Learning Strategies and Success Program, Essay Example

The stage theory claims that there are certain stages learners who aim to learn critical thinking skills must go through before they can be considered adept at this concept. While I agree with Wertenbroch&Nabeth (2000), that it is necessary to learn from experiences by absorbing, doing, and interacting, I believe that the concept of “stages” is too concrete and doesn’t necessarily apply to every thinker. While we all go through the same process to become adept at using critical thinking skills, it is important to note that we all do this at our own pace. Some people may have acquired the skill when they were young children based on their individual experiences and continued to use it throughout the rest of their lives. As a consequence, they may have skipped through several of the stages that “Critical Thinking Development: A Stage Theory” believes to occur for every critical thinker. I believe that if I am to develop my critical thinking ability, it is essential for me to read more literature with increasing levels of depth and difficulty. Although the stage theory makes some sense as to how this occurs, it is really the frequency with which one reads that allows them to develop critical thinking skills rather than the six step process.

To Oneta Bruton:

I agree with your opinion that “passage from one stage to the next is dependent upon a necessary level of commitment on the part of an individual to develop as a critical thinker, is not automatic, and is unlikely to take place subconsciously”. Each individual learns things at his or her own pace, and it is essential to not rush this process in order to fully facilitate the development of critical thinking skills. I think understanding the logic of a document is an essential characteristic of building critical thinking skills as well, and it would help to rehearse this skill frequently.

References

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston, MA: D.C. Heath.

Wertenbroch, A., &Nabeth, T. (2000). Advanced learning approaches & technologies: The CALT perspective. Retrieved from http://www.insead.fr/CALT/Publication/CALTReport/calt-perspective.pdf