Critical Thinking Process Analysis

Most people are not critical thinkers by nature. It takes years of practice and commitment to become a highly productive and efficient critical thinker. In order to develop the right frame of mind in becoming a critical thinker there are certain stages that can be followed to help students practice their critical thinking skills. "Stage one: The Unreflective Thinker" this stage entails students who are unaware of any problems that they might have in the critical thinking process (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). "Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker" this is the stage where the students begin to become familiar with any problems they might have in the critical thinking process (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). "Stage Three: The Beginning Thinker" in this
"Strategy #1: Use "Wasted" Time" a countless number of hours are wasted every day (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.2). This is wasted time that could have been used to improve your critical thinking skills. A student must be able to recognize when the time they are using is wasted or productive. When an individual acquires this skill, the wasted time can be put to further the individual 's critical thinking development. "Strategy #2: A Problem A Day" a student must pick a problem that can be thought out thoroughly each day (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.3). This can be done on the way to work, in the shower, or when one finds that they are wasting time. Completely think out the question and suggest solutions to possibly remedy the problem. "Strategy #3: Internalize Intellectual Standards" Some examples of universal intellectual standards are, clarity, precision, logicalness, and accuracy (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.3). Once a week a student must take one of these standards and use it in everyday situations. For example, a student might want to use logicalness and apply it to every day life. This can be applied to every task the student is performing in order to see if it is being