Unisa Press
Critical Thinking Skills for Students
Curriculum and Practice in Higher Education
| Author: | Heather Goode |
|---|---|
| Published: | October 29, 2024 |
| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-206-3 |
| Number of pages: | 243 |
| This book is not available in electronic format |
|---|
About the book
Every year, a new cohort of students enters higher education in both public and private institutions. In South Africa, approximately one third will not complete their first-year or degrees due to academic, financial or personal challenges. Some higher and further education staff see these first-year students as underprepared, irresponsible or challenging to deal with. While some institutions commit to putting experienced educators in front of inexperienced students, some just seek available educators, who may be discipline specialists but are not always equipped with the relevant educational expertise to engage effectively with these students and induct them into higher education.
The author has been engaging with educators over the years and has observed how certain patterns and challenges were repeated and conversations seemed to circle around the same issues and opinions. These were echoed in conversations with specialists at other institutions and in the literature. Most often, first-year students are positioned as deficient or attitudinally challenged. And yet, it emerged that competencies like being able to use a calculator, critical thinking, communicating well and the willingness to ask for help were differentiators in whether students persisted and succeeded or not. Yet the context of the first-year class often results in large groups, relatively standardised curricula and time challenged educators. Assumptions are made about what students know and should know. Similar to the foundation phase of school, the first-year experience is critical to obtaining a higher education qualification and will shape students perceptions of their abilities, their potential and suitability for certain fields. Given this and the intellectual challenges of higher education, it is no surprise that many regard critical thinking as essential to higher education success.
This book outlines the importance of critical thinking, based on growing research in what develops critical thinking and shows how educators should nurture the developing of critical thinking in their students both in higher education and other types of schooling.
Table of content
| About author | vii | |
| Abbreviations | viii | |
| Tables | x | |
| Figures | xi | |
| 1 | Introduction | 1 |
| 2 | Defining critical thinking | 10 |
| 3 | Critical thinking and higher education | 26 |
| 4 | Critical thinking competencies as vital to first-year academic success, future success and employability | 48 |
| 5 | Relevant learning theory | 66 |
| 6 | The role of the educator in developing critical thinking | 85 |
| 7 | How we (as educators) perceive the construction of critical thinking | 107 |
| 8 | Developing critical thinking in the curriculum | 118 |
| 9 | Developing critical thinking in the classroom | 143 |
| 10 | Assessing critical thinking | 158 |
| 11 | Professional development of educators | 177 |
| 12 | Conclusion | 215 |
| Bibliography | 217 | |
| Index | 243 | |