Teaching Critical Thinking in World Studies

Paul McBride

Tamagawa Upper Secondary Division (High School) Educational Research Journal

This article advocates the teaching of critical thinking skills in world studies with specific references to Tamagawa Academy’s year twelve World Studies in English class context. 

Critical thinking is useful to help students recognise and work against unjust practices. It can enable them to learn how to learn. Critical thinking skills can be beneficial for both English performance and academic work. These skills are required not only by the business community and by governments but by students who evaluate what they learn. 

Why teach critical thinking when it can lead to disruption of social order and has been criticised for causing cultural problems in classrooms? The benefits seem greater than the risks. Critical thinking can be used to avoid social problems. It is a lack of critical thinking which can create social conditions conducive to persecution and violence.