Teaching Critical Thinking: Focusing on Metacognitive Skills and Problem Solving

Abstract

To become a better critical thinker, one not only must develop expert thinking skills but also become an expert at choosing the best skills for the particular situation. These two components of critical thinking can be described as maximizing the efficiency and accuracy of one's cognitive and metacognitive skills for successful actions. The development of students' cognitive and metacognitive skills was the approach taken to teach a required critical-thinking course. Students assessed different aspects of their own thinking and problem-solving skills before and after a module on problem solving and decision making. Comparisons between above-average and below-average students indicated that students learn to choose general approaches to their problems and learn more specific strategies for successfully resolving their problems. Factor analyses of the students' self-assessments and changes in factor structures indicated that students improved their critical-thinking skills and were aware of their improvements.