‘Critical-thinking’ is used in 7 frameworks

Ability to appropriately/adequately analyse information in order to come to a judgement

Critical thinking, an instrumental life skill conducive to academic achievement, is a long-standing life skill, which allows ‘reflective thinking’: By thinking critically, children, youth and all individuals who learn to assess situations and assumptions, ask questions and develop various ways of thinking. Therefore, critical thinking involves higher-order executive functioning: This is a ‘meta-skill’ through which one learns to think about thinking and develop purposeful thinking processes, such as being able to discern and evaluate whether an argument makes sense or not.

• Girls can ask questions about a concept or subject to gain better understanding.
• Girls can demonstrate how to think critically about a complex concept or new subject.
• Girls can critically analyze concepts and subject matter and share their perspective on it.

Evaluating information and arguments Making connections and identifying patterns Problem solving Constructing meaningful knowledge Experimenting, reflecting and taking action on ideas in the real world

Critical Thinking is defined as goal-directed thinking, which is used to define and solve problems, make decisions or form judgments related to a particular situation or set of circumstances.

Understanding the diversity of information and the ability to think critically and question concepts are fundamental skills in interpreting and understanding data. Information can be formed in a variety of ways: from a diverse range of sources, personal experiences, academic authority or even deductive reasoning, to name a few. Generally, real world phenomena are not black and white, but rather they are related to numerous perspectives and disagreements and thus the school community should support students in interpreting ambiguous and conflicting information. It is essential to attain the ability to assess the credibility of information.

Critical Thinking is the ability to question, interpret, analyse, evaluate, infer and explain using reliable evidence and reasoning, conceptual knowledge, clear criteria and relevant context. It helps us solve problems, learn new concepts, develop innovative solutions or make an independent judgement or decision. It is a skill through which we are able to reflect on our own thinking, observe our own biases, ascertain credibility of information, recognise and interpret ambiguous and conflicting information, be open-minded, flexible and fair.

This skill is vital for developing young people to be competent, reflective and independent, valuing reason and truth, while being respectful of others. It is considered a key skill necessary for lifelong learning and navigating an increasingly complex world.

Critical Thinking in Action The person will be able to:

• gather information and understanding through framing questions relevant to the context.
• make correlations between various types of information available.
• interpret the available information and draw conclusions.
• analyse the pros and cons of making a decision.
• reflect and question their own views.
• notice and examine their own biases.
• acknowledge reasonable arguments made.
• synthesise different ideas and opinions.