Critical Thinking in Problem Solving: A Perspective for the Language Arts Teacher

Abstract

Because language arts processes and related skills depend on thinking processes, teachers should know, use, and guide creative problem-solving processes in their language arts class. Creative problem solving involves a balance of divergent and convergent thought, reflected in the processes of creative and critical thinking. Divergent, or creative, thinkers defer judgment while looking for and accepting many ideas. Critical thinking involves the highly conscious use of standards to make judgments. Although both aspects are involved in the problem solving process, the divergent, creative aspects should be developed first to avoid killing the needed brainstorming portions of creative problem solving with critical judgment. Students use various styles of creative/critical thinking in problem solving and they can be grouped as follows: (1) rigidly inhibited thinkers, who have difficulty understanding ideas and are concrete in their verbalizations; (2) undisciplined thinkers, who distrust others' ideas and are quick to criticize them; (3) acceptance-anxious thinkers, who tend to unquestioningly accept the opinions and ideas of others; and (4) creative thinkers, who value and learn from their own and others' ideas. Although schools tend to reinforce only the acceptance-anxious style, language arts teachers can encourage all children to develop critical thinking skills by examining the conflicts and behavior inherent in literature and by discussing the problems and possible solutions in the invented situations of the story. (Eight references are appended.) (MM)