Deepening critical thinking skills through civic engagement in Malaysian higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedali Ahrari ◽  
Bahaman Abu Samah ◽  
Md Salleh Hj Bin Hassan ◽  
Nor Wahiza Abdul Wahat ◽  
Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills

A Compass During the Storm: Offering Students Critical Rigor for Polarizing Times

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Wender ◽  
Valerie J. D’Erman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Learning Objective ◽  
First Year

ABSTRACT Teaching and learning in higher education is occurring, unavoidably, within the broader civic context of today’s extraordinarily polarizing political times. We seek to help students situate themselves with respect to and, above all, thoughtfully assess others’ as well as their own perspectives on issues of profound contention, without contributing to exacerbated polarization ourselves. Specifically, we offer students in our first-year exploratory political science course a vital tool—critical rigor—for navigating but not being inundated by the storm. This article discusses our experiences in teaching the course titled, “The Worlds of Politics,” as we attempt to help students deeply engage in cognitive processes of critical thinking and analysis, without undue infringement from their own—and least of all our own—personal political biases. Our focal learning objective is the cultivation of critical-thinking skills that promote students’ drawing of distinctions between advocacy and analysis, as well as their discerning civic engagement.

Fostering Critical Thinking Skills in European and Asian Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 138-150
Author(s):  
Svetlana Antonova ◽  
Tatyana Pletyago ◽  
Anna Ostapenko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
University Education ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Professional Activities

There is a demand for transformation in higher education. Undergraduates need to be taught critical thinking, an essential skill that should be central to the mission of all educational institutions. Critical thinking is a key focus of academic interest among researchers in the field of pedagogy and methodology. Despite this, there is still a lack of sufficient information on approaches, methods, techniques, and means of incorporating critical thinking skills in the classroom environment at the tertiary education level. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the hands-on experiences of some European and Asian universities in promoting critical thinking education using a range of academic models. The review shows that critical thinking has already been integrated into many major tertiary education programmes in both European and Asian universities. Further, majority of the academic models implemented are transferable and flexible. The results confirm that in terms of content, methods, and technologies, university education is focusing on cultivating the higher order skills necessary for innovative professional activities in modern world.

scholarly journals Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills in Nursing Higher Education in Preparation for the Industrial Revolution 4.0

2021 ◽  
pp. 793-804
Author(s):  
Argi Virgona Bangun ◽  
Andria Pragholapati
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Educational Strategies

Nursing higher education will challenge the dynamics of the work environment in the Industrial Revolution Era 4.0 and they will compete with digital technology. Critical thinking skills as one of the basic competencies must support higher education in preparation for the industrial revolution 4.0. Exploring thinking skills makes nursing students will be trained in their punishment and analysis skills according to their knowledge. Critical thinking skills not only guide students to develop continuing skills, but also help nursing students to be motivated to create innovation in college. The aims of this review is to learn the critical skills needed in higher education to prepare for the industrial revolution 4.0 based on literature understanding. There are 6 (six) important things about Critical Thinking in nursing education in the Industrial Revolution Era 4.0, namely Definition of Critical Thinking, Why do we need to focus on critical thinking in higher education, Why is critical thinking needed in industry 4.0 preparation, Industry Innovation 4.0 and human potential to overcome environmental problems, Critical Thinking in Nursing Education, and Educational Strategies for Developing Critical Thinking in Nursing. These critical thinking skills are suitable for equipping students in higher education before they enter different workplaces. Educational strategies in developing critical thinking skills by supporting the use of questions, small group activities, role plays, debates, use of case studies, journals, simulations, puzzles, problem solving and writing assignments. Nursing students who think critically in line with creative thinking and innovation will be useful to survive in the dynamics of the industrial revolution 4.0 and beyond in the world of the future.     Keywords: Critical Thinking, Nursing Higher Education, Industrial Revolution 4.0

Watching TV News

2015 ◽  
pp. 271-290
Author(s):  
Joseph Albert Cernik
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Television News ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Tv News ◽  
Watching Tv ◽  
Vanderbilt University

This chapter focuses on the shortcomings of learning about complex policy issues from television news. The chapter uses the Vanderbilt University Television News Archive website to examine issues raised and not raised by television news, as well as the duration of time spent on issues by news shows. Examining the limitations of television news' ability to present and address complex public policy issues serves as a means to focus on critical thinking in the higher education setting. Two public policy issues are explored in this chapter, Constitutional interpretation and the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as ObamaCare, as the means to show how limited television news is regarding presenting the often frustrating aspects of complex policy issues. Several methods used by the author to help students apply critical thinking skills are discussed. The results of these methods are also addressed.

Deepening of Critical Thinking Skills through the Use of Civic Engagement

2017 ◽  
pp. 252-272
Author(s):  
Marcia F. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
School Systems ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Societal Needs

Critical thinking is an underlying goal of modern education. It is also a needed skill for effectively navigating life in modern society. It is frequently however, not taught in school systems. Students are therefore left at a disadvantage. Civil engagement is the process by which people work together for the betterment of society. A pertinent skill of civic engagement is critical thinking. This chapter proposes a model for bringing civic engagement and critical thinking together to meet both educational and societal needs. This model provides effective strategies for teaching civic engagement outside of the classroom.

scholarly journals Examining the Influence of Culture on Critical Thinking in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Vivian Miu-Chi Lun
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
European Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

<p>In the midst of an increasingly changing world, the ability to think critically has become a crucial attribute expected of university graduates. However, the endorsement of critical thinking in higher education has been challenged by the growing cultural diversity in university classrooms. Concerns about Asian students' lack of critical thinking and the appropriateness of critical thinking instruction in international education have been raised by teaching professionals. The present dissertation sought to understand the influence of culture on the teaching and learning of critical thinking in higher education. Chapter 2 presented a study examining the instructional contexts of Hong Kong and New Zealand. It was found that similar assessment methods were employed in the university courses in both cultures, but university courses in Hong Kong placed more emphasis on knowledge development whereas those in New Zealand explicitly described critical thinking in the course objectives. Chinese international and New Zealand European postgraduate students were individually interviewed to investigate the exact influence of cultural-educational contexts in Asia and New Zealand on university students' conception and practice of critical thinking (Chapter 3). Both samples of students held similar conceptions of critical thinking, but reported differences in their socialization experiences regarding the practice of critical thinking in their respective cultures. Specifically, stronger inhibition on students' practice of critical thinking was noted in Asia than in New Zealand. In Chapter 4, two studies that investigated the differences in critical thinking skills between Asian and New Zealand European students are presented. In both studies, New Zealand European students were found to perform better than their Asian counterparts on an objective measure of critical thinking skills. The difference was explained by students English language ability but not cultural factors such as cultural differences in cognitive styles or behavioral adoption of New Zealand culture. It was suggested that observed cross-cultural difference in critical thinking skills is related more to language ability rather than cultural variables. A significantly positive relationship between critical thinking skills and academic performance was found, and the relationship was not significantly different between Asian and New Zealand European student samples (Chapter 5). The relationship was also not different as a function of students' adoption of New Zealand culture, indicating that pedagogy with an emphasis on critical thinking is similarly applicable to both Asian and New Zealand European students. Overall, the present findings indicated that culture has an important influence on students' practice of critical thinking. Although there is cross-cultural difference in critical thinking skills between Asian and Western student samples, the difference appears to be related more to language ability rather than cultural factors. The present thesis provided empirical evidence to show that culture influences the educational practice of critical thinking, but the influence of culture does not necessarily impede the application of critical thinking instruction in international classrooms. With appropriate adaptation, critical thinking instruction can be beneficial to the intellectual development of students regardless of their cultural backgrounds.</p>

scholarly journals Critical Thinking in the EFL Workshop on War: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-214
Author(s):  
Maja Mandic
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Sensitive Issue ◽  
Linguistic Skills

This article presents a small case-study of an EFL workshop class on war, organized following the basic principles of critical thinking and content-based teaching. The development of critical thinking skills is one of the priorities of higher education, especially when discussing a sensitive issue, so the workshop was organized around the topics of war and memory. The students were given individual research assignments to prepare in advance, which they presented in the workshop. The teacher was only a moderator as the students were responsible for their presentations and discussion. The outcomes of this process are presented in the article, focusing on the students’ delivery of their assignments. Based on the teacher’s observations and students’ responses to the workshop, it can be concluded that it was possible to combine some of the fundamentals of critical thinking with those of content-based teaching for this class. The article discusses how the students benefited from the class in terms of acquired knowledge, linguistic skills and motivation. It also outlines the challenges of organizing the workshop and dealing with the sensitive topic of war. The article proposes practices which could be used to improve the observed positive aspects and to remedy the negative ones.

scholarly journals Assessment of Indonesian Higher Education Students’ Critical Thinking Based on Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Endang Mastuti Rahayu ◽  
W. Bandjarjani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Action Research ◽  
First Principles ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
First Principles Of Instruction ◽  
Classroom Action Research ◽  
Principles Of Instruction

Studies in Indonesian Higher Education students’critical thinking skills, have shown that they still need reinforcement. Hereby, Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction offers steps of activities to facilitate this. This article reports the results of a case study on the assessment of Indonesian Higher Education students’critical thinking skills in each step of Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (Problem, Actication, Demonstration, Application, and Integration) during Classroom Action Research Course for students of batch 2017 of English Language Education Department. Through descriptive qualitative analysis of assessment rubric of critical thinking, it was found that the assessments given in each step of Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction could trigger the students’ critical thinking skills assisting them to manage to formulate proposal for conducting Classroom Action Research. This provides insights to craft assessment in line with Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction as to promote students’ critical thinking skills. Therefore, it could be suggested for other researchers to conduct similar research using more careful and detailed criteria of critical thinking rubric when implementing Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction.

scholarly journals Book review: Critical thinking skills for healthcare by Stephanie McKendry.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moira Lewitt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
North America ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is an essential goal of all education, particularly higher education. However it is "a complex and controversial notion that is difficult to define and, consequently, to study" (Abrami et al. 2008). The critical thinking movement that emerged in North America in the 1980s was characterised by debate around how this concept should be defined as well as how it should be taught.

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