On a cold day at home I was browsing through the information HUB – the internet. I came across a phrase called “critical thinking” then I was thinking of our educational system and way we do your work and way we think about them. Just three four days back Rudra on his usual tour to different departments was asking us what direction should be given to students at NEC? At the moment, the things told to him was usual problems that we commonly talk about on our educational system like our educational system cannot keep pace with the market, no live projects practice etc etc. On reading about critical thinking I felt that one of the ground realities is that we normally do not practice critical thinking as students. You may be wondering what this Critical thinking is. There are many definitions of Critical thinking found on the Net.

I will adhere to the one below.

“Critical Thinking is a term used to refer to those kinds of mental activity that are clear, precise, and purposeful. It is typically associated with solving complex real world problems, generating multiple (or creative) solutions to a problem, drawing inferences, synthesizing and integrating information, distinguishing between fact and opinion, or estimating potential outcomes, but it can also refer to the process of evaluating the quality of one’s own thinking. However, the precise collection of which critical thinking elements should be stressed in a particular class may vary depending on the nature of the subject matter at hand. In nearly all cases acquiring critical thinking competence requires that students be provided with opportunities to identify and challenge the assumptions of meaningful problems in a discipline as well as to explore alternative hypotheses or ways of thinking and acting.”

During my school days when the teacher taught some lesson then we as student took it as the ultimate truth because student at that age bracket lag to think critically or have their own point of view. If anyone asks the students relating to the teachers subject, the student will give reference of the teacher.
When the student pursues higher education if the student is following the teacher’s lesson the student’s written work reflect the teachers experience or teaching. The students observation regarding the subject or the matter taught will be influence the student’s mind frame and same will be reflected in his/her work. The student and class as a whole will form an opinion on the teacher and his running of the class. The class environment plays a vital role. Depending upon the how the teacher runs the class, he/she will have guided the students to see the subject from his point of view. Every student will relate to the situation and the class environment and motivation put on by the teacher would be reflected on the student’s work.
Now if the teacher advocates critical thinking as a fundamental goal of education the students work will have its perception in wider range than the teacher’s experience and that will have more interaction between student and teachers. However, evidence is sparse that many teachers are successfully implementing critical thinking in their classrooms or that large numbers of students are developing critical thinking skills.

If you want to know more information on Critical thinking, please check on http://www.criticalthinking.org/about/centerforCT.cfm