Integrating Essential Skills into Training - National Adult Literacy ...

• whether there is a body of similar past decisions to which the worker can refer
• the extent to which judgement is required to make an appropriate decision
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the process of evaluating ideas or information, using a rational, logical
thought process, and referring to objective criteria, to reach a rational judgement about value,
or to identify strength and weakness. Critical thinking means choosing and exercising the
methods most appropriate for determining the true worth, merit or value of something – an
idea, a plan, a statement of supposed fact, etc. It assumes a certain degree of scepticism and a
natural desire for credible, reliable, significant and relevant information.
Critical thinking answers the questions: Why? How? What happens if? Is it true? Critical
thinking always has a goal, an identified purpose; it is the process of making a judgement or
conducting an assessment based on careful analysis, tangible evidence, and logical
interpretation.
Critical thinking uses appropriate clearly identified evaluative standards to distinguish what is
true from what is not, what to accept from what to reject, what will work from what will not.
In addition, critical thinking involves identifying and employing criteria to evaluate the
critical thinking process itself and to validate the outcomes generated. A discovery of error,
new information, a different interpretation – all have the potential to produce a revised
conclusion.
In summary:
• critical thinking involves processes such as clarifying, classifying, determining
causality, generalizing, analysing, examining, evaluating and comparing
• pressure for a judgement to be positive or negative is always a complicating factor
• examples of tasks involving critical thinking begin with words such as “assesses,”
“considers,” “judges,” “analyses,” “interprets,” etc.
Some level of critical thinking is a requirement for all jobs and, by law, required of all adults.
Even at entry-level, workers are expected to think through their actions, assess the worksite
for safety hazards, and carry out tasks that require normal adult judgement.
Some considerations:
◊ the complexity of what is being assessed or considered
◊ whether established assessment criteria exist and, if so, the number of criteria that
must be considered (or must they be developed by the worker in which case the clarity
of criteria or requirement to develop relevant criteria is a factor)
◊ the assessment process itself - how routine or unique the assessment process is, how
great the need is to process information, the incumbent’s role in the critical thinking
process, and the complicating factors that exist
◊ the effects of the critical thinking – how severe are the consequences of error? What
are the occupational risks?