Critical thinking as a means of enhancing individual independent students’ work

The article deals with the problem of developing critical thinking skills by the means of enhancing independent work of students. Independent work of students is connected with realization of practical tasks providing development of logical thinking, creative activity and the research approach in understanding educational material. Independent work promotes development of students’ capabilities to the self-education and selfdevelopment, skills of critical thinking. The success of developing the critical thinking skills depends on the organization of group work, in other words «team approach». It was considered as the way of training learners’ critical thinking skills.

Development of society is characterized by increasing dynamism, globalization of the society, change of social values and formation qualitatively new types and forms of activity. The demand of a foreign language in society requires improvement of educational system in a foreign language and improvement the quality of training specialists in this sphere. The purpose of foreign education is communicative competence of future experts, readiness and ability to communicate at intercultural level. Modern society is in the process of qualitatively new form of the existence — information society and in wider context — information civilization. The future specialist should be freely guided in variety of complex social, scientific and technical, economic and political problems have an ability to solve them properly, creatively, from absolutely new positions. However, the higher school is fall back from the level of world civilization and not fully cope with a problem of preparation the thinking expert.

Nowadays the role of information and knowledge increases in all spheres of social development. Knowledge and qualification play an important role in human life in the world of information. To possess with the information in the native language is already not enough for any experts. The great importance of training foreign languages, formation of foreign communicative competence, is raised. Work with information in any language demands formation of certain intellectual abilities: abilities to analyze information, to select the necessary facts, build them in logic sequence, abilities to put forward arguments and counterarguments and other. And it concerns both, receptive and productive types of speech activity. Preparation of the young specialist with the creative abilities, critical thinking and professional competence, capable to adapt for fast-changing conditions and to make decisions assumes usage of problem methods. It is extremely difficult to motivate modern student to educational activity, to search the ways of achieving purpose. The main reason of it lies on insufficiently high level of critical thinking development. Due to the reason of foreign education, formation of foreign communicative competence, the use of critical thinking skills in educational process of foreign language should promote formation the ability and readiness for communication and mutual understanding with representatives of other country.

This principle makes actual the comprehensive study the concept of critical thinking, and also the way of its integration to educational process of foreign language for achieving the main purpose of foreign education — formations of foreign communicative competence.

One of the valuable points of view of psychologists, philosophers, teachers who argue that communicative competence is productive only in case when person have critical thinking. As in a whole, critical thinking is considered as a form of intellectual and creative activity of the people living in the world overflowed with information and in particular, as effective technology, promoting formation of communicative competence of students.

Importance of the students’ independent work is indisputable, because of reducing the volume of class activities and promoting development of students’ capabilities to the self-education and self-development. The learners of modern school and high school who will live and work in a future in a postindustrial society can possess such qualities, as:

• Flexibly adapt in changing reality situations, independently acquiring necessary knowledge, skillfully putting them into practice for making decision of various problems in order to have possibility to find in it the place throughout all
• To think critically, be able to see difficulties arising in the real world and try to search ways of its overcoming, using modern technologies; realize, where and how acquired knowledge can be applied in the real world; to be able to generate new ideas, think creatively;
• Competently work with information: to be able to analyze, to put forward the problem solving hypotheses, to make necessary generalization, comparisons of similar or alternative variants, formulate reasoned conclusions and on it basis to reveal and solve these new
• to be sociable, contact with various social groups, to be able to work together in different areas, preventing conflict situations or skillfully leaving them [1].

One of the important tasks of reforming education that was noted in President's N.A.Nazarbayev  letter is an improvementof education quality and qualification for training the specialist highly demanded in any other country [2]. The student, future specialist should be professional in his sphere. His acknowledgement as skilled and competent specialist depends on his ability to express thoughts and positions more accessible and free. Today the society needs the specialists who are able to make decision independently, show initiatives, own skills of using innovative technologies and variety of methods of achieving the goal. Student training according to credit technology is directed to creation the conditions for training of the learners’ independence, responsibility and development of intellectual and creative capabilities. For this purpose, the student «from passive contemplate absorber» of scientific information, the diligent contractor» should turn into «the creative receiver and «active converter of studied knowledge». The aim of this technology is development of creative intelligence, flexible thinking. [3] One of the approaches directed to enhancement of students’ creative activity, development of their abilities to analyze and put forward hypotheses, to reveal problems and independently solve them is the formation of critical thinking skills. The problem of developing the critical thinking skills becomes relevant abroad last 15–20 years. Among researchers who deal with this problem from the pedagogical and psychological point of view are such researchers, as B.Bejer, Dzhudi A.Braus, D.Halpern, C.Templ, D.Kluster. Among the native scientists, studying the technology of critical thinking are Shakirova D.M., Shragina L.I., Korzhuev V.A., Sorin B., etc. American scientist Pol R.U. considered the notion of critical thinking as the disciplined, self-directed thinking, which illustrates thought improvements corresponding to a specific method. It is divided into two forms. If a person consciously responds for interests of a specific individual or group, excepting separate people and groups, it is sophistical or weak sense of critical thinking. If a person consciously takes into account interests of various people or groups, it is fair or strong sense of critical thinking [4]. He also asserted that in critical reflection we use our command of thought’s elements to adjust our thinking for logic requirements of type or thought method. If we have got used to think critically in strong sense, i.e. in the interests of other people or groups we develop special lines of thinking: intellectual humility, intellectual bravery, intellectual persistence, intellectual honesty, and trust to the reason. D.Djui considered critical thinking as complicated activity, content based learning [5]. Modern researchers D.H.Klark and A.U.Bidl determine this notion as the process, with the help of which our mind converts information for understanding the established ideas and creating new ideas for solving problems [6]. Dzhudi A. Braus and David Wood determine critical thinking as intelligent reflective thinking focusing on the decision of definite problems. The critical thinking, in their opinion, is a search of common sense namely how to judge objectively and act logically, taking into account not only one’s point of view, but also the other opinions and try to refuse from own beliefs.

Kluster pointed out that comparing critical thinking with such thought processes, as memorizing, understanding and creative, intuitive thinking is impossible. Importance of development of the memory is high, but at the same time, memorizing is not thinking. Development of intelligence is connected not with memory operation, but with development of independent thinking. The author considers it as one of the primary condition of critical thinking. All these three cogitative operations are only necessary conditions of critical thinking. However even all these three operations are not critical thinking at According to David Kluster notion «the critical thinking» consists of 5 points [6]. First, the critical thinking is independent thinking. When the activity is developed accountant of critical thinking, everyone formulates the ideas, estimations and belief irrespective of others. Nobody can critically think for us, we do it only for ourselves. Hence, thinking can be critical only when it has individual character. Learners should think on their own and independently solve the complicated problems. So, for example: training of students for independent mastery of the content of material, abilities and skill. Thus, independence is the first and, probably, major characteristic of critical thinking.

Secondly, the information is a beginning, but not a final point of critical thinking. As it’s said, «it is difficult to think with an empty pate». To generate complex idea, it is necessary to process mountain «raw» — the facts, ideas, texts, the given theories, concepts. Thirdly, the critical thinking begins with the statement of questions and explanation of problems which need to be solved. All of us know that the person is very curious by nature and always aspires to know all the newest, «fresh». Curiosity is the integral property of all life. The critical thinking as philosopher, teacher D.Dyu said, arises only when trainees start to deal with a concrete problem. Fourthly, the critical thinking aspires to the convincing argument. Critically thinking person finds own problem’s resolution and supports it with a reasonable, sound arguments. He also understands that other decisions of the same problem are possible, and tries to prove that chosen by him decision is more logical and more rational than the other. Any argument contains three basic elements. Basic element of an argument is the statement. The statement is supported by a number of arguments. Each argument, in turn, is supported with proofs. We can use endurances from the text, a personal experience and everything that is used as an argument. Critically thinking person armed with strong arguments, is capable to resist to the opinion of the majority. And, at last, fifthly, the critical thinking is social thinking. When we argue, read, discuss, object and exchange opinions with other people, we specify and we deepen in our own position. Therefore teachers always try to use every possible way of pair and group work, organize discussions, written works etc.

The made analysis allows us to conclude that scientists and researchers have no common approach to determination of the notion of critical thinking. However the majority of them consider critical thinking to be as an individual thinking. According to our point of view — the critical thinking — is a development of independent thinking aimed at processing of the information for creation and decision of new ideas and problems. Critical thinking means the ability to continuous treat the surrounding world, find and estimate on objective way receiving information, compare and analyze various points of view, understand complexity and discrepancy of the public beliefs. In other words, critically thinking person should solve all problems independently; support these decisions with reasonable arguments. The possessing of critical thinking skills develop prevent one’s own weak point, serves as means of comprehension of personal and social problems. The major indicator of critical thinking is its efficiency and independence. The effective thinking speaks about capability of the person to think logically and consistently, about ability to solve problems quickly and creatively, do correct comparisons, formulate substantiated conclusions, make decisions. Independence of thinking specifies on its free-thinking, allowing to resist to the person point of view and to overcome barriers and obstacles in own consciousness.

Hence, the main objective of training the critical thinking skills is the expansion of cogitative competence for effective solution of social, scientific and practical problems, and also for stimulation of the promotion of new ideas, innovations. As developing thinking skills should become a training chief goal, there is an acute problem — how to teach students to think. Problem of training the critical thinking skills remains actual. Many researchers assumed their own technologies of training the critical thinking [7, 8]. One of the basic conditions and forms of developing the given  thinking is  a  group  work,  in  other  words  «team approach». The command — is the small group of people possessing skills of interchangeability, jointly working for accomplishment of the common aim and bearing responsibility before each other for its accomplishment. Command work is active process of teamwork for achievement of common aim [8]. Creating an effective command means distribution of certain social roles, and also availability of the signs, which are necessary for achievement the group’s common aim.

Ability to think critically and work in a command inseparably interrelated among themselves. The person, who has intended on the criticism, should be sure and know exactly that his reflective capabilities should prevail in contrast with others. The criticism is some kind of rivalry, and those, who won't take care of his capability to think critically, doomed to defeat. The critical thinking is social thinking and it is completely shown at a public statement, in discussion, dispute, during the solution of group tasks, when there is an interaction between the teacher and students and students among themselves. Students are equal participants of training and perceive it as exchanging experience between them and the teacher. The relationships developing between the teacher and pupils «release the teacher from a role of the know-it-all. But the role of organizer of cognitive teaching process is of no less importance [8]. Developing critical thinking skills in group work are based on following psychological principles (Osborn, 1957).

1. The group work stimulates processes of developing new ideas. It was revealed that the person of average capabilities working in a group could increase twice his ability to solve problems. Working in a group he is given opportunity to find problem solution in numerous ways, on the other hand one person’s thought generates new ideas of
2. Besides the group work develops sense of competition between members of the While the competition doesn’t cause critical and hostile installations, it promotes an intensification of creative process as each participant tries to surpass another in promotion of new ideas.
3. The increase of the quantity of ideas causes increase the quality of On the base of Osborn’s research, he came to the conclusion that there is an interrelation between quantity and quality of ideas and problems. In Osborn’s opinion, the latest 50 ideas are more useful, than the first 50. It is obvious that in process of group work on promotion and solution of new ideas and problems, level of critical thinking skills is being raised, according to which the quality of ideas and problems raises too.
4. Brain storming will be held more effectively if participants of group will work together for several days, which leads to raise of quality of suggested ideas. Apparently, for occurrence of some ideas the certain period of their «maturing» is
5. From the psychological point of view, the estimation of learners’ ideas and solution is done not by themselves, but by other people, due to the fact that the lack of one’s creativity is not always

Thus, the most effective model of training the critical thinking is command work which allows to develop such qualities as: independence, inquisitiveness, ability to make independent estimations. The group should possess certain qualities, abilities to think critically and work in a command and etc.

One of the varieties of «team approach» directed on the development of independence and critical thinking is the project method. In the content of project method lies development of informative skills of learners, abilities to be guided in information field, development of critical thinking. The project method is directed on development of reflective thinking, i.e. ability to form further plans; accurately reveal the sense, linking results with the purposes, self-examination and a self-appraisal. In the content of project method lies the term «project»; its oriented on the result which can be received during solution of practically or theoretically significant problems. This result can be seen and applied in real practical activities. In order to achieve such result, it is necessary to teach think independently, find and solve students’ problems, ability to predict results and possible consequences of different variants of solution. The project method is focused on independent activity of learners — individual, pair, group which students carry out during a certain period of time. This method is organically combined with group (collaborative or cooperative learning) methods. The project method always assumes the decision of any problem. The problem resolution provides, on the one hand, use of set, various methods, tutorials, and on the other hand, assumes necessity of knowledge integration, abilities to apply knowledge from various areas of a science, technics, technology. The results of performed projects should be realized as a final product, i.e. as a solution of theoretical problem, as a concrete result, which is possible to use in a real practical life. (at a lesson, at school, in real life). If we deal with project methods as pedagogical technology, it assumes set of method, research and problem solving character, creative in its nature. The given form of organizing training, allows to its raise efficiency. It provides the system of effective feedback that promotes development of personality, self-perfection and self-realization both learners and teachers, who are involved in project method. There given new possibility to realize own experience, to enhance professional skills, to deepen the pedagogical collaboration, directed on strengthening intersubject relations and to work out requirements unity. The project method in the technology of critical thinking training allows improving students’ cognitive activity and forms a number of common cultural and professional competences. Learners gradually gain all necessary skills of self-education, are capable of thinking independently and critically, have an ability to overcome difficulties.

Thus, usage of the project methods allows to develop learners’ critical thinking skills: abilities to analyze independently; think creatively; to give reasonable argument of one’s positions; problem solution. Learner should be involved in educational process and be active participants, who are capable of express their thoughts creatively on the problem, demonstrate one understands, give reason, argue etc. Each person should find any way of solving problems, creative approach; at the same time give reasonable arguments to the problem. The task of teachers lies in development learners’ critical thinking, which is support of learners in their search of ideas and knowledge in a context, which is already available; orientation of learners to the choice of true information; to be objective and honesty in an estimation; and also stimulation of independent activity, development  self-educational and self-organizational mechanisms.

References 

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