As a parent, you are probably seeking the best path for your gifted student to take in order to open their minds and enable them to excel at any obstacle the world throws at them. No matter what they choose to do in their life, you want your children to have the ability to think and act in an intelligent, responsible manner. We are confident that you are considering a premier prep school to let your student thrive; you wouldn’t be here otherwise! Athena Preparatory is proud to be a top-notch private high school for Lodi students. Our college preparatory program focuses on honing each child’s innate abilities by promoting independence and critical thinking. The latter term is often the subject of many discussions and debates, yet few students understand its importance. Today, we’ll talk more about what critical thinking is and why it is vital for the successful leaders of tomorrow. Your young star has the ability to thrive in any endeavor, and our university prep program is here to give them the tools needed to succeed.
What is Critical Thinking?
For over two millennia, powerful leaders and thinkers alike have been honing and defining what this humanistic concept means. Thirty years ago, Richard Paul and Michael Scriven made a statement at the International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform that effectively communicated an ideal definition. Essentially, critical thinking is a process that requires intellectual discipline while actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, evaluating, incorporating, and evaluating gathered information that was collected from or created by observation, experience, contemplating, logic, or communication in order to believe and act accordingly. The goal, according to these two men, is to transcend our differences in pursuit of collective intellectual values. Concepts such as accuracy, consistency, fairness, and so on are taught to achieve a higher level of reasoning.
According to Scriven and Paul, two components are needed to successfully understand and utilize the skill of critical thinking:
- Information will be gathered with the acquired belief generating and critical processing skills.
- Thinkers will use these skills to guide and shape their behavior on a regular basis.
Finally, these scholars posit that the skills of critical thinking are different for every individual, as each person holds their own beliefs, experiences, and reasoning styles. Nobody is perfect at critical thinking, as we all hold our own biases and flaws, making this concept a lifelong venture.
The Benefits of Critical Thinking
This enlightened mode of thinking aims to improve the student’s reasoning and analyzation skills. Our preparatory high school aims to endow students with independence, educational discipline, and a hunger for education. Critical thinking, as a concept, perfectly aligns with Athena Preparatory’s mission. Students of this craft will be able to raise inquisitive questions and issues, creating and presenting them in a precise manner. Critical thinking also promotes the practice of gathering and organizing relevant data in order to come to an informed conclusion. These thinkers will also use open-mindedness in their approach to understanding and analyzing the issue, thinking subjectively, and communicating efficiently in a manner that can aid others in solving complex problems. In essence, critical thinking is ideal for helping students excel in any undertaking, from our STEM program to university studies.
The value of critical thinking comes from its practice of teaching students about being self-sufficient in their direction, discipline, and corrective thinking. By holding your child to a premium standard of higher thinking, the process of critical thinking helps to create a well-rounded, intelligent, unbiased mind.
When it comes to preparing your student for the future, creating a basis for higher thinking and information processing can be very beneficial. Athena Preparatory strives to provide this higher level of cognitive processing. Our private high school in Lodi provides students with rigorous academics and philosophy to promote critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the subjects taught. This skill will travel far beyond the walls of our prep school and lay the basis for a lifetime of higher intellectual processing. Contact us today to learn more about our preparatory courses!