Janet E. Kuebli et al.
140
objective, as is so often the case, then we want to see critical thinking happening, for
example in small group discussion or in-class writing.
Modeling
Another assignment is to have students observe experienced teachers, and talk with those
teachers about their philosophy and practice. Observation of experienced teachers, whether
good or poor in terms of teaching critical thinkers, helps the aspiring teacher ask whether
CT was a course objective and, if so, how it was accomplished and assessed. Not all teachers
have good answers to those questions. One need not be a graduate student in a teaching
of psychology class to use these strategies. Experienced teachers who want to develop and/
or improve their teaching of CT also can use reading, thinking, and modeling.
Barriers
There are several barriers that must be overcome if one is to be a teacher of critical think-
ing. Three of these are the lecture habit, cognitive laziness, and the curse of covering.
Many teachers think of teaching as lecturing, so that is what they do. However, a large
body of research (Bligh, 2000) shows that other methods are better than lecturing for
teaching thinking, including the specific skills that constitute critical thinking. According
to Bligh, teaching students to think requires that students be put in situations where they
have to answer questions, analyze and critique perspectives, and solve problems. Compared
to lecture, other methods such as discussion give students considerably more practice in
the testing of their own thoughts which is essential for the development of CT.
Teachers also need to resist their students’ natural tendencies toward cognitive laziness.
Most students expect teachers to give them facts and entertain them, and do not at first
like thinking activities. Critical thinking, as already noted, is hard work. Helping students
understand what distinguishes CT from other kinds of thinking can help justify the hard
work we seek from them.
Finally, many teachers feel compelled to “cover content.” Teaching critical thinking can
be more time-consuming than other teaching techniques. It takes time to explore with
students multiple perspectives on a topic, to comprehend evidence for and against claims
and to critically evaluate those claims, or to creatively synthesize evidence to formulate
novel insights or implications. Since a semester is finite, teaching always involves trade-
offs. The curse of covering all the textbook chapters can steer instructors away from
teaching CT. Alternatively, if we take time to help students learn to think critically, we
may have to forego the chapter on psychotherapies or on social development.
The Critical Thinking Pedagogical Framework
Given its status as a “mystified” concept (Halonen, 1995), CT means different things to
different people. Despite considerable similarity and overlap among experts, different
definitions abound (see Table 12.1). What matters most is that instructors individually