In science education, critical thinking is a set of skills students need to become accurate information consumers and make well-informed decisions. It is a skill that students learn through practice and instruction.
According to Modern Biology, Inc, the ability to think critically about claims and arguments can be a challenge for many people. However, a good understanding of the basic principles of critical thinking is essential for making sense of complex scientific questions.
Observation
Observation is an important science skill that can be practiced through everyday activities. It requires attention to the characteristics of an object or situation, including light, shape, texture, pattern, color, and changes over time and under varying conditions. It is also a process of concentrated study that involves focus and purpose.
In a classroom setting, teachers often use observation as a teaching strategy to help students learn about a particular subject. For example, when collecting data for an experiment, students may have to make careful observations and record the results on paper or on the whiteboard.
These careful observations can help students build evidence-based arguments and engage in scientific debate. This is in line with the NGSS science and engineering practice 7: Engaging in argument from evidence, which encourages students to consider the sufficiency of their evidence and the accuracy of their observations.
Observation can be applied across all levels of education. For example, a teacher may watch children learn about their behavior, interests, and learning. This helps them figure out what a child is learning and how to help that child learn more effectively.
Problem-Finding
Problem-finding is a process in which students explore and analyze a problem that they find intriguing. It involves examining problems in depth, making decisions, and analyzing the outcomes of their choices (Quitadamo et al. 2008).
The problem-finding process differs from more well-defined inquiry activities because it is non-directive, allows students to form their own interpretations, and allows for creativity as they explore the possibilities of the problem. These characteristics are critical for the problem-finding process.
During the problem-finding process, students have many opportunities to interact with one another. These interactions help them to identify the problem’s important components and the factors that influence its development.
In the context of science, problem-finding is a key process in the development of scientific knowledge and an essential skill for learning. It enables students to clarify, seek and assess a view, draw wise conclusions, integrate imaginatively, and achieve a stated purpose (Ennis 1993).
This type of thinking is critical for making sense of scientific information and constructing a meaningful conclusion. It also allows students to evaluate the quality of their argument and consider whether they have sufficient information to make a sound decision.
A study of problem-finding in a long-term classroom in South Korea will give us a better picture of how students participate in this type of activity. It will also allow us to determine which materials and processes are most helpful for student participation.
Connecting
Across the sciences, critical thinking is often associated with various activities that require students to ponder what they see. These activities can occur in the classroom, in the lab, or anywhere students interact with the environment (Butcher, Hudson, and Runburg 2018; Butcher, Runburg, and Altizer 2017).
In some cases, students may approach this activity with an intuition about how the world works that conflicts with scientific explanations. This can be a challenge for teachers.
To address this challenge, teachers should provide opportunities for students to articulate their intuitive understanding and revise it through argument and evidence. In addition, they should be prepared to pause group work when students begin to make unsound assumptions or lack confidence in their conclusions.
Many of these misconceptions can result from the nature of the experience itself: i.e., science inquiry experiences can be extremely challenging.
These challenges are compounded by the fact that many teachers may be unfamiliar with critical thinking skills and are, therefore, not familiar with how to foster them in their students. They tend to be more comfortable delivering factual content and rarely ask open-ended questions that would promote critical thinking.
One way to overcome this problem is to teach critical thinking as an essential part of all courses, regardless of subject area. This means fostering critical thinking skills in every classroom and integrating them into the core curriculum in the same way that math, technology, and other academic subjects are integrated.
Flexible Thinking
When kids are learning a new skill, they often have to adapt their approach. This can be difficult if they have poor flexible thinking skills. They may be stuck using the same strategies for studying and homework.
To help kids practice flexible thinking, encourage them to think about how to solve problems in new ways. For example, if a street is blocked off for construction, you may have to find a different way to get where you’re going.
Students who have strong, flexible thinking skills are able to quickly switch strategies. This helps them focus on the most important information and avoid distractions.
Teachers can support flexible thinking in their classrooms by encouraging students to think of different ways they can solve a problem and then evaluate whether those solutions are good. They can also use activities like group book discussions to help kids see different perspectives on a situation and how flexible thinking can benefit their learning.
Another tool for teaching flexible thinking is a visually organized evidence table. This tool has cells with checkmarks that represent either disconfirming or confirming evidence.
Students can look across the cells in a row to determine the strength of their evidence. Students can also use the table to evaluate their thinking and compare and contrast their evidence. They can even write a reflection about their work after they’ve completed it.
Evaluation
Evaluation is an essential aspect of critical thinking in science education. It is a cooperative process that involves students, teachers, parents, and peer groups. It includes quantitative description (measurement) and qualitative description (non-measurement), along with value judgments.
In a classroom example of evaluation, students are asked to collaboratively explore a scientific question. They may decide what questions to ask, how to observe and define insects, how to design an experiment that generates evidence related to their research questions, and how to interpret and present their results.
They are encouraged to analyze their findings and create detailed, evidence-based arguments that clearly articulate the progress of their thinking and a clear rationale for their conclusions. However, students often struggle with capturing their thinking in a way that allows them to reflect on it and develop a well-supported, logical argument.
As a result, they are more likely to engage in confirmation bias—the tendency to seek evidence that supports one’s beliefs or expectations—and make decisions based on limited information. These decisions have consequences for future learning and the health of society.
Interpretation
Interpretation is a process of rendering a spoken or signed message into another language while preserving the register and meaning of the source language content. It is an important skill in science education because it helps students develop critical thinking skills.
Unlike translation, which involves writing communication, interpretation requires high proficiency in both languages. It also requires a deep understanding of the cultural differences and nuances associated with each language.
In the context of science, interpreters use their expertise in scientific theories to convey that information accurately and clearly to people who are not scientists. They may use scientific vocabulary and concepts, but they must be able to communicate in the idioms and jargon of the target culture.
To facilitate effective communication between a group of people with different backgrounds and cultures, interpreters must have an excellent grasp of both languages, current knowledge of the cultural differences and nuances, and experience in their work field. They must also be able to quickly and carefully convey the meaning of the words being translated into the target culture.
A recent study by Stanford and the University of British Columbia researchers found that guiding students to independent decision-making while carrying out common physics lab course experiments can improve their critical thinking skills. They found that when students were able to see their data as evidence of their theories rather than beliefs about them, they were more likely to change their minds and accept new conclusions about the world around them.
