What is a Critical Challenge?

In this course, you are asked to complete several activities called critical challenges. These encourage you to think critically about important questions. Each question or task requires you to make a judgment or come to some conclusion based on information and reasoning. In Social Studies 30-2, those questions focus on ideologies and their impact on you and the world in which you live.

Critical thinking skills are essential in today's world. Every day, we are faced with decisions we need to make, problems we need to solve, or issues about which we must establish positions. An uncritical thinker accepts what other people have to say at face value without thinking about the issue, but a critical thinker looks at the issue and reaches conclusions by considering the merits and shortcomings of alternatives. Critical thought leads not only to forming a position on a subject, but it leads also to action.

"To know and not to act is not to know." Wang Yang-ming, 14th Century

Critical thinking skills are essential in a functioning democracy. As citizens in a democracy, we accept the responsibility not only to elect representatives who will do the right thing but also to make decisions that benefit our fellow humans. Citizens must think fairly and reasonably to arrive at workable solutions in the world we want.

Critical thinking skills are essential in our globalizing world. Through increased movement of people, trade, and communication technology, we are becoming more aware that our actions have consequences. Many of life's choices do not have simple, black-and-white answers.

How can we decide what to believe or what action to take? By building our thinking and reasoning skills, we can develop the tools to solve problems, analyze issues, and make reasonable choices.

A critical challenge helps you develop your critical thinking skills. Most critical challenges encourage a person to

• focus on the key concept

• gather relevant information

• watch for bias and look at alternative viewpoints

• assess the evidence

• form a position or a solution to a problem

• defend and support a position

A community of learners: Remember that you are not alone. From the days of the caveman to today's technologically interconnected world, people have lived in communities where they can share knowledge and skills. In the traditional classroom, ideas, knowledge, and perspectives can be shared. In our homes, by phone, and over the Internet, issues can be discussed and people can come to broader understandings.

Intellectual Tools for Critical Thinking Critical thinkers have background knowledge: They know that facts are needed to arrive at positions or produce solutions. They can access information and determine its accuracy. Critical thinkers use criteria for judgment: They decide on what basis a decision will be made. They consider a position or solution's accuracy, plausibility, fairness to all, and feasibility. (Will the plan work?) Critical thinkers use vocabulary that includes inference and observation generalization and over-generalization premise and conclusion bias and point of view Critical thinkers use thinking strategies that include decision-making models and procedures organization of information in logical ways consideration of the perspectives of others Critical thinkers have attitudes that include being open-minded being fair being independent questioning information and ideas Adapted from The Critical Thinking Consortium