Critical Thinking

One of the most profound ways in which humans differ from animals is our ability to think. There are several theories of how people think, and some of the most widely accepted theories argue that people have two modes of thinking. One mode is intuitive, emotional, fast, automatic, and error prone. The other mode is slower, requires effort and control, and is less error prone. Critical thinking occurs when individuals use the latter mode of thinking; teaching students to think this way is one of the primary goals of education.

Curricular changes at all levels of education increasingly focus on providing students with the workplace skills they will need as world citizens in the 21st century. For example, many states in the United States have adopted ...