In an article he wrote for The Conversation in 2020, Dr Peter Ellerton says the easiest way to define what critical thinking is, is to first define what critical thinking is not.
‘First, critical thinking is not just being smart. Being able to recognise a problem and find the solution are characteristics we associate with intelligence. But they are by themselves not critical thinking.
‘Second, critical thinking is not just difficult thinking. Some thinking we see as hard, such as performing a complex chemical analysis, could be done by computers. Critical thinking is more about the quality of thinking than the difficulty of a problem.’
Curriculum Director of the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project and Senior Lecturer of the school of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry and School of Education, Dr Ellerton, then poses a question in the mentioned article.
‘So, how do we understand what good quality thinking is?’
Good question! If your interest is piqued about exactly what critical thinking is, and why it is such a cornerstone of Newington College’s teaching pedagogy and practice, as well as why so many employers are looking to nurture it in their workforce, this is one public lecture you will not want to miss.
Titled The ethics of critical thinking: why it should be explicitly taught and why it needs to be done carefully, in his talk Dr Ellerton will look at how the confusion around what critical thinking is, is clouding the importance of teaching it ethically.
If taught ethically, Dr Ellerton believes, critical thinking helps promote personal empowerment, independence, active citizenship, social harmony, and a commitment to seeking the truth. If, however, it is taught without proper care, or without the safeguards of an ethical framework, Dr Ellerton argues ‘it might lead people … to harm others, undermine teamwork, fall into thinking that all opinions are equally valid (relativism) or create unfair situations where some voices are ignored or excluded’.
Dr Ellerton will highlight common mistakes in teaching critical thinking and offer suggestions on how to avoid them.
This event is free and open to the public – registration is essential. Parking on-site is limited, and we encourage you to consider using public transportation.
Dr Peter Ellerton
Dr Peter Ellerton is Curriculum Director of the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project, Senior Lecturer in the school of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry and the School of Education. Peter’s areas of focus include Public Reasoning, Science Communication, Argumentation and Critical Thinking in education. Peter was one of a small group of academics who developed V9.0 of the ACARA critical and creative thinking general capability and is on the working committee for the National Assessment Program in Scientific Literacy.
He has consulted and produced papers for a variety of organisations, including the European Commission Joint Research Centre, the NSW Department of Education, the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Institute of Police Management, the office of the NSW Ombudsman and many private and public schools. He has delivered professional development in Teaching for Thinking throughout Australia and internationally and has been invited to deliver programs at the University of California Los Angeles, Pepperdine University Los Angeles and Simon Fraser University in Canada. Peters’ passion is working with educators to enable a teaching for Thinking focus across all contexts.
