Faith Filled Family Magazine July 2016 | Page 109

complete sentences. That’s the trick, that’s how they do it, just like your job has jargon you use to talk to, they too, have it. So, when I say the words -critical thinking skills- what language am I speaking? If any of you are teachers, principals or educators, then you either let out a long sigh or perhaps the standard, “Carl Jung” eye roll? What are critical thinking skills? Raise your hands now, don’t speak all at once. CRITICAL THINKING IS NOT A SINGLE SKILL; IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF THINKING SKILLS, BUT ALSO PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS THAT ARE DEVELOPED AS PART OF A PROCESS. It is the process, itself; that is the key when developing these critical thinking skills. When I was growing into critical thinking skills, the dominant way to achieve them, was merely a narrative from the teacher, while the student, or I, copied from the board, and tried to keep up with the discussion. Much has changed, as critical thinking has become paired with another term called higher order thinking. This set of skills paired with the thought process enables the learner not just to sit and copy, but to think about the words, question the statements, develop an argument, research it and draws a conclusion based on the set of steps in the sequence to achieve that outcome. With critical thinking, educators quickly found the fallacy in listening and thinking that for years seemed to be the hidden elements that left gaps in the theories to examine, evaluate, and to emphasize. It seemed more like an assumption than a conclusion. After previous formative years of read and write, the reader/listener relationship changed to encompass personal experiences, educational levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural sensitivities, or any other stereotypes or biases. Critical