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Paul Richard, the Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking, says critical thinking is “thinking about thinking while thinking in order to think better.”¹ This is perhaps a playful way of reinforcing what I believe, which is that critical thinking is a core backbone to learning. The ability to think critically requires analysis, synthesis and interpretation, and is essential to understanding science, social studies, reading and writing. In my earlier post, “Visual Learning in the 21st Century,” I talked about how visual learning builds 21st century skills. Today, I want to explore with you in greater detail what it means to think critically and how visual learning is – critical thinking.

Critical Thinking in the Classroom
The Foundation for Critical Thinking states that a critical thinker:

• raises vital questions and problems
• gathers and addresses relevant information
• comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions
• thinks with an open mind and communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.²

This definition is important to keep in mind when we look at tools that build 21st century skills. For example, a science teacher attempting to develop students’ critical thinking skills and an understanding of natural habitats may ask students to research and recommend dam construction methods to increase fish survival.  An open-ended and complex question such as this requires students to research many possible solutions and outcomes and to synthesize and evaluate the information – in other words, to think critically about it. Visual learning techniques can help students approach and frame the process of exploring and answering questions like this one.

Incorporating Visual Learning
To incorporate visual learning into this critical thinking process, students could work through their thought processes by creating a web in Inspiration®. When students independently create visual diagrams, such as webs, they are exercising the ability to discipline, monitor and correct their thinking without the guidance of educators or peers. Practicing webbing helps students improve the ability to generate complex thoughts and draw connections between new ideas. Looking at all of the pieces of a web diagram, students can decipher the missing pieces and make inferences about the information. By looking at the collected information visually in front of them, students can better decide what is relevant and irrelevant as they work toward a conclusion. The process of creating the visual web, is by definition critical thinking.

Diagrams and visual representations help students better articulate ideas and concepts, which aid in understanding the meaning of complex concepts. So, the next time you pose an open-ended question, ask students to create a web to think through the question, record research, structure thoughts, synthesize ideas and evaluate the information to help develop their critical thinking skills for the 21st century.

Thanks for reading! Check back next week to read how visual learning helps students through the problem solving process.

Mona Westhaver
President and Co-founder, Inspiration Software

Mona Westhaver, President and Co-founder of Inspiration® Software, Inc., has more than 30 years’ experience in visual thinking, systems thinking, and educational learning tools and technology. She has a passion for helping people learn to clarify thinking and feelings and to communicate knowledge and views in a positive way.

Mona Westhaver

View all posts by Mona Westhaver

1. “CriticalThinking.org – Critical Thinking in Every Domain of Knowledge and Belief.” Foundation for Critical Thinking: Books, Conferences and Academic Resources for Educators and Students. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.criticalthinking.org/articles/27thconf-keynote.cfm>. [↩]
2. “CriticalThinking.org – Critical Thinking: Where to Begin.” Foundation for Critical Thinking: Books, Conferences and Academic Resources for Educators and Students. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.criticalthinking.org/starting/index.cfm>. [↩]