Some Thoughts on Critical Thinking

The Summer Critical Thinking workshop—sponsored by the Washington State University Critical Thinking Project and the WSU College of Education grant, CO-TEACH—initiated a K-20 evaluation of critical thinking as a vertical tier. In particular the essay looks at small part of the whole. In the breakout session on "non-traditional" students, we pause for a moment and consider that problem-solving techniques exist beyond pre-established procedures; in the classroom as in life, there should be some genuine allegiance to the possibility of considering alternative perspectives. At the workshop were talented teachers who understood the fallibility of habitually treating all students the same. Yet, in teaching, not all things come naturally. This article explores the gap between intention and action in education and thus the necessity for ongoing reflective thought.