critical thinking in art class

Visit Planning

• Plan Your Visit
• Event Calendar
• Current Exhibitions
• Family Activities
• Guidelines and Policies

Access Programs

• Accessibility
• Dementia Programs
• Verbal Description Tours

Explore Art and Artists

Collection highlights.

• Search Artworks
• New Acquisitions
• Search Artists
• Search Women Artists

Something Fun

• Which Artist Shares Your Birthday?

Exhibitions

• Upcoming Exhibitions
• Traveling Exhibitions
• Past Exhibitions

Art Conservation

• Lunder Conservation Center

Research Resources

• Research and Scholars Center
• Nam June Paik Archive Collection
• Photograph Study Collection
• National Art Inventories Databases
• Save Outdoor Sculpture!
• Researching Your Art

Publications

• American Art Journal
• Toward Equity in Publishing
• Catalogs and Books
• Scholarly Symposia
• Publication Prizes

Fellows and Interns

• Fellowship Programs
• List of Fellows and Scholars
• Internship Programs

Featured Resource

• Support the Museum
• Corporate Patrons
• Gift Planning
• Donating Artworks
• Join the Director's Circle
• Join SAAM Creatives

Become a member

A Teacher Asks: Why the Renwick?

Vaija Wagle, former teacher at Washington International School. 

Welcome to the Renwick Gallery. I am Vaija Wagle. I have been a classroom teacher for the last 40 years. For 20 of those years, ideas from Project Zero , a research institute at Harvard Graduate School of Education influenced teaching and learning in my classroom. Upon retiring from the classroom, I took on the challenge of writing teacher resources for the Renwick Gallery.

As a teacher, my initial concern was that the Renwick Gallery would not be a teacher’s intuitive choice. Teachers have limited time and the artwork at the Renwick Gallery were not connected to any curriculum content. However, I soon recognized that the artwork at the Renwick Gallery presented a unique teaching opportunity.

Finding the Key

The artworks begged understanding. Using thinking patterns to understand and appreciate the artworks could offer students vital lessons to learn about critical thinking. If thinking about their thinking (metacognition) could be part of this experience, then the students might, in addition, transfer these thinking patterns across subject areas and to the world beyond.

If a visit to the Renwick, either through reproductions in the classroom or in-person, offered an opportunity to learn about using critical thinking skills and metacognition, teachers like me might find it quite valuable. With this in mind, I set to work on the units now available in the Resources section. They use a variety of trans-disciplinary thinking patterns to appreciate and understand the Renwick’s artworks such as:

• Uncovering Hidden Stories
• Taking Multiple Perspectives
• Getting to the Heart of the Matter
• Gleaning Context from Objects
• Making Connections

Learn more about Field Trips and School Tours at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Units’ Philosophical Core

At Project Zero , I was profoundly drawn to the idea of making cultivating understanding through critical thinking as the goal of learning. This idea promised to benefit students’ learning in the classroom, but also for life long learning beyond the classroom.

You’ll notice that the units I created:

• Constructing an understanding of big conceptual ideas : Big conceptual ideas describe physical and social patterns that govern the world, how things work or why they are the way they are. They provide an enduring and universal lens through which to view subject matter but also the world around.
• Engage active student thinking . While knowledge may be dished out and delivered, understanding can only be cultivated through critical thinking, and through the units, students are guided to use a variety of thinking patterns to construct the desired understandings.

The units are designed for a variety of age groups; elementary to middle school students or middle to high school students.

Each unit takes between 60 and 90 minutes and can be accomplished during a visit to the museum or by displaying high definition photographs of the artworks available on the website.

Each unit uses a particular thinking pattern to look closely at a select artwork, and form informed and relevant interpretations.

There are metacognitive breaks along the way to help students become cognizant of the thinking pattern they are using to engage with the artworks.

A closing moment of reflection is built in to allow the students to revisit the experience and think about what they gained both in terms of ideas the artwork generated and patterns of thinking used.

Examples of how the various thinking patterns can be used to successfully teach curriculum content are also provided.

Practical Testing

As a teacher, I know that there is nothing better than a chance to actually teach the units and receive feedback. So, I took multiple opportunities to test the units in the gallery and at workshops across the city and gather feedback from participating students and teachers. I also reflected on what worked and what didn’t.

My highlight was when we presented the unit on Hidden Stories (the importance of seeking side and hidden stories to better understand the main story) to a high school art class at St. Alban’s School. Having visited the classroom some days before, my host teacher wrote to me and said that the students had returned from their art class and informed their teachers in the history and literature classes that they ought to be looking for side and hidden stories!! This, to me, is the ideal outcome. With all this feedback I set to revise the units.

Thinking Through Craft  resources were funded by a generous gift from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.

• Our Mission

Visual Art as Critical Thinking

Creative approaches to core subjects

We've heard this story before. The first thing to go in budget cuts is the visual art program or another related art. Proponents of arts education counter with the usual rhetoric on the importance of self-expression and creativity. I, myself, am a product of arts education.

From the early age of kindergarten I was in musical theater. I eventually transitioned in music as a focus, and was a choir nerd in middle school and into college. In fact, my participation in Jazz Choir kept me in school, as I struggled with depression as a young adult. I kept singing into college, where I led the jazz and a cappella ensemble, and participated in a semiprofessional jazz ensemble the Seattle Jazz Singers . Although my schedule no longer allows me to sing on a regular basis, karaoke continually calls my name. I'm sure many of you had have had a similar experience, where art remains a crucial part of your being. These stories alone say "Yes!" to arts education.

Well, I have another argument to advocate for arts education. Visual arts (as well as other arts) are an excellent discipline to build and utilize critical thinking skills. I don't think we often give credit to the deep conceptual and interpretational thinking that goes into the creation of a piece of art, and this is often because art is treated as something separate from the core content areas. School does not need to be this way. In fact, I have recently seen two excellent ways that art can be used to wrestle with rigorous content from the core while allowing for creativity and expression.

I had the privilege of visiting High Tech High and Middle in San Diego, California. The first thing I noticed that art was vital to the culture of the school. Whether using physics content to create kinetic art with pulleys or to create 21st century resumes (see photo above), teachers embraced art as part of the culture of study.

Chris Uyeda was nice enough to sit down with me to talk about a recent chemistry project by his students. They were told that the common image of the atom was WRONG, and that they needed to create a pitch for a better representation of it. Chemistry and the study of the atom require deep conceptual thinking, some of which is hard to grasp. Chris saw art as an opportunity to have students critically think around the content to create a beautiful art piece. The student example below shows just one student's take on a more appropriate representation of the atom through the motif of bees and beehive. Art was a great way to familiarize students with critical content they would need later in the course.

A colleague of mine, Dayna Laur, a social studies teacher at Central High School in York, Pennsylvania, worked with her art teacher colleague Katlyn Wolfgang to ingrate the study of art and politics. Edutopia featured their story and advice , and you can use some of their resources. The driving question for the project was, "How can art reflect and inform the public about policy-making agendas?" In it, the students had to collaborate across classrooms to create an art piece that had a message.

More than just making connections, the art students had to use their critical thinking skills not only to understand all the information and nuances of their public policy issue, but also to synthesize it into an art piece that conveyed a message. Students researched legislation, background information and other pertinent content. Instead of simply creating artwork with a message (which is a natural function of art), they had to wrestle first with critical content of politics and social studies before creating the art piece. Student examples are pictured above and below.

Teachers, your mission is finding ways to integrate art into the core subjects. Use your students' creative impulses to bring a new purpose to interpreting, conceptualizing and critically thinking around content. This type of integration can work for ANY discipline. It will help to value art as not just a separate entity, but rather integral to the school culture. Art is important as a single subject, but also should be valued as core through rigorous integration. In addition to being a fulfilling part of your students' lives, it can engage them in the core content.

Arts Academy

in the Woods

How Art Education Fosters Critical Thinking and Why It Matters

These days, the ability to grasp the logical connection between ideas is a necessary skill.

Unless you’re a hermit living in a cave, there is so much information coming at all of us at any given moment.

Being able to discern which information is of worth – and which is not based in reality – requires critical thinking.

So What Exactly Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is often synonymous with reflective and independent thinking. It means knowing how to take in the data and then come to a reasonable conclusion. 

Those who engage in critical thinking are constantly questioning ideas and assumptions rather than just accepting what’s being peddled to the masses.

Critical thinkers want to know that the incoming information is representative of the bigger picture. If they determine that it’s not, they’ll take the necessary measures to get that additional information.

Critical Thinking Versus Being Critical

Critical thinking is not the same thing as being argumentative or critical/judgmental of other people. Sure, critical thinking can expose errors or poor reasoning.

But it’s also crucial for cooperative reasoning and then moving toward constructive tasks. Because acquiring more knowledge improves and strengthens one’s theories and arguments. And this subsequently leads to enhanced work processes.

How Art Improves Critical Thinking

Because critical thinking tends to incorporate logical and rational thinking and veers from instinct, many people see it as a hinderance to creativity.

After all, creativity requires breaking the rules, right? (Well, yes and no .)

Still, critical thinking truly requires out-of-the-box thinking. Rather than just taking popular approaches and swallowing them whole, critical thinkers challenge the consensus. This means they often have to pursue less popular thoughts or approaches.

So if you think about, critical thinking is an absolutely necessary component of creativity. Without it, how can the creative person continue to evaluate and improve upon his or her ideas?

It’s this very process of observation and study that teaches students of the arts to more intensely observe and analyze the world. And it gives them the skills that build the foundation of critical thinking.

But Why Does It Matter?

You might think that if your path leads you to work in research, law, education, management, finance or medicine, then you’ll absolutely need this skill. And you’re right.

But no matter what you   choose to do with your life, the ability to think clearly and rationally is important.

Knowing how to receive information, clearly consider it and then use it to systematically solve problems is an asset for any career. Especially in light of this new knowledge economy. To be successful in such an economy requires one to able to handle changes quickly and effectively.

There is an increased demand for workers to be able to analyze a lot of information from diverse sources, then integrate it in order to find solutions. Critical thinking promotes these skills.

It also enhances language and presentation skills. The simple act of learning to think in a more systematic and logical fashion can also improve the way one expresses ideas.

Furthermore, in having to analyze the structure of different information sources, critical thinking also improves one’s ability to comprehend.

And as we mentioned above, critical thinking actually promotes creativity. Coming up with creative solutions is more than just having new ideas. There has to be an understanding that the new ideas are useful and relevant to the required task.   Critical thinking plays an important role in this.

That’s right. Critical thinking is even important for this. It’s nearly impossible to structure a meaningful life without the ability to justify and reflect on our own values and decisions. And critical thinking provides the tools for this process.

So yeah, it’s safe to say that critical thinking definitely matters.

Learning Critical Thinking with an Arts Integration Education

Arts integration education merges the important skill of critical thinking achieved through art education and blends it in with academics.

There’s no disputing the importance of STEM. The above mentioned knowledge economy requires students to understand facets of science, technology, engineering and math.

With arts integration though, there’s the added importance of art – hence the term STEAM. Arts integration isn’t looking to bypass STEM. It strives instead to create an integrated program that includes all of those, while teaching the application of skills learned through the arts – such as critical thinking.

Arts integration helps students see the world from multiple angles, and to take a design-thinking approach in finding solutions.

Teaching young people to be careful and deliberate observers can go miles toward expanding their worldview. And this, in turn, can create a stronger democracy.

Do You Want to Explore An Arts Integration Education?

So take a look at what our students have to say . And/or request a tour of our school and see what we have to offer.

Then get ready to put those critical thinking skills toward a higher purpose.

News Categories

• Art Integrated Education
• Daily Announcements

How Visual Thinking Strategies Can Help You Lead Great Class Discussions

Have you ever wondered how you might improve class discussions about art? As art teachers, we know the importance of taking the time to teach students to observe and talk about art. With hundreds of students and short classes, however, this can be a big challenge.

In the past, I felt my class discussions were falling short. I sometimes felt I was rushing my kids to get to the “right” answers so we could move on to the studio experience. I knew I could do better.

In my efforts to improve my practice, I came across Visual Thinking Strategies . It changed the way I worked with my young students to explore artworks.

Visual Thinking Strategies develop critical thinking skills and build confidence when analyzing artworks.

So…what is it, exactly?

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS for short) is a discussion strategy used to explore artworks through prior knowledge. Students are encouraged to look carefully and use their knowledge of the world to explore imagery that is new to them. By tapping into prior knowledge, students are able to make sense of previously unknown and complex imagery. They ask questions and debate with peers, all while building important critical-thinking skills.

What does it look like?

The easiest way to get started is to ask one simple question. When you are exploring an artwork with your students, ask them, “What is going on here?” That’s it. Then wait, and see what they say. If you are working with young students, they will most likely start raising their hands and sharing right away.

Students should be asked to…

1. look closely..

Ask them to take their time and just look. I sometimes ask students to observe for a solid minute before we begin our discussion.

2. Talk about what they see.

Allow students to describe the artwork, and build upon the observations of their peers. Really take your time here. Ask, “What else do you see?” several times. This will allow students who may process their thoughts more slowly a chance to participate.

3. Provide evidence for their statements.

I often find myself saying, “Can you tell us what you see that makes you think that?” or, “Can you show us what you see in the picture that tells you that?” Students should be able to back up their ideas.

4. Listen to their peers.

In order for this process to work, it is important that all students feel safe to share. Make sure all perspectives are accepted, and students are respectful when classmates are sharing.

5. Explore different perspectives and understandings.

Students are encouraged to explore the work from a variety of viewpoints. A diversity of interpretations should be the goal.

Start with a description of the work.

This will come naturally, as students share their perspectives. Encourage students to be specific. Allow them to point to areas of interest in order to clarify their ideas. For example, in the process of exploring the Mona Lisa, you might have a student state that the “lady looks sad.” Instead of assuming you understand why the student made the comment, ask them to clarify why they think she looks sad.

There are several key elements to this approach.

1. Remain neutral. Do not tell students their interpretation is right or wrong. Allow the exploration to be natural and allow students to share ideas without fear of judgment.

2. Paraphrase student ideas. When a student shares, repeat what they said in simple language. This ensures you understood the student correctly and that the other students understand as well.

3. Make sure to point to the area of the artwork being discussed. This will help all students understand what their classmates see.

4. Connect ideas. If a student comment creates a connection to prior knowledge, bring it into the discussion for students to understand as well. For example “That is a great connection to our study of landscapes from last week! Can anyone else see another connection?”

When exploring art in this way, it is important to take your time.

Time is always in short supply in the art room. Yet, in order to do this right, it is vital not to rush. Wait patiently for responses, and allow students to build upon the ideas of their peers.

As the class delves deeper into the work, their curiosity and confidence will grow. As the teacher, your job is to facilitate the discussion, but the students should be the ones really running the show. I find counting to ten and then asking, “What else do you see happening?” helps me to pause and ensure students have the time they need to process their thoughts and get ready to share.

VTS helped me to slow down and enjoy discussing art with my students.

All students love to paint and sculpt. Sometimes we forget the importance of building our students’ observation and communication skills. These skills are important and transfer to other areas of life beyond the art room. Once my students got used to this method, they looked forward to the time we spent talking about art as much as studio time!

Do you use VTS with your students?

What other discussion strategies do you use in your classroom?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Anne-Marie Slinkman

Anne-Marie Slinkman, an elementary school art educator, is a former AOEU Writer. She is passionate about providing relevant and meaningful art experiences for all students.

The Ultimate Guide to Project-Based Learning in Your Art Room: 3 Benefits and 5 Steps

Determine the Teaching Approach Mix That Fits Your Art Room Best

What Can Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) Look Like in the Art Room?

10 Easy Strategies to Apply Brain-Based Learning in the Art Room

• Connected Learning
• Field Studies
• Learner as Researcher
• Mesh Networks
• Connected Classrooms

Explore | The GEMS World Academy Blog

The link between art education and critical thinking.

August 7, 2017 admin Education , GEMS World Academy Chicago , Critical Thinking , Cognitive Development , Private School , Art Education , Empathy

Why study art in school?

The question has asked been repeatedly over the years, often igniting passionate debate. One reason the question comes up is because the outcomes of art education are not easily measured on standardized tests and other assessments — unlike, for example, achievements in math, science and reading. 

But research shows that art education builds many of the cognitive skills that are in high demand in the business and professional worlds, skills like critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

At GEMS World Academy Chicago, a leading independent private school, art is both a stand-alone academic subject and a way of thinking that is threaded throughout its International Baccalaureate curriculum. GEMS uses art to help students see the world from multiple angles, and to take a design-thinking approach to solving problems.  GEMS also  incorporates art into its STEM inquiries (science, technology, engineering and math), creating an integrated program of study often referred to as STEAM. 

Jay Greene, a professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has overseen multiple studies of the impact that study of the arts has on students' cognitive and intellectual skills. One of the studies involved a student trip to an art museum, and another involved attendance at a live theater event. In both cases, Greene and his collaborators found that a focused learning experience with art boosts critical-thinking skills, as it encourages students to observe the world more carefully. 

Careful, deliberate observation, sometimes referred to as "slow looking," is a central component of Artful Thinking , a recent project led by researchers at Harvard University's Project Zero. Artful Thinking illustrates how and why teachers should make an effort to create connections between art and the larger curriculum. As stated on the Artful Thinking website:  " Works of art provoke rich, multilayered meaning-making in ways unlike other disciplines. They raise questions, evoke connection-making, and in many ways transform the shape of inquiry."

Students at GEMS World Academy Chicago engage with art in a variety of ways. They study existing works in the field by visiting cultural institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art. They create their own works by drawing, sculpting, coding, taking photographs, painting and more. And they use art in design, humanities and science classes to view concepts in new ways. 

GEMS leaders make that commitment to art education because they know an elite private school must do more than simply prepare students to achieve high test scores. Art is part of GEMS' efforts to produce the transformative global leaders of tomorrow.

Would you like to share your thoughts?

Subscribe to email updates, popular posts, posts by topic.

• GEMS World Academy Chicago (75)
• Education (35)
• Innovation (28)
• International Baccalaureate (17)
• Child Development (16)
• Technology (14)
• Field Studies (12)
• Upper School (12)
• High School (11)
• Private School (11)
• Literacy (10)
• academics (10)
• Global Citizenship (8)
• Middle School (8)
• Parenting (8)
• GEMSinnovation (7)
• Parent Resources (7)
• Critical Thinking (6)
• field study (6)
• gems world academy (6)
• Building Bigger Dreams (5)
• Connected and Blended Learning (5)
• GEMS Faculty, (5)
• Information (5)
• International perspective (5)
• Libraries (5)
• connected learning (5)
• mlearning (5)
• Community Innovators (4)
• Early Childhood (4)
• Inquiry (4)
• Learning (4)
• Learning Spaces (4)
• Parent Community (4)
• Reading (4)
• World of Innovation (4)
• Collaboration (3)
• Communication (3)
• Creativity (3)
• Cultures (3)
• Holidays (3)
• Mathematics (3)
• Problem Solving (3)
• Science (3)
• Student-Centered Learning (3)
• World As Our Campus (3)
• family activities (3)
• research (3)
• teachers (3)
• translocal (3)
• Change Agent (2)
• Cognitive Development (2)
• College (2)
• Cultural Exchange (2)
• Curriculum (2)
• Elementary School (2)
• Empathy (2)
• Entrepreneurship (2)
• GEMS Education (2)
• GWAConnect (2)
• Global awareness (2)
• History (2)
• Leadership (2)
• Makerspace (2)
• Mobile Learning (2)
• Preschool (2)
• Risk-Taking (2)
• Robotics (2)
• Social and Emotional Learning (2)
• Strategic Thinking (2)
• Teachers Matter (2)
• Teenagers (2)
• Whole Child (2)
• Young Learners (2)
• admissions, (2)
• american academy of pediatrics (2)
• celebrations (2)
• paper53 (2)
• Abstract Concepts (1)
• Accessibility (1)
• Adversity (1)
• Art Education (1)
• Assessment (1)
• Athletics (1)
• Banned Books Week (1)
• Baseball (1)
• CREATE Lab (1)
• Carnegie Mellon University (1)
• Citizenship (1)
• City as classroom (1)
• College Counseling (1)
• Curriculum Standards (1)
• Engagement (1)
• Extracurricular Activities (1)
• Faculty (1)
• Failure (1)
• Gift Ideas (1)
• Global Leadership (1)
• Growth Mindset (1)
• Humanities (1)
• Kyle Hill (1)
• Liberal Arts (1)
• Mentorship (1)
• Multiculturalism (1)
• Online Content (1)
• Outernet (1)
• Peer Feedback (1)
• Physical Education (1)
• Pop Culture (1)
• Power of Inquiry (1)
• Primary Years Program (1)
• Procrastination (1)
• Progression of knowledge (1)
• Propaganda (1)
• Research Skills (1)
• School as Connected Hub of Learning (1)
• Self-Expression (1)
• Service (1)
• Service Learning (1)
• Social Impact (1)
• Soft Skills (1)
• Student Reflection (1)
• Study Habits (1)
• Summer Vacation (1)
• Taking Action (1)
• Thanksgiving (1)
• Theater (1)
• Transdisciplinary (1)
• Visual Learning (1)
• World Leaders in Education (1)
• Writing (1)
• adolescence (1)
• around the world (1)
• capstone (1)
• chicago (1)
• chicago children's theatre (1)
• chinese american museum (1)
• design and innovation lab (1)
• experiential education (1)
• fencing (1)
• gaming, (1)
• let's move (1)
• lincoln park zoo (1)
• professional learning (1)
• swimming (1)
• taekwando (1)
• techweek, (1)
• traditions (1)
• valentine's day (1)

GET IN TOUCH

Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

We are a team specializing in writing essays and other assignments for college students and all other types of customers who need a helping hand in its making. We cover a great range of topics, offer perfect quality work, always deliver on time and aim to leave our customers completely satisfied with what they ordered.

The ordering process is fully online, and it goes as follows:

• Select the topic and the deadline of your essay.
• Provide us with any details, requirements, statements that should be emphasized or particular parts of the essay writing process you struggle with.
• Leave the email address, where your completed order will be sent to.
• Select your prefered payment type, sit back and relax!

With lots of experience on the market, professionally degreed essay writers , online 24/7 customer support and incredibly low prices, you won't find a service offering a better deal than ours.

• Departments, units, and programs
• College leadership
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Faculty and staff resources
• LAS Strategic Plan

• Apply to LAS
• Liberal arts & sciences majors
• LAS Insider blog
• Admissions FAQs
• Parent resources
• Pre-college summer programs

Quick Links

Request info

• Academic policies and standing
• Advising and support
• College distinctions
• Dates and deadlines
• Intercollegiate transfers
• LAS Lineup student newsletter
• Programs of study
• Scholarships
• Certificates
• Student emergencies

Student resources

• Access and Achievement Program
• Career services
• First-Year Experience
• Honors program
• International programs
• Internship opportunities
• Paul M. Lisnek LAS Hub
• Student research opportunities
• Expertise in LAS
• Research facilities and centers
• Dean's Distinguished Lecture series
• Alumni advice
• Alumni award programs
• Get involved
• LAS Alumni Council
• LAS@Work: Alumni careers
• Study Abroad Alumni Networks
• Update your information
• Nominate an alumnus for an LAS award
• Faculty honors
• The Quadrangle Online
• LAS News email newsletter archive
• LAS social media
• Media contact in the College of LAS
• LAS Landmark Day of Giving
• About giving to LAS
• Building projects
• Corporate engagement
• Faculty support
• Lincoln Scholars Initiative
• Impact of giving

Why is critical thinking important?

What do lawyers, accountants, teachers, and doctors all have in common?

What is critical thinking?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines critical thinking as “The objective, systematic, and rational analysis and evaluation of factual evidence in order to form a judgment on a subject, issue, etc.” Critical thinking involves the use of logic and reasoning to evaluate available facts and/or evidence to come to a conclusion about a certain subject or topic. We use critical thinking every day, from decision-making to problem-solving, in addition to thinking critically in an academic context!

Why is critical thinking important for academic success?

You may be asking “why is critical thinking important for students?” Critical thinking appears in a diverse set of disciplines and impacts students’ learning every day, regardless of major.

Critical thinking skills are often associated with the value of studying the humanities. In majors such as English, students will be presented with a certain text—whether it’s a novel, short story, essay, or even film—and will have to use textual evidence to make an argument and then defend their argument about what they’ve read. However, the importance of critical thinking does not only apply to the humanities. In the social sciences, an economics major , for example, will use what they’ve learned to figure out solutions to issues as varied as land and other natural resource use, to how much people should work, to how to develop human capital through education. Problem-solving and critical thinking go hand in hand. Biology is a popular major within LAS, and graduates of the biology program often pursue careers in the medical sciences. Doctors use critical thinking every day, tapping into the knowledge they acquired from studying the biological sciences to diagnose and treat different diseases and ailments.

Students in the College of LAS take many courses that require critical thinking before they graduate. You may be asked in an Economics class to use statistical data analysis to evaluate the impact on home improvement spending when the Fed increases interest rates (read more about real-world experience with Datathon ). If you’ve ever been asked “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?”, you may find yourself thinking about the Roman Empire more than you thought—maybe in an English course, where you’ll use text from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra to make an argument about Roman imperial desire.  No matter what the context is, critical thinking will be involved in your academic life and can take form in many different ways.

The benefits of critical thinking in everyday life

Building better communication.

One of the most important life skills that students learn as early as elementary school is how to give a presentation. Many classes require students to give presentations, because being well-spoken is a key skill in effective communication. This is where critical thinking benefits come into play: using the skills you’ve learned, you’ll be able to gather the information needed for your presentation, narrow down what information is most relevant, and communicate it in an engaging way. 

Typically, the first step in creating a presentation is choosing a topic. For example, your professor might assign a presentation on the Gilded Age and provide a list of figures from the 1870s—1890s to choose from. You’ll use your critical thinking skills to narrow down your choices. You may ask yourself:

• What figure am I most familiar with?
• Who am I most interested in? 
• Will I have to do additional research? 

After choosing your topic, your professor will usually ask a guiding question to help you form a thesis: an argument that is backed up with evidence. Critical thinking benefits this process by allowing you to focus on the information that is most relevant in support of your argument. By focusing on the strongest evidence, you will communicate your thesis clearly.

Finally, once you’ve finished gathering information, you will begin putting your presentation together. Creating a presentation requires a balance of text and visuals. Graphs and tables are popular visuals in STEM-based projects, but digital images and graphics are effective as well. Critical thinking benefits this process because the right images and visuals create a more dynamic experience for the audience, giving them the opportunity to engage with the material.

Presentation skills go beyond the classroom. Students at the University of Illinois will often participate in summer internships to get professional experience before graduation. Many summer interns are required to present about their experience and what they learned at the end of the internship. Jobs frequently also require employees to create presentations of some kind—whether it’s an advertising pitch to win an account from a potential client, or quarterly reporting, giving a presentation is a life skill that directly relates to critical thinking. 

Fostering independence and confidence

An important life skill many people start learning as college students and then finessing once they enter the “adult world” is how to budget. There will be many different expenses to keep track of, including rent, bills, car payments, and groceries, just to name a few! After developing your critical thinking skills, you’ll put them to use to consider your salary and budget your expenses accordingly. Here’s an example:

• You earn a salary of $75,000 a year. Assume all amounts are before taxes.
• 1,800 x 12 = 21,600
• 75,000 – 21,600 = 53,400
• This leaves you with $53,400
• 320 x 12 = 3,840 a year
• 53,400-3,840= 49,560
• 726 x 12 = 8,712
• 49,560 – 8,712= 40,848
• You’re left with $40,848 for miscellaneous expenses. You use your critical thinking skills to decide what to do with your $40,848. You think ahead towards your retirement and decide to put $500 a month into a Roth IRA, leaving $34,848. Since you love coffee, you try to figure out if you can afford a daily coffee run. On average, a cup of coffee will cost you $7. 7 x 365 = $2,555 a year for coffee. 34,848 – 2,555 = 32,293
• You have $32,293 left. You will use your critical thinking skills to figure out how much you would want to put into savings, how much you want to save to treat yourself from time to time, and how much you want to put aside for emergency funds. With the benefits of critical thinking, you will be well-equipped to budget your lifestyle once you enter the working world.

Enhancing decision-making skills

Choosing the right university for you.

One of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your life is what college or university to go to. There are many factors to consider when making this decision, and critical thinking importance will come into play when determining these factors.

Many high school seniors apply to colleges with the hope of being accepted into a certain program, whether it’s biology, psychology, political science, English, or something else entirely. Some students apply with certain schools in mind due to overall rankings. Students also consider the campus a school is set in. While some universities such as the University of Illinois are nestled within college towns, New York University is right in Manhattan, in a big city setting. Some students dream of going to large universities, and other students prefer smaller schools. The diversity of a university’s student body is also a key consideration. For many 17- and 18-year-olds, college is a time to meet peers from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds and learn about life experiences different than one’s own.

With all these factors in mind, you’ll use critical thinking to decide which are most important to you—and which school is the right fit for you.

Develop your critical thinking skills at the University of Illinois

At the University of Illinois, not only will you learn how to think critically, but you will put critical thinking into practice. In the College of LAS, you can choose from 70+ majors where you will learn the importance and benefits of critical thinking skills. The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at U of I offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in life, physical, and mathematical sciences; humanities; and social and behavioral sciences. No matter which program you choose, you will develop critical thinking skills as you go through your courses in the major of your choice. And in those courses, the first question your professors may ask you is, “What is the goal of critical thinking?” You will be able to respond with confidence that the goal of critical thinking is to help shape people into more informed, more thoughtful members of society.

With such a vast representation of disciplines, an education in the College of LAS will prepare you for a career where you will apply critical thinking skills to real life, both in and outside of the classroom, from your undergraduate experience to your professional career. If you’re interested in becoming a part of a diverse set of students and developing skills for lifelong success, apply to LAS today!

Read more first-hand stories from our amazing students at the LAS Insider blog .

• Privacy Notice
• Accessibility