Educational Methods and Strategies Effective in Rearing Critical Thinking

One of the aims of education is to reinforce thinking and reasoning power. To achieve such aim is not possible only through imparting knowledge and information to the minds of students, but it is possible through including certain methods in the programs of schools through which students may learn when, how and which questions should be raised and which reasonable method should be applied. These skills could be developed through exercising critical thinking as exists in different courses. The necessity of rearing various skills of critical thinking is due to the rapid changes of societies, technology, expansion of various fields of science, and the development of knowledge and information. The old skills once upon a time were suitable, but at present they fail to prepare them to confront with contemporary problems and challenges. To reinforce thinking power requires preparing certain condition and applying certain educational methods and strategies as effective in critical thinking. The present article primarily seeks to study the concept, skills, and the characteristics of critical thinking, then proceeds to study conceptual map as one of the educational methods and strategies effective in the development of critical thinking.