Importance of critical thinking for students Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynMJQNVGry8

1. Importance of critical
thinking for students
Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Khan,
Department of Education,
Hazara University, Mansehra

2. Introduction:
In my previous posts, I discussed:
the meaning of critical thinking
, the qualities of critical thinkers
and the difference between critical thinking
and general thinking.
This post is aimed at highlighting the
importance of critical thinking for students.

3. The development of critical thinking may
help students in the following ways:
Students may:
• become better learners:
• Critical thinking may help students become more
attentive to detail, take more interest and become more
focused. These are things that are highly useful in
becoming better learners.
• actively engage in the class:
Critical thinking on the part of the students may result in
their more active involvement in classroom instruction and
activities. This active involvement results in a more active
and productive learning process.

4.  question the teacher’s stance:
As critical thinkers, students may not take everything coming from
the teacher on its face value. They may listen to the teacher with a
more critical ear and see what the teacher does with a more critical
eye. This is something very important in the process of clarifying
concepts and developing analytical skills of students.
 question textbook content and learning material:
In many instances students who think uncritically, take everything
written in the textbook or other course material as something
essentially true. As critical thinkers, students may look at curricular
material in the textbooks or other curricular material in a more
skeptical way. This may save them from becoming indoctrinated and
prone to possible instances of prejudice or untruths in the
curriculum.

5.  become independent learners:
Critical thinking may help students in becoming independent as
learners. Students, as critical thinkers are often less prone to
become dependent on their teachers or other elders for solving
every problem for them. Instead, they may become used to using
their own brains to solve their problems and may need minimal
guidance from teachers.
 become life-long learners:
As critical thinkers, students are likely to attain the ability to
become life-long learners. This is mainly because once they are
trained as critical thinkers in the educational institutions, it is
relatively easier for them to put that ability to use in their practical
life to keep learning and to solve their daily life problems.

6.  become open-minded:
Critical thinkers are more likely to be open-minded. That means
they are more likely to be open to more possibilities, to be more
accepting of others’ points of view, to relinquish their position and
to accept or challenge others’ point of view based on evidence or
counter evidence. They are often more open to grey areas instead
of looking at things through a black or white lens.
 become more humble:
Humility is often an outcome of critical thinking. This means that
critical thinkers may not just look at others’ view critically but also
at their own views. They may not think that they are always right.
This is likely to make them more humble and open to correction
and change.

7.  no resort to rote learning:
As critical thinkers students are less likely to learn things by
rote. Instead they try to understand things and then to write
those in their own words. This may lead to real learning of the
concepts which is what should be expected of the educational
process.
Conclusion:
The above may just be a fraction of the benefits that could be
associated with the development of critical thinking among
students. This presentation, however, highlights that the
development of critical thinking is highly important for students
in making them independent in their thoughts and actions, which
is an important aim of education, or so do I think.
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Thank you.