Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice:

CRITICAL THINKING:

The process of actively and successfully conceiving, applying, analysing, synthesising, and evaluating knowledge as a basis for belief and action is known as critical thinking. It requires intellectual discipline.

Critical thinking may be broken down into two main categories, according Scriven & Paul:

"1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and

2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of employing those skills to guide behaviour."

A person who has developed their ability to think critically is one who:

• poses important questions and problems.

• gathers and evaluates pertinent information to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions and solutions;

• reflects open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought; and

• effectively elaborates their own conclusions.

CRITICAL THEORY IN EDUCATION

Critical Theory in Education is a branch of sociology that focuses on how political ideologies impact education as a means of questioning or upholding the status quo of privilege and social control in the planning of education, just like in any other area of social life. By creating generations whose members are unable to question or challenge the status quo and who merely accept the dictates that they are given by any "Authority," it is shown how education is serving the dominant cultural interests in any society by demonstrating how the social, cultural, political, and economic context of compulsory education. By establishing the premise that society as it is currently organised under capitalism is fundamentally unfair and exploitative, it took a unique turn in the 20th century. It contends that if normative norms are to be challenged and altered, then they must be transformed in order for people to realise their greatest potential. Critical theory claims that a better society is possible but that it can only be realised through fundamental changes in values and dispositions, rather than superficial changes in discourse, and that this change can occur within the life opportunities of each individual who is allowed to exercise freedom. It bases this claim on sociological, psychological, and anthropological evidence. The institutions and mechanisms that produce and uphold society's dominant normative values and, thus, the status quo of power, are the subject of its critical investigation. The studies of education that were being conducted in the middle of the 20th century quickly welcomed the critical thinkers. 

Thus, critical theory in education examines education's growth, practise, and contextualization with a critical eye. The goal of critical education theory is to advance the idea that education may be used to reform society and advance social, cultural, and economic fairness. Initially, it approached this from a Marxist perspective, but over time, it absorbed many of the concepts and theories of cultural studies to demonstrate how cultural codes are fundamental to both the creation of curricula and instructional strategies. The topic of critical theory in education thus encompasses a wide variety of Social and Educational concerns, including the Context, Curriculum, Pedagogy or Teaching Style, Role of the State, Influence of Corporate Powers, Issues of Cultural and Individual Identity, etc.

AS A CRITICAL THINKER, A TEACHER

One of the main objectives of education is to provide students the ability to comprehend significant, practical, and influential concepts. The desire to think critically and analytically about the information being offered to them through literature and instruction is another objective. The third objective is to assist people in using their knowledge to better their own lives, as well as those of their societies, cultures, and civilizations, as well as the larger global community. Therefore, critical thinking is not an independent objective unconnected to other significant educational objectives. Instead, it is a fundamental objective that, when achieved, concurrently makes a variety of other purposes possible. Therefore, it is best envisioned as the centre around which all other educational ends gather. For instance, as students develop their critical thinking skills, they improve their historical, scientific, and mathematical reasoning abilities. They acquire knowledge, skills, and values necessary for success in daily life. All of this naturally implies that teachers have a strong foundation in critical thinking and the instructional techniques necessary for it.

These three objectives serve as a catalyst for education to encourage critical thinking that is predicated on certain premises.

1. While minds are developed, brains are physiological.

2.  A tool for mind-training is the curriculum.

3. The goal of education should be to empower students with self-direction.

4.  Graduates should be ready to navigate the hard world by using their critical thinking skills.

5.  The foundation of democratic life is careful analysis, clear thinking, and reasoned deliberation.

These factors lead to the conclusion that having the ability to critically evaluate and analyse situations is essential for living a good quality of life. But it takes a sustained effort to acquire and apply the principles of critical thinking in order to gain a thorough knowledge of them. g. Being a critical thinker first and then teaching through critical analysis are two things that a teacher must focus on in order for the students to learn how to be critical thinkers as well. As a result, a teacher must understand the importance of teaching in a critical manner for developing students' abilities in all areas of learning, including: reading, writing, speaking, and listening; reasoning in all subject areas; decision-making and problem-solving; analysis and evaluation; and making ethical and personal decisions.

Nobody has the right to suggest that a brief professional development programme would transform all instructors into critical thinkers or that critical thinking can be successfully incorporated into curriculum-wide instruction over night. However, a teacher education programme may initially include foundational courses in order to:

1) function to increase faculty awareness of the challenge of substantively integrating critical thinking into instruction,

2) provide some strategies for improving the effectiveness of instruction, and

3) lay the groundwork for follow-up workshops. Teachers can integrate and apply the basics of critical thinking at a deeper level by taking a very long-term approach to professional development in this area.

Teachers can design their courses using a long-term strategy so that students grow into disciplined, curious thinkers with open minds. It's success is influenced by a number of factors. Similar to how one learns to play effectively in basketball, ballet, or the piano, one develops as a critical thinker. One must first comprehend the fundamental concepts. In order to gradually improve one's understanding and skill, one must routinely engage in self-monitored, self-evaluative practise (putting the concepts into action). Teachers need to make it clear that critical thinking is a very effective method of teaching and learning, not just one of many varied educational objectives. They learn to encourage high levels of thinking in both the teaching and learning processes by utilising all other reform trends.

Reflective practice

Reflective practise and critical thinking are complementary. On the one hand, critical thinking is defined as the use of "cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome" and as a "purposeful, reasoned and goal directed - the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions when the thinker is using these skills." On the other hand, reflective practises refers especially to the procedures of examining and passing judgement on what has occurred. It is a proactive, ongoing, and circumspect evaluation of knowledge, of the underlying assumptions underpinning it, and of the further behaviours it inspires.This way will assist aspiring teachers in connecting critical thinking abilities that lead to desired results with reflective practises that emphasise the process of making judgements about what has occurred.

Different authors and scholars have defined reflective activities in a variety of ways. Reflective practise refers to the capacity to think back on one's own behaviour in order to maintain a cycle of learning. Following evaluation and analysis, we put the theoretical components into action. The goal of this activity is to improve the future. This procedure is referred to as reflection. Reflection involves more than just ruminating or daydreaming. Reflection is complex in nature, not simple. It is a deliberate, cerebral activity that thrives on experience-based learning.

Reflection's Value in Different Fields:

 Starting at Home A happy mother raised happy kids; a less self-assured mother raised fearful and cowardly kids;

a depressed poet creates sad poems; a depressed artist uses gloomy colours, dark scenes, and negative paintings;

 a depressed textile designer creates dull-colored clothes;

and a happy, contented, and positive textile designer uses vibrant colours.

Reflection in Education:

 Its Importance It is true that teaching kids to reflect is a challenging and intricate process, but reflection is crucial in that it is stated that real "learning" cannot happen without it (Clements, 2009).

Our daily observations show that children quickly forget the material covered in the programme. It's not that they forget it; rather, the fact that they just briefly memorised it speaks for itself. Students memorised the information after the teacher went over it, most likely in preparation for the test. We shouldn't blame kids for this amnesia. In actuality, they didn't learn it. Once the need for it had passed, it was stored in the short term memory and then forgotten. The transfer of knowledge from short-term to long-term memory is called reflection.

Some techniques for teachers to reflect Therefore, reflective teaching is a method of professional development that starts in the classroom. It begins when we start asking ourselves why something is essential, how it can be taught more effectively, what the kids are understanding from the method being used, how can I do it better, etc.

REFLECTIVE WRITING

A sort of personal reaction to conditions, events, or new information is reflection. Thinking and learning happen during the "processing" phase. Reflective thinking can be done in either a correct or wrong way; the key is to ask the proper questions.

Because it forces you to express your thoughts and, more importantly, how and why you think the way you do, reflective writing can aid in the development of your analytical abilities. Additionally, reflective analysis requires you to admit that your assumptions and preconceived notions influence the way you think. By doing this, you can better understand how others' ideas may have been influenced by their assumptions and preconceived notions and perhaps see how your own ideas support or contradict what you have read.

Types of Reflective Writing: Reflective writing can take many different forms. It can come in a variety of shapes. Several instances could be:

A -Learning Journals/Logs

There are numerous applications for learning diaries or journals. They may occasionally serve as a formal component of reflective writing or serve as the foundation for a subsequent reflective task. The purpose of a learning log or journal is to document your growth as you learn while also reflecting on events and your actions as they occur.

b- Presentations

If you participated in a practical exercise or a work placement, either individually or in a group, you might be requested to share what you learned there. It may be tempting to make this more about showing your audience what you have done than of commenting on it because a presentation is much more conversational, and even participatory, than an essay or learning log. This is particularly true if you have completed a lengthy work placement because a lot will have transpired! However, in order to truly benefit from your experiences, your audience still wants to see how you have critically analysed your performance and actions.

c- Reflective Essays

Theoretically, you are most likely accustomed to this style of reflective writing. A reflective essay nevertheless has many of the same requirements as a regular academic essay. You will still be required to critically evaluate what you are saying, cite any sources you may have used (and you should utilise sources), and have a well-defined essay format. It's important to consider what you want to write about and how you will organise your essay before you start. Consider all of the instances or occasions that have most advanced your learning.

CRITICAL WRITING

Learning to write critically is essential for mature writing. Without critique, the books you read just have the author's life to live. Without criticism, you also lack the separation from the text that allows you to live as a thinker. You have probably frequently heard someone express opinions with which you strongly disagree or agree. We quickly distance ourselves from her/him and reject her/his views if she/he does not pay attention to the nuances of her/his views and introduces ideas without considering potential exceptions to them or problematic parts of them. If we agree with the expressed perspective, we discover that merely having our own opinions confirmed is not particularly interesting.

Similar to critical thinking, critical writing entails weighing the data before drawing logical conclusions. This type of writing develops an argument by analysing and evaluating multiple sources. We must think about what "evaluates" and "analyses" entail in order to elaborate on this. You'll use evidence from other writers in your work. Finding the evidence's strengths and weaknesses—as well as any "grey regions" that fall somewhere in between but are neither strengths nor weaknesses—is necessary for evaluation.

Criticism Writing's Characteristics

The most distinguishing characteristics of critical writing are:

(1) a clear and confident rejection of accepting other writers' conclusions without evaluating the arguments and supporting evidence;

(2) a balanced presentation of reasons why other writers' conclusions may be accepted or may need to be treated with caution;

(3) a clear presentation of your own evidence and argument leading to your conclusion; and

(4) a recognition of the limitations in your own evidence.

Strategies for Critical Writing

There are numerous tried-and-true techniques for critical writing. Consider how each of your essay or précis assignments may serve as a form of outline for a bigger endeavour. Keep a mental image of these projects that serves as a reminder that your précis or essay would serve as the framework for a 15-page paper on the text if you were able to write one. Try to carry over concepts mentioned in one précis or essay assignment into the next one as another approach to challenge yourself to build your critical thinking into a continuous argument. You might be able to develop your critique further if you can carry over your critical train of thought from week to week by creating an agenda in your head through which you will study the texts. You can create such a critical agenda by coming up with a list of possible questions for each author we study in this course.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR CRITICAL WRITING AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

MIND MAPPING

A mind map is a potent graphic tool that offers a universal key to unleash the brain's potential. It utilises all of the cerebral skills—word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour, and spatial awareness—in one, extraordinarily effective way. One of the best ways to maximise learning potential and comprehension of how the components of complicated systems are connected is to use mind mapping. In doing so, it grants you the freedom to explore the boundless reaches of your mind. "Mind Mapping is a graphical approach for visualising links between numerous concepts or bits of information," according to Tony Buzan, who developed it in the late 1960s. Each thought or fact is noted down before being connected by lines or curves to its major or minor (or subsequent or preceding) idea or fact, therefore forming a web of relationships.

From the very young to the very old, millions of people use mind maps today. They are employed in every area of life where better learning and clearer thinking can increase human performance. . The wonderful thing about mind mapping is that it enhances these already-existing "brain-programs"! Thus, mind mapping merely enhances the mental capacity you already possess.

Mind mapping is a creative and useful method of note-taking that literally "maps out" your thoughts. It is the simplest way to put information into your head and to take it out of your brain. And it's so easy. A Mind Map: According to Michael Michalko in "Cracking Creativity"

• requires you to concentrate, which aids in transferring the information about your subject from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.

 • activates your whole brain; clears your mind of mental clutter; allows you to focus on the subject; helps demonstrate connections between isolated pieces of information; gives a clear picture of both the details and the big picture.

PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT

 Alternative methods of evaluating students and professionals at the same time have come to the fore due to shifting assessment practises around the globe. One method that has shown a lot of potential in teacher education programmes is portfolio-based assessment. A professional portfolio is a sample collection of writings that serve as testimonials to one's expertise in a given field. It is a work in progress that reflects how professional and personal development has evolved and been refined. Each student develops a customised portfolio for the portfolio development based assessment based on their unique talents. At each stage of the process, the student receives feedback from the professors and peers, leading to a collaborative journey of collegial exchange between the student, the teacher, and other students.

Portfolio Development's goal

• The student is encouraged to actively participate in tracking and reflecting on his or her professional development through the portfolio.

 • The portfolio's contents show how the student has used knowledge and abilities in both academic and practical settings. The portfolio is designed to be used as an ongoing tool to inspire and guide future professional growth. It enables students to demonstrate mastery of the program's competencies. It gives a more complete picture of the student's interests, abilities, and accomplishments in concrete evidence.

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