselves. Even so, the more they are dressed up, the more beautiful they appear. There is mounting evidence that shows that a beautiful child attracts more attention from, and interacts with, others -- be them adults or children – than, say, “ugly” children, such as may be the case of a badly dressed child. Note that the true, the good, and the beautiful are universal categories, regardless of how they are seen at different places and times. The more a child is developed in cognitive, moral and aesthetical terms, the more s/he is likely to be creative, innovative and critical, with others. This should occur because, all things being equal, a developed child tends to have a high self-esteem and interact easily with others. A high self-esteem and interaction with others often rely at the heart of creative and critical individuals.   

(11) Educate your child/pupil toward a person-oriented perspective, not to a position-oriented perspective. In other terms, do everything you can such that your child comes to understand that people should be treated, for example, with respect and justice because of themselves, not because of their socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, and the like. There is also much evidence that shows that children who live in person-oriented families are much more developed in emotional, social, interpersonal, prosocial and moral terms than those who live in position-oriented families. Findings also show that person-oriented children are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated (see for this respect Deci’s theory of self-determination).

(12) Do not forget that children are fragile creatures, and hence we should take into account their rights. One of them is that children have the right, as it were, to have voice, mainly on all matters related to their rights and duties.

(13) Do not forget that children are not adult-like creatures. The idea of a child as a homunculus or an adult in miniature was cogently destroyed by Piaget’s monument oeuvre on one’s cognitive development. Piaget was able to show that children’s intelligence is qualitatively different from either adolescents’ or adults’ intelligence.    

(14) Do not forget that, albeit fragile and generally innocent creatures, the period or reign, say, of childhood is not necessarily a paradise. We all know about or heard from negative behaviors (e.g. bullying) on the part of school and even preschool children.

(15) Do not forget that children are perhaps the best of what exists all over the world. As Fernando Pessoa, a well-known Portuguese poet, used to say, great is the poetry, the goodness and the dances; but the best in the word are the children.

(16) Take into account that parents/teachers have also rights and children have also duties. This means that parents not have to put aside all of their rights as parents and citizens while educating and socializing their children. Moreover, unhappy parents easily made of their children unhappy children and hence less creative and critical.

(17) Note that however much you try to solve any of a child’s problem, no solution is possible without an active engagement on the part of the child. This is consistent with Piaget’s constructivist and holistic approach to one’s education and development, that is, with Piaget’s idea that without an active personal involvement, no real development, education or creativity takes place. 

I could make this list a longer list, that is, a list with more items. Be that as it may, I hope that my informal suggestions may be useful hints to help you foster the child’s education, development, and creativity. There is an African proverb that says that an entire village is necessary to raise a child, namely when we think of creative and critical children. This means that, while educating a child to be creative and critical, we cannot follow, say, a shortcut, but rather a demanding track. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that it is said that Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of Macedonia, once asked his tutor, the Greek geometer Menaechmus (380- 320 BC), to teach him a shortcut to mastery of geometry. Menaechmos is alleged to have replied that for traveling through Alexander’s country there were royal roads and roads for common citizens, but in geometry there is only one road, and this (difficult) road is the same for all people [see, for instance, Heath, T. (1921). A history of Greek mathematics. Oxford: Clarendon Press.]. However trivial it may appear, a child’s cognitive, emotional, social, and moral problem, for instance, should always be addressed, not through a shortcut, but via a demanding track or procedure.  

I hope that this helps.

Best regards,

Orlando

Hello Doctor Critical Thinking Skills is fluency, flexibility and originality which are the same creative thinking skills

Dear @Selvam, please, do find attached links to related research question. Rich answers and many resources are available.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_critical_thinking_skills_are_different_to_academic_critical_thinking_skills_or_are_they_just_about_the_same

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_we_promote_critical_thinking_skills_across_learning_areas_in_our_classrooms

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Critical_thinking_skills_in_the_new_century_a_neglected_area_of_study_Is_it_because_its_not_an_issue_anymore_or_too_complex_to_explore

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_we_improve_higher_order_thinking_skills_among_our_students

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_lecturers_promote_critical_thinking_among_their_undergraduate_students

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"Critical Thinking Skills

 What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.  Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age.

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information. 

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyse and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

1- Understand the links between ideas.

2 - Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.

3 - Recognise, build and appraise arguments.

4 - Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.

5 - Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.

6 - Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.

Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain ways so as to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that the thinker is aware of. In more everyday language, it is a way of thinking about whatever is presently occupying your mind so that you come to the best possible conclusion."...

Please, Read more at the attached website link...  

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

Thank you RG Friends and Colleagues for sharing your views and suggestions....

Have a great day!

-Selvam.

Totally agree with Mr. Hazim Hashim Taher. A well-organized and informative answer.

Dear Selvam Ramasamy,

As you can see, your question on creativity and critical thinking has given rise to exellent answers. I learnt a lot of reading all of them. Good questions tend to bring about good answers. Critical thinking are creativity lie at the heart of new scientific theoriies, technological innovations, and the like.

Dear Selvam Ramasamy,

As you can see, your question on critical thinking and creativity have given rise to very good answers. To my understanding all of them espouse, in a more or less explicit manner, that critical tkinking and creativity lie at the heart of new scientific theories, techonological innovations, and the like.

Have a good week end,

Best wishes,

Orlando

Dear Selvam Ramasamy,

As you can see, your question on critical thinking and creativity have given rise to very good answers. To my understanding all of them espouse, in a more or less explicit manner, that critical tkinking and creativity lie at the heart of new scientific theories, techonological innovations, and the like.

Have a good week end,

Best wishes,

Orlando

Dear Selvam Ramasamy,

As you can see, your question on critical thinking and creativity have given rise to very good answers. To my understanding all of them espouse, in a more or less explicit manner, that critical tkinking and creativity lie at the heart of new scientific theories, techonological innovations, and the like.

Have a good week end,

Best wishes,

Orlando

Dear Selvam,

I truly apologize for the repititions. It seems that there is someting wrong in my computer.

Best wishes

@) Dear Selvam and others. I truly apolozige for the repetitions. IT seems that a have a problem in my computer.

Best wishes,

Orlando

Dear @Orlando, why you do not delete all of your redudant answers? It is a matter of seconds.

Dear Dr Orlando M Lourenço, its absolutely fine....it happens sometimes....

Have a great day!

-Selvam...

There is no other death equal to infamy; no other foe equal to anger; no other sin equal to slander; no other dread equal to infatuation; no other taint equal to jealousy; no other fire equal to lust and no other poison equal to temptation.

Outstanding comment as usual dear Dr. Han Ping Fung , I do agree with you.

Regards, Emad

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making. Specifically we need to be able to:

• Think about a topic or issue in an objective and critical way.
• Identify the different arguments there are in relation to a particular issue.
• Evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or valid it is.
• Recognise any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the evidence or argument.
• Notice what implications there might be behind a statement or argument.
• Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument that we wish to make.

Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following : understand the logical connections between ideas.

philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making.

Regards

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following : understand the logical connections between ideas.

philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php

Dear Colleagues, Good Day,

Please, see...

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, AMONG OTHERS, INCLUDE ABILITY TO SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN PRESENTED AND TO SEE ALTERNATIVES.

Needs a lot of thought to find the appropriate solutions to reconsider the method of teaching and how to make our children more skilled and thinking : providing teachers with a high level and continuous follow-up to them and continue training courses in order to upgrade them.

Regards,

Dear Colleagues, Good Day,

"We are approaching a new age of synthesis. Knowledge cannot be merely a degree or a skill... it demands a broader vision, capabilities in critical thinking and logical deduction without which we cannot have constructive progress."

----- Li Ka-shing

"Critical Thinking vs Creative Thinking

I just started reading “Think Better: An Innovator’s Guide to Productive Thinking” by Tim Hurson.

I just started Chapter 3 and have become amazed that I hadn’t thought about the difference between Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking….even though I’ve blogged about the subject in the past (see The Problem(s) with Linear Thinking, Critical Thinking Definitions, and my review of Jack’s Notebook).

In Chapter 3 of this book, the author does a great job explaining that these are completely different thinking processes.  The author provides the following definitions:

Creative Thinking – generative, nonjudgmental and expansive. When you are thinking creatively, you are generating lists of new ideas.

Critical Thinking – analytical, judgmental and selective. When you are thinking critically, you are making choices.

I hadn’t thought about the differences between these two types of thinking…in fact, I’ve even used them as interchangeable terms for the same thing!

The author argues that using both thinking processes together creates a much more productive thinking process.  An interesting analogy that he uses in the book is:

"Think of the thinking process as a kayak with 2 paddles. One paddle represents creative thinking while the other represents critical thinking.  If you were to only use one paddle (i.e., creative thinking), you’d end up going in circles.  To make the kayak move forward, you’ve got to alternate between paddles."

Please, see the source website link:

http://ericbrown.com/critical-thinking-vs-creative-thinking.htm

It is a way of thinking in which you don't simply accept all arguments and conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving questioning such arguments and conclusions.

Critical thinking is the process of 1) recognizing a similarity or difference between two (or more) things, 2) reflecting on the inplications of this similarity/difference, and 3) reaching conclusions based on the analysis.

Here is a peer-reviewed rubric for evaluating critical thinking. It is designed to evaluate critical thinking in written texts, but may be adaptable to other communication contexts.

Data Content Analysis of Critical Thinking

Dear Colleagues, Good Day

"Facione's American Philosophical Association Statement of Expert Consensus on Critical Thinking

Summary In 1990 the American Philosophical Association conducted as Delphi research study for determining core critical thinking based on the consensus of experts within the US and Canada, representing disciplines in the humanities, sciences, social sciences and education. The APA Delphi Report defined Critical thinking as "the process of purposeful, self-regulatory judgment. This process reasoned consideration to evidence, context, conceptualizations, methods, and criteria.”

The six core critical thinking skills according to the experts are:

• INFERENCE: “To identify and secure elements needed to draw reasonable conclusions; to form conjectures and hypotheses; to consider relevant information and to educe the consequences flowing from data, statements, principles, evidence, judgments, beliefs, opinions, concepts, descriptions, questions, or other forms of representation."
• EXPLANATION: "To state the results of one's reasoning; to justify that reasoning in terms of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological and contextual considerations upon which one's results were based; and to present one's reasoning in the form of cogent arguments."
• EVALUATION: “To assess the credibility of statements or other representations which are accounts or descriptions of a person’s perception, experience, situation, judgment, belief, or opinion; and to assess the logical strength of the actual or intended inferential relationships among statements, descriptions, questions or other forms of representation.” 
• SELF-REGULATION: "Self-consciously to monitor one's cognitive activities, the elements used in those activities, and the results educed, particularly by applying skills in analysis and evaluation to one's own inferential judgments with a view toward questioning, confirming,validating, or correcting either one's reasoning or one's results."  
• INTERPRETATION: “to comprehend and express the meaning or significance of a wide variety of experiences, situations, data, events, judgments, conventions, beliefs, rules, procedures, or criteria.”
• ANALYSIS: “To identify the intended and actual inferential relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions, or other forms of representation intended to express belief, judgment, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions.”,...

Please, go to the website link for more details,...

https://sites.google.com/site/qepcafe/modules/overview/facione

Dear Colleagues, Good Day,

"CRITICAL THINKING AND EDUCATION

What is Critical Thinking?

The aim of Critical Thinking is to promote independent thinking, personal autonomy and reasoned judgment in thought and action. This involves two related dimensions:

Critical thinking involves logic as well as creativity. It may involve inductive and deductive reasoning, analysis and problem-solving as well as creative, innovative and complex approaches to the resolution of issues and challenges.

Critical Thinking and Education

One of the significant aims of education is to produce learners who are well informed, that is to say, learners should understand ideas that are important, useful, beautiful and powerful. Another is to create learners who have the appetite the appetite to think analytically and critically, to use what they know to enhance their own lives and also to contribute to their society, culture and civilization.",...

Please, see

https://sta.uwi.edu/ct/ctande.asp

Dear Dr. Selvam Ramasamy , there is no concrete standard for increasing critical thinking skills. There are different reports indicates that focusing on the following points will contribute a lot for becoming a critical thinker. Some of these include:

1. Identification

2. Research

3. Identifying biases

4. Inference

5. Determining relevance

6. Curiosity

7. Self awarness

8. Conceptualization

9. Communication

10. Experiance

etc

The details explanations of each of the aforementioned points are were given in the following documents

https://collegeinfogeek.com/improve-critical-thinking-skills/

http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/critical-thinking-skills-to-master-now/

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/our-concept-of-critical-thinking/411

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/critical-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063745

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

http://www.nuigalway.ie/academic-skills/criticalthinking/howtodevelopyourcriticalthinkingskills/

Dear Colleagues, Good Day,

"The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a term that is given much discussion without much action.  K-12 educators and administrators are pushed to teach the necessities as dictated by the standardized assessments in order to catch up the students to students of other countries.  In this push for better test scores, many students are leaving the K-12 education system lacking the critical thinking skills that are necessary to succeed in higher education or in the workplace (Smith & Szymanski, 2013).

There are several reasons that critical thinking is not being focused on, and the need to have better scores on assessments is just one of them.  Issues such as how to define critical thinking, how to teach critical thinking, and whether critical thinking should be taught or learned through social interaction plague educators who think about enhancing the critical thinking skills of their students (Choy & Cheah, 2009)."...

Please, see:

https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking

Good question

Dear Selvam,

To be a critical thinker does not mean to be able to criticize another's work. As I see it, a critical thinker is someone who tries to be an innovator and creator, not a conformist individual. A critical thinker is someone who is capable of raising, say, "irritating" questions, that is, questions whose answer leads us to a better knowledge of the unknown. For a teacher to develop critical skills in his/her students, s/he should be more a mentor and organizer of learning experinences and situations rather than a simple transmitter of ready made or established truthts.

Best regards,

Orlando

Informative.