What is critical

thinking?
First, google “reasons not to drink coffee.”

Wow! Decreased anxiety (source),

healthier teeth (source), weight loss
(source), and a healthier heart (source)!
How about “reasons to drink coffee?”

Lower rates of depression (source), memory boost

(source), longevity (source), and, wait for it,
a healthier heart (source).
 critical
thinking?
• the ability to think in an
organized and rational
manner in order to
understand connections
between ideas and/or facts.
• helps you decide what to
believe in.
• “thinking about thinking”
•Critical thinking is the ability to think
clearly and rationally, understanding the
logical connection between ideas.
•Critical thinking has been the subject of
much debate and thought since the time
of early Greek philosophers such as
Plato and Socrates and has continued to
be a subject of discussion into the
modern age, for example the ability to
recognise fake news.
STEPS IN CRITICAL THINKING

• Step 1: ORGANISE INFORMATION. We have no difficulty in

locating information. ...
• Step 2: STRUCTURE REASONING. ...
• Step 3: CONSIDER EVIDENCE. ...
• Step 4: IDENTIFY ASSUMPTIONS. ...
• Step 5: EVALUATE ARGUMENTS. ...
• Step 6: COMMUNICATE CONCLUSION.
Someone with critical thinking skills can:
•Understand the links between ideas.
•Determine the importance and
relevance of arguments and ideas.
•Recognise, build and appraise
arguments.
•Identify inconsistencies and errors in
reasoning.
•Approach problems in a consistent and
systematic way.
•Reflect on the justification of their own
assumptions, beliefs and values.:
Critical Thinking in
Mathematics
•Critical thinking is a key factor in separating those
students who can 'do' math from those who truly
understand what they're doing.
•students who've been taught to think critically in math
can explain why a formula works, and they can trace
the steps used to define a concept.
When students think critically in mathematics,
they make reasoned decisions or judgments
about what to do and think. In other words,
students consider the criteria or grounds for a
thoughtfull decision and do not simply guess or
apply a rule without assessing its relevance.
 ASKING QUESTIONS

• To think critically is to follow a clear line of logical steps and

reasoning. To solve critical thinking problems, math teachers
should model the way they think when solving a problem. Students
can internalize a set of questions to ask that will help them think
their way to a solution. These questions could include:
• What is the problem? What am I trying to figure out?
• What do I know? What is the given information?
• What do I need to know to solve the problem?
• What problems like this have I solved before?
• What solutions could work? What strategies will work best in this
situation?
Math Reasoning and Metacognition
•When teaching mathematics options for solving problems or
during computations, teachers can assist students by
expanding those math reasoning skills associated with
advanced mathematics, which require a higher level of
thinking, critical thinking or thinking about thinking (often
referred to as metacognition).
•Cooperative learning and metacognitive training enhance
mathematical reasoning.
Metacognition has been defined simply as
thinking about thinking, a better
understanding of the definition of
metacognition is as follows:
•Higher order thinking that enables
understanding;
•Analysis and control of one’s cognitive
process, especially when engaged in
learning.