What is Critical Thinking? Learn the problem-solving skills and make quality decisions

Susan Musso, BSN

 

          Quality thinking is like any other skill; it takes practice and discipline to learn. Over the past 15 years that I have been interested in education, there seems to have been increasing attention to develop better thinking skills. But first we need to develop an understanding of critical thinking.

          There are many definitions but it is more than memorizing a simple definition of the process. It is more an understanding of the process of becoming a better thinker by developing specific attitudes, traits, and skills. Each person must learn to be introspective about their own thinking.

That is, you must think about how you think.

 

          Richard Paul, author and director of research at the Center for Critical thinking, describes critical thinking as thinking that’s done under discipline and sound intellectual standards. (1) To think critically you must:

·        Define your purpose and goals well

·        Frame questions or problems precisely

·        Carefully check information for its completeness and relevance

·        Be able to trace implications and consequences

·        Appreciate multiple perspectives and ways of looking at things

·        Be disciplined, hold yourself to standards, and evaluate and correct your thinking

Paul addresses the need to develop what he calls “intellectual traits of the mind.”

 

Paul’s Intellectual Traits:

  • REASON: The educated person will be reasonable not interested in dodging responsibility or placing blame. There will be an effort to problem-solve in the workplace.
  • HUMILITY: There will be respect for the thoughts and ideas of others and a humble awareness of how much one does not know.
  • COURAGE:  The thinking person will be intellectually courageous with a willingness take unpopular positions based on reasoning
  • INTEGRITY: The same standards are applied consistently  and are not changed to suit circumstances
  • PERSERVERENCE: The thinking person will be capable and willing take on the challenge of completing hard intellectual tasks. Not giving up-pursuing a solution.

 

Stephen Brookfield, encourages us to gain control over our lives through critical evaluation of underlying beliefs and considering alternatives to those beliefs (2). He views critical thinking as being:

  • Productive and positive. Critical thinkers see themselves as creating and re-creating aspects of their personal, workplace, and political lives.
  • A process, not an outcome. You can’t be in a state of complete critical development
  • Manifested in different ways, depending in the context in which it occurs.
  • Triggered by positive as well as negative events. Encountering negative events often causes us to question previously trusted assumptions.
  • Emotive as well as rational. Critical thinking isn’t above the realm of feeling. Rather, emotions are central to the thinking process.

 

Rosalinda Alfaro-Lafevre developed the following description of critical thinking in nursing(3). Critical thinking in nursing:

  • Entails purposeful, outcome-directed (results-oriented) thinking
  • Is driven by client, family, and community needs.
  • Is based on principles of nursing process and scientific method.
  • Requires specific knowledge, skills, and experience
  • Is guided by professional standards and ethics codes. Requires strategies that maximize human potential and compensate for problems created by human nature.
  • Is constantly reevaluating, self-correcting, and striving to improve.

 

 

According to Alfaro-Lafevre we have some additional reasons for teaching and learning about critical thinking (4).

  1. Nurses are frequently involved in complex situations that increase responsibilities. We must view ourselves as knowledge workers- thinkers, not just doers.
  2. Critical thinking is the key to resolving problems. Nurses who don’t think critically become part of the problem.
  3. Critical thinking is essential to passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
  4. Accreditation visitors to both schools and health care facilities look for evidence of critical thinking ability.

 

 

          There are four basic skills necessary for the development of higher level thinking skills. These are critical reading, critical listening, critical writing, and critical speaking. (White, 2002)

 

          Reading for meaning is for the acquisition of knowledge from various resources-textbooks, journals, etc.  If one reads critically, study time will be reduced and retention of material will be improved. A tactic to reading for meaning is to restate the main idea to yourself or another student. Have a dialogue with yourself and ask questions such as, what is the reason for studying this material? How does this relate to what I already know? Can I say this in my own words? Can I summarize this section before going any further?

 

          Critical listening requires that you carry on a mental dialogue with the speaker. So many of us do not effectively listen, we tune in only occasionally to orally presented material. So much of the oral communication is lost. Recognize the things that distract your attention, such as mannerisms, word for word notes, daydreaming. Practice on refocusing and listening for key points and restating the points made in the discussion with another student.

 

          Critical writing is the ability to present one’s thoughts coherently, clearly. Practice summarizing in your own words, the main idea in a reading assignment. Give your writing to a friend for critique. Can your friend understand what you meant to say? Effectively writing may seem boring but it will improve the quality of your thinking.

 

          Oral communication is neglected. Ambiguous statements are misleading and may be even dangerous for a nurse who must present the client’s health history and present symptoms carefully. Be careful not to impart biases that can impact what the other person hears. 

 

The following strategies are compiled by author Vincent Ruggiero to use during the study process which will help develop critical thinking skills. (5)

  1. Recall the facts. Remind yourself of those things you already know about the targeted topic. Ex: the cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, the arteries, and the veins; it carries the blood to the cells
  2. Group facts into a pattern and organize the data. Ex. The heart is the center of this system. The arteries carry blood from the heart to the cells; the veins carry blood from the cells to the heart.
  3. Associate this information with an experience or an action. Ex. The cardiovascular system is like a plumbing system, with the heart as the main pumping station, the arteries as the carriers of the hot water, and the veins as the carriers of cold water.
  4. Practice “what if scenarios” . What happens if the pumps don’t work? What causes this? What runs the heart’s electrical system? What else can cause the heart to stop working?
  5. Discuss these questions with peers
  6. Postulate new solutions. Often flashes of insight come when we are daydreaming or as we awaken.

 

We must pay attention to habits that hinder our thinking and make a conscious effort to change and not be afraid to grow. Thinking that we must always save-face to protect our image can impede growth. We must get comfortable saying things like, “I’m not sure, I was wrong, or I have to think about that.

 

 

Never stop asking “Why?” and “What about this?” 

 

References:

1. Paul, R. (1995). Critical thinking: How to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

2. Brookfield,S. (1987). Developing Critical Thinkers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

3. Alfaro-LeFevre, R. (1999). Critical thinking in nursing: A practical approach. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.

4.

5. Ruffiero, V. (1991). The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought. Illinois: HarperCollins.