Stages of a Critical Thinker

Associate Level Material

Appendix A

Stages of Critical Thinking

Complete the matrix by identifying the six stages of critical thinking, describing how to move from each stage to the next, and listing obstacles you may face as you move to the next stage of critical thinking.

|Stages of Critical Thinking |How to Move to the Next Stage |Obstacles to Moving to the Next Stage |
|EXAMPLE: |Examine my thinking to identify problems |Deceiving myself about the effectiveness of|
| |that affect my thinking. |my thinking |
|The Unreflective Thinker | | |
| |I try to fix the problems in my thinking. |I do not consult any source other than |
|The Challenged Thinker | |myself in how to change my way of thinking.|
| |I realize that I need to get regular |I sometimes forget to think critically at |
|The Beginning Thinker |practice in thinking |all times. |
| |The more I practice, the better I get |Not practicing enough |
|The Practicing Thinker | | |
| |I get extremely comfortable with critical |Not becoming familiarized with the concepts|
|The Advanced Thinker |thinking because of all of the practice. | |
| |Critically thinking about every situation |I