Ways to improve your Critical Thinking IISH
‘Critical Thinking’ stands as one of the foundational philosophies behind Indus Internal School Hyderabad. It is composed of five smaller steps – observation, analysis, inference, communication and problem-solving. Many students aim to be a critical thinker, yet this quality eludes most of them. It is an art that requires constant practice to be cultivated in an individual. As our CEO and MD Lt. General (Retired) Arjun Ray explains, to be a critical thinker - one has to be deliberate, possess a clear purpose, have clarity when it comes to the desired outcome, reflection and follow up.
Critical thinking, as the name suggests, is made up of two root aspects – criticism and thought. Criticism does not refer to finding faults of the other person’s perspective, but to acknowledge both the good and bad in everyone’s perspective while being as objective as possible. It is the ability to engage in difficult discussions while actively listening. ‘Thinking’ involves a constant influx of being in search of the best possible solution based on solid evidence, data, images and reports. Indus International school in Hyderabad aims to make each student a critical-thinker because it serves as a part and parcel of many of our beliefs such as the design-thinking and decision-making processes. To be a decision-maker or a design-thinker, one must be willing to critically evaluate any situation he/she is in. IISH invites its students to be a critical-thinker and to develop the willingness to question everything that they encounter rather than believing them at face-value.
Critical thinking of a child can be improved gradually, but surely. First and foremost, the students have to develop sincerity and discipline by being patient and calm observers of the world around them. As ‘observation’ is the initial step in Critical Thinking, the students should have the ability to sense and identify a problem, determine its cause and possible time of occurrence beforehand. Secondly, in order to properly master the art of analysis, one must take on new experiences, think in ways different from their usual thought patterns, interpret new information and make a sound analysis based on rationality and truthfulness. The key to overcoming this second stage in the criticalthinking process is to experience things and events that the student has never encountered before and reading books about new concepts and ideas that they may otherwise not read. This is followed by the third stage, Inference.
A student can only infer something when they are able to deduce the best possible outcome based upon limited information. Inference, in essence, means to fill in the blanks when you do not possess everything at hand. Any student should have prior knowledge or experience when they try to infer anything about a particular subject. Indus International School Hyderabad, one of the Best IB Schools In Hyderabad, encourages students to avoid jumping to conclusions without any concrete evidence or proof and to only make educated guesses. The fourth step, communication, involves a flexibility in the communicators to not regard their opinion as the factual truth, but to possess a willingness to look at a certain topic from the other’s point of view. One must carefully explain their ideas in a calm and rational manner while following the proper communication habits. Each person should be an active participator in the discussion and work towards a common goal of finding the best solution while casting aside their ego.
Last, but not the least, is the problem-solving phase of critical-thinking. One of the core beliefs and objectives of Indus International School Hyderabad is to transform its students into problemsolvers who possess the keys to solving the uncertainties arriving in the future. A suitable solution is selected in the stage and executed by the student. IISH trains its students to tackle the problems that have constantly blocked our way towards a better future. This problem-solving requires the students to put their thinking caps on, observe the problem thoroughly, collect information and facts accordingly, draw inferences from the same, engage in healthy discussions with their peers, reach a suitable solution and finally, test their solution. In order to perfect themselves in problem-solving, the student must analyse whether their particular solution is actually solving the goal they wish to achieve. They must set their goals accordingly and acquire knowledge in their field. They must be aware of their surroundings and observe how their peers solve their individual problems and ask them for advice and support.
Indus International School, Hyderabad, one of the best boarding schools in hyderabad understands the relevance and significance of “Critical-thinking” in today’s age. We wish to imbibe each of our students with the qualities of a critical-thinker. Join us on this journey of learning to question the things around us, and find answers to the problems faced by our world.
