Critical Thinking

While performing some of the chores around the house I was contemplating the fact that some people think that critical thinking cannot be taught. Not having a degree on psychology or other related field that would give me credentials to voice my opinion, I can only disagree with or in frustration.

Before going on any further I should define critical thinking for the sake of remaining focus on my discussion. To me critical thinking is the ability to perceive a matter, whether be a math, science, story or any problem and to be able to look at it from different perspective, with different levels of analysis in order to learn and expand knowledge or to find a solution.

As a third grade bilingual teacher I believe that critical thinking can be instilled into our daily thinking. It is a matter of organizing our thinking and giving ourselves opportunities to contemplate, ask questions and to make connections that can spark further and deeper thinking.
I served students that come from low social economic status and with a different culture. I don't say they belong to one culture that is recognized by the census or the government. It is the street culture, the survival culture, the culture spawned from the rapid development of technology merged with old, incredulously and ineffective ideas. The new culture is a thinking that lacks morals, patients and the sense of consequences. I don't have a lot of experience, but it seems that each generation differs from each other on the way of thinking. I attribute this mutating-thinking changes to many factors but the most influential being technology. So if new generations think differently than their ancestors, then it is a possibility that we can instill critical thinking.
Growing in a similar environment as my students, I can say that I lack critical thinking skills. Just recently after completing the challenging science course for my master degree I started practicing critical thinking, so much that I annoy my kids and my husband. They think I am nuts, delirious, dumb and plain crazy. But to me the more I practice critical thinking the better I have become to see a situation, problem or concept from different perspectives, however I am still rusty on the area of consequences. What has got me to this level? I cannot give credit to a single factor but to a clump of practices, first of all the motivation, I do not want to be an invalid thinker. I know I would never be wise but I don't want to end up in the other extreme as to be a dull thinker. Next to motivation, there has to be excessive reading and truly dwelling on different view points, which brings me to questioning. After a new idea, any idea, gets into your mind ask questions. This part may seen easy but in reality is very hard to ask the right question. I myself need much practice on this area.

Please disregard anything I just wrote, I really don't have anything to blog about. I just wanted to explore my writing skills while contemplating on the subject of critical thinking and cultures.