Critical Thinking: The skill for a successful education by Arabella

Critical Thinking: The skill for a successful education by Arabella - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

Critical thinking has the most significant impact on turning a person's school experience into a successful education. Many students believe they are receiving an education by attending school, turning work in on time, and recalling information. While this is a major component of succeeding in school it does not mean the student is receiving an education. According to Dictonary.com education is “both the act of teaching knowledge to others and the act of receiving knowledge from someone else.” How much knowledge are students receiving from their classrooms? Recently, my composition teacher asked his class if they wanted to do an assignment, and the group said no. The teacher then challenged the students with a simple question, “why?” This one-word question puzzled my classmates and me, nobody wanted to do more assignments than necessary! Yet our teacher kept forcing us to articulate our answers to him and argue our point. The rebuttals prompted him to explain students have been completing assignments because teachers tell them to and there is a reward we receive (a good grade). This method is effective for keeping a good grade but does not mean students retain information. For students to succeed in learning he/she will need to develop critical thinking skills.

What are critical thinking skills? According to the University of Louisville, critical thinking skills are “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” In simpler terms, critical thinking involves higher-order thinking rather than recalling information. Classrooms are not designed to promote critical thinking skills but for students to recall information and move on. Students have been left to develop these skills on their own, and ones that learn the skill gain valuable educational experience. Developing a critical thinking mindset is not easy, but crucial if students want to receive an education to the fullest. Gaining the skill of critical thinking requires a student to ask questions. When a person asks a question it can promote interest in the subject. Questioning the information taught in schools causes students to connect it to their worldview. When students can comprehend information and relate it to their life they analyze the knowledge and will learn valuable skills from it. Being able to retain information and not just recall and forget information ensures students will receive knowledge and apply it to their lives.