Critical Thinking Essay

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Critical Thinking

Thinking is a tool of life. Critical thinking is a term of thinking deeply, in spirit, where to gathered information from experience, reflection, evidence to reach an answer or conclusion. Critical thinking is “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” (Michael Scriven & Richard Paul 1987). Critical thinking enhanced people to develop an effective analysis and creates arguments based from the research. This essay will identify and understand what is meant of critical thinking; the barriers of critical thinking; and how to present critical thinking to other, such as core professional obligations, values, and operations of organizations.

To understand the term critical thinking we need to examine clearly on descriptions. According to Macmillian (2011), Critical thinking is “a cognitive activity associated with using the mind”. This demonstrates that “think critically” is combined with mental processes such as attention, where it given an evidence from the point of views; judgments to make an argument with an outcome of conclusions; and decision making to present a point of view which is clear, well-reasoned way that is persuasive to others. Critical thinking is associated with reasoning where reader point out the arguments to analyses, and evaluating in detail. Reasoning might involves with analyzing evidence and drawing conclusion on its. (Macmillian 2011) Critical thinking is important to the audience as it develop reflective thought and a tolerance for ambiguity; it also improves our creative ideas. In an academic purpose, students are expected to develop critical thinking skills in their own deeper mind with their arguments and theories, but the process of thinking might obscure because the information is intensive. Being able to think well and problem solving, we need to pay attention in the skills of practice and attitude. (Jonathan Chan 2014)

Critical thinking is “about as difficult as become fluent in a second language” (Tim Van Gelder 2004). There are barriers would also effect in critical thinking such as emotional, personal matter or affective would affect the ability of critical thinking. Even the information we have collected from support material, but it is not the only facts, there might be lack of stability that will effect on the decision we have made (TSTC Publishing, 2010). Firstly, a lack of strategies will not sufficiently precise for advanced level of academic thinking and professional work. Secondly emotional is challenge in people beliefs and long held assumptions. As Ritzer (2011) demonstrates that mind and self are cultivated by social interactions this influence how people think and interact for various situations. People taking their “Taking an attitude” (Handel 1982) to learn something behalf from their feeling might ignore their past experience and events. This interpret that the process of critical thinking is trend to create a barriers across learning.

In some situation, critical thinking is help to solve problem, and develop an effective arguments, but more specifically, “to do critical thinking” is trend to an interesting question. Many organization and university are required student and employee to deeply thinking as part of their project and assignments. Thinking is such a way to” recognize its strengths and weakness as a result improve thinking” (Richard Paul). I mentioned earlier, that practice, theory and attitude would help student and employee to do critical thinking. The basic principles of critical thinking is “knowledge of theory” that means we have to find the mistakes that people have in their past. An awareness of experience to finds these problems will allow us to improve findings.

Secondly, to be a good critical thinking skills, which are required to internalize those theoretical principles you have made and apply them in real life. Critical thinkers have to be practice a lots and even memory and understanding would help people to think deeply. Lastly, attitudes are what people have to deal with their learning, mistakes, and to break their old habits. People are required to reflect of what they learned from past experience, and to understand the information deeply. According to Stella Cottrell (2010), a core model for critical reflection consists five stages; to evaluate of the sort of information to examine the purpose of the information; then reconstruct the information gathered and analyses those information and given back their reflection; analysis would held to make experience and distil the lessons we learnt and finally apply your understanding to the findings. This shows how students and employee to do critical thinking and how they can improve in the core professional obligations and organization.

In conclusion critical thinking is a logical concept that required people to learn from it in any area of circumstances. The basic elements are to identify the purpose, analyses those information and interpret the concept to given point of views. It is important to know the barriers of critical thinking that would effect of emotional, attitude to think and to make assumptions. Students and employees are required ‘to do critical thinking’ to ensure the learning from Stella Cottrell’s core models and to givens a theoretical reasoning, so we can deal to the reasoning and to reach the conclusions. Subsequently, critical thinking driving to bring a successful to the organization and is the most appropriate decision for people to think and learn.

Reference List
Morton, Timothy. 2010, ‘Introduction: Critical thinking’, The Ecological Thoughts, Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press, viewed 25/03/2014

Reed Geertsen. 2013, ‘Barriers to Critical Thinking Across Domains’, Review of Management Innovation & Creativity, vol. 6, no. 20, pp. 52-60

Hugh, M. Stephen, H. & Barbara, B. 2005, ‘Developing Critical Thinking Abilities In Business and Accounting Graduates’, The Irish Accounting Review, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 23-45

Houndmills, Hamshire., Stella Cottrell, 2011 Critical thinking skills: Develop effective analysis and argument, 2th edition, UK. Palgrave Macmillan.

The Critical Thinking Community 2014, ‘Defining Critical Thinking’, Foundation Critical Thinking, viewed 26/03/2014,

Joe, Lau. & Jonathan, Chan. 2004, ‘Critical Thinking’, Critical Thinking Web, viewed 28/03/2014,

TSTC Publishing, 2010, ‘Critical Thinking: A Life Skill’, Taking Charge, viewed 28/03/2014,

Richard, Paul. & Linda, Elder. 2014, ‘How to do Critical Thinking’, Center For Critical Thinking, viewed 29/03/2014,