Critical Thinking.

“Oh No! I’m going to fail this exam! It’s all critical thinking questions!” It is quiet funny how students hate critical thinking questions and are overwhelmed by it.  Most of us students would rather have multiple choice answers, matching, or true or false. Why? Because of course, we want the exams to be easy, and something that we can pass easily. We also try to avoid taking classes with “hard” teachers, those who gives us a bunch of school work and five pages of short essay question exams. We avoid these because it usually fries our brain, causes stress, and we just simply don’t want to deal with the frustration. Henry Ford once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few people engage in it.” However, no matter how much you hate critical thinking, it is very important that we enhance this skill.

Even I hated those kinds of exams.  It’s just recently that I finally accepted it. During my first semester of college, coming from high school, the way I studied was memorizing the text rather than understanding it or thinking critical about my reading so it can deepen my thoughts and knowledge. Before, I would have a hard time on my exams and blame instructions how unfair their exams were. Now, I came to realize how rewarding those “hard” teachers were. They forced me to deepen my understanding of the subject, and by applying the knowledge I absorbed throughout my studies into critical questions, I was able to think outside the box. Instead of just knowing the facts itself, I was able to solve a problem and support the conclusion. Critical thinking is an important and very useful skill or tool we use to observe, analyze, or evaluate certain information we gather from any event, such as a conversations and reading.

Not all of us might know this, but we think critically subconsciously all the time. For example, when reading certain book or article, we tend to pause in the middle of it because end up thinking critically of what we just read by just analyzing it. Then we start asking questions like “what if?” and “how?” about what we just read. This also applies to a conversation you and your friends are having. For instant, when my boyfriend and I argue, we analyze each other’s arguments so that we can answer why we feel we’re so mad at each other. Now, most of our arguments aren’t always the typical boyfriend and girlfriend fights. We usually talk about something that’s either controversy or a book he wish to discuss.

Now speaking of a controversy, about a few days ago, my boyfriend and I were discussing about why the DREAM ACT did not pass. I had my idea and my argument, and he had his. The problem was, even if we were thinking critically about this dilemma, I will admit that we were somewhat being biased. Why? It’s because we don’t have enough knowledge about the government, the immigration, taxes, welfare and everything else they say that affects citizens if this act was passed. So, before getting all pumped about your argument, you should probably do some research first and find actual facts that will support your argument before you start yelling at someone.

           I do except that the exercises provided in the class can enhance my critical thinking skills, as well as my fellow classmates. There are three great interesting books that are required for us to read, which is a great exercise for analyzing context. There’s also a discussion board were students practice sharing opinions and ideas. These practices help us not only with our education but also the way we view the world. Instead of being biased and believing whatever people say, like in the media, let us sit down a think first and get our mind to work! It might twist our little precious brain a bit, but don’t you feel smart?