Critical Thinking Competency Standards：Guide for Educators The Structure of This Guide 2
Understanding the Intimate Relationship Between Critical Thinking,Learning,and Education The Concept of Critical Thinking 4
The“What”and the“How”of Education 5
Critical Thinking Is the“How”for Obtaining Every Educational“What” 5
Critical Thinking and Learning 7
Critical Thinking and the Educated Person 8
Critical Thinking and Information Literacy 8
The Growing Importance of Critical Thinking 10
Critical and Creative Thinking 10
Critical Thinking and the Mastery of Content 11
Adapting the Standards for Particular Subjects 13
The Structure and Components of the Competencies 15
Relating the Competencies to Critical Thinking Concepts 15
Outlining the Components in Each Competency 16
A Master Rubric 18
The Critical Thinking Competencies 20
Standard One：Purposes,Goals,and Objectives 20
Standard Two：Questions,Problems,and Issues 21
Standard Three：Information,Data,Evidence,and Experience 22
Standard Four：Inferences and Interpretations 23
Standard Five：Assumptions＆Presuppositions 24
Standard Six：Concepts,Theories,Principles,Definitions,Laws,and Axioms 25
Standard Seven：Implications and Consequences 26
Standard Eight：Points of View and Frames of Reference 27
Standard Nine：Assessing Thinking 29
Standard Ten：Fairmindedness 31
Standard Eleven：Intellectual Humility 32
Standard Twelve：Intellectual Courage 33
Standard Thirteen：Intellectual Empathy 34
Standard Fourteen：Intellectual Integrity 35
Standard Fifteen：Intellectual Perseverance 36
Standard Sixteen：Confidencein Reason 37
Standard Seventeen：Intellectual Autonomy 38
Standard Eighteen：Insight into Egocentricity 40
Standard Nineteen：Insight into Sociocentricity 41
Standard Twenty：Skills in the Art of Studying and Learning 42
Standard Twenty-One：Skills in the Art of Asking Essential Questions 44
Standard Twenty-Two：Skills in the Art of Close Reading 45
Standard Twenty-Three：Skills in the Art of Substantive Writing 46
Standard Twenty-Four：Ethical Reasoning Abilities 48
Standard Twenty-Five：Skills in Detecting Media Bias and Propaganda in National and World News 52
Appendix 55
Critical Thinking Theory Underlying the Competencies 55
All Thinking Can be Analyzed by Identifying its Eight Elements 56
To Analyze Thinking We Must Learn to identify and Question Its Elemental Structures 57
All Thinking Must be Assessed for Quality Using Universal Intellectual Standards 58
The Ultimate Goal of Critical Thinking is to Foster the Development of Intellectual Traitsor Dispositions 59
Critical Thinkers Routinely Apply the Intellectual Standards to the Elements of Reasoning in Order to Develop Intellectual Traits 60
Egocentrism and Sociocentrism,Natural Predispositions of the Mind and Powerful Barriers to the Development of Thinking 61
Deepening Your Understanding of the Critical Thinking Competencies 63