By adopting this definition of critical thinking and applying their learning in education contexts, students can:
become broad and adventurous thinkers
generate innovative solutions
use their reasoning skills to analyse and evaluate
plan and think strategically
Critical thinking enables students to:
think about and evaluate their own thinking and behaviour on issues related to health education, physical education, and home economics
make reasonable and defensible decisions about issues related to individual and community well-being
challenge and take action (individually and collectively) to address social, cultural, economic, and political inequalities
understand the role and significance of the movement culture and its influence on our daily lives and the lives of people in our community
In order to help their students to develop critical-thinking skills and to take critical action, teachers need to:
have a sound knowledge base from which to support students as they delve more deeply into content
remain open to challenge by students, not representing themselves as the sole source of knowledge
encourage students to look at the big picture by engaging them in critical-thinking processes that have relevance beyond the classroom
be prepared to listen to voices that originate in the classroom and to use students' personal experiences as starting points for gathering information
encourage students to question and challenge existing beliefs, structures, and practices
avoid offering 'how to do it' approaches
encourage students to be sensitive to the feelings of others
provide opportunities for inquiry by giving students time for planning, processing, and debriefing
structure lessons so that students can work safely and co-operatively and develop creative forms of shared responsibility
encourage students to take critical action. When students learn to use democratic processes inside the classroom, they can transfer these to situations outside the classroom