What is Critical thinking? How to practice critical thinking skills

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is critical thinking (analytical thinking) which is a dialectical thinking process that includes: thinking, analyzing, evaluating, and debating information from many different perspectives to clarify and reaffirm. the accuracy of the problem. The characteristics of critical thinking are the need for clarity, LOGIC, sufficient evidence, impartiality and meticulousness.

Critical opinions are usually from the minority because if it is from the majority, it is the official opinion. People with critical thinking often give opinions contrary to the common thinking of that group.

An example of critical thinking
Friend A said: “2 x 5 = 6”. Friend B replied: “Wrong, 2×2=4”. This is not critical thinking.

Friend A said “C is a good student”. Student B based on observations of scores and speech during class and asserted “C is a bad student because…”, at the same time providing arguments and evidence to show that his opinion is correct. This situation is an example of critical thinking.

The importance of “critical thinking skills”
The role of critical thinking is found in all professional fields and all scientific disciplines. In scientific skepticism, critical thinking involves gathering and interpreting information and using it to reach a clearly defensible conclusion.

Critical thinking enables you to analyze, evaluate, explain and improve your thinking. This will reduce the risk of acting or thinking with false beliefs.

How to practice Ihinking Skills in each person?
Want to know how to practice critical thinking? Below is a critical thinking handbook with a few methods you can practice.

Actively cultivate your own knowledge
People with good critical thinking often have the ability to speak fluently to easily argue with others about certain points of view. And to practice critical thinking, you need to constantly improve your knowledge and supplement information in many areas related to society, your profession, and even jobs outside the scope of your activities. The more knowledgeable you are, the more accurate your information will be to convince others.

Have an objective perspective
Next, you need to have an objective perspective on a certain issue when debating. Do not think or solve problems at an overly emotional level or let your ego take over. Get rid of the subjective perspective and replace it with an objective perspective so you can argue the issue accurately.

Get into the habit of asking questions
Learning to ask yourself questions is a good way to practice critical thinking, helping you proactively explore and look at problems from other angles. This also has a method to solve problems more carefully and with fewer errors.

Use opinion mapping
When evaluating a problem, first you need to know exactly what the problem is, who is involved, what field it belongs to… Then, based on scientific and logical foundations, create a list of questions to answer. Clearly clarify the problem such as why A and not B, if B then what will be the result of C, which D and E are correct… From there you draw a conclusion for the problem posed.

Some questions develop critical thinking

• What is your evidence that you can support/oppose…?
• What are the benefits and harms of…?
• How can you evaluate the accuracy of…?
• What is the difference between… and …?
• What are the ideas you could add… and how would it change them?
• What do you think about…? Explain your argument.
• What solution can you suggest to the problem…?
• What might happen if you combine… and…?
• Why do you give priority to…?
• How can you classify…?
• What are the criteria you can use to evaluate…?
• What information will you need to make a decision about…?
• What is the highlight or main idea of…?

Through the examples of critical thinking above, hopefully you have had the most comprehensive view of critical thinking and from there have methods to improve and develop yourself. And this is one of the most important life skills for you to advance in the future. Practice your critical thinking skills now