"Critical thinking is the sort of mental activity that uses facts to plan, order, and work toward an end; seeks meaning or an explanation; is self-reflective; and uses reason to question claims and make judgments. Any subject--be it physics, algebra, or auto repair--can promote critical thinking as long as teachers teach the subject matter in intellectually challenging ways. For those students who are not interested in traditional academic programs, schools should offer high-quality, rigorous courses in technical and vocational education. A vast majority of students will go to work in the service world, where high-level thinking is increasingly required. Teachers can motivate students as thinkers through inquiry learning and by modeling for students their own thinking processes. Rather than focus on covering large amounts of material that students will soon forget, schools should help students acquire the intellectual habits of mind associated with thinking, thereby creating lifelong learners."
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