Title: Chapter 17. Analyzing Community Problems and Solutions | Section 2. Thinking Critically | Main Section | Community Tool Box
Headings: Section 2. Thinking Critically
Section 2. Thinking Critically
What is critical thinking?
Why is critical thinking important?
Who can (and should) learn to think critically?
How do you help people learn to think critically?
What is critical thinking?
Elements of critical thinking
Goals of critical thinking
Why is critical thinking important?
Who can (and should) learn to think critically?
How do you help people learn to think critically?
How to be a critical thinking facilitator
How to encourage the critical stance
Facilitating problem solving using critical thinking
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Content: If you ask the kinds of questions suggested here when you see new information, or consider a situation or a problem or an issue, you're using critical thinking. Critical thinking is tremendously important in health, human service, and community work because it allows you to understand the actual issues involved, and to come up with an approach that is likely to address them effectively. What is critical thinking? There are many definitions of critical thinking. Some see it as a particular way of handling information. Others look at it as a specific set of skills and abilities. People interested in political and social change see it as challenging and providing alternatives to the generally accepted beliefs and values of the power structure. They're all right to an extent: critical thinking is all of these things, and more. Critical thinking is the process of examining, analyzing, questioning, and challenging situations, issues, and information of all kinds.