I’ll be honest: I had to Google what “critical thinking” meant before I began writing this article. It’s a term we’ve all heard, but most of us probably don’t know what it means. In the simplest of terms, critical thinking is “the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.”
I realize we pay an atrocious amount of tuition to be at this school, but do professors give us our money’s worth? Are they effectively teaching us to be critical thinkers, or are they training us to regurgitate answers in order to get an A in their class? Let’s be honest for a minute. We’ve all had experiences with students who have little to no critical thinking skills in terms of being able to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life situations, but somehow they boast an impressive GPA. This brings up an important distinction that must be made. Critical thinking skills must be separated into two categories: classroom critical thinking and authentic critical thinking. Many people mistakenly categorize individuals into “book-smart” or “street-smart” people. I would argue that there is simply a distinction in the area in which a person is a critical thinker. There are many students with the ability to “skillfully conceptualize,  apply and analyze” facts they have learned during class in order to get a good grade, but these students often lack the ability to apply what they have learned in class to their chosen career path. It simply doesn’t translate.  On the other hand, there are many individuals who have the ability to “skillfully conceptualize, apply and analyze” information they have gathered outside of the classroom into life decisions, but these individuals may only be average students.
When I was a Freshma- I mean first-year student here at Etown College, my declared major was biology-allied health. Throughout the time that I was enrolled in biology classes, I can attest to the fact that introductory biology classes required little to no critical thinking skills. Students with the ability to spit back memorized answers succeeded. Students without this ability failed. I was in the group of students who failed.
During my time as a biology major I can remember countless conversations with individuals who had excellent critical thinking skills in the context of applying what they learned during class to tests, but who had absolutely no ability to apply what they learned in the classroom to real-life situations or determine what they wanted to do with their major. “What do you want to do with biology?” I would ask a fellow student whom I knew to have an excellent grade in the class. “No idea,” was usually the response. What is the point of having a good grade in your major if you have no ability to apply what you’ve learned to situations outside of the classroom or decide what to do with all of that stored knowledge? I should clarify that I don’t mean to take a jab at biology students. I’m currently a business major and I would just like to clarify that business classes can be just as far from requiring critical thinking as introductory biology classes. If you own a stack of note cards and a pen, and have the ability to suck up to certain teachers, you’ll probably pass the class. My point is, regardless of what classes you’re enrolled in, you’re bound to find some that require zero critical thinking and 100 percent memorization.
Let me be extremely clear. I have absolutely no answer for the question of how to instill critical thinking skills among students, but I recognize that it’s a problem, and I offer it into your hands as a reader to mull over. Examine yourself. Do you typically get good grades in class, yet never apply any of that knowledge to situations outside of the classroom?  Make an effort to look for scenarios in everyday life that you can relate to concepts you’ve learned during class. Professors aren’t totally to blame, as they’ve probably been taught the same way in which they are currently teaching you. I would also encourage you to ask yourself why you’re pursuing the major you’re in. Evaluate what areas of your study you’re particularly good at and search for career paths that contain those skills. Why do you spend valuable money every year on tuition that could be spent on other nice things, such as a new sports car? Finally, ask yourself if this school is instilling you with the skills you need for your future career.