SUBJECT: ENGLISH

RESEARCH
NAME: ABIHA FATIMA
CLASS: MORNING A
ROLL NO: F23BA039
SUBMITTED TO: MISS ZAIB
TITLE:
LEARNING METHODS and CRITICAL THINKING
ABSTRACT
This study explained critical thinking skills in education processes and the
importance of thinking critically for a student who attends any education program. Developing
the ability to think critically is an important element for modern education approaches and
models. This study intends to give a framework on the concept of thinking critically while
teaching or learning. The world is getting both more technical and more complex day by day life
environment, that’s why the necessity for education increases for each growing generation The
skill of thinking critically is generally accepted as a very vital stage in every field of learning,
particularly in the last decades. As a study draws a general suggestion on the importance of
critical thinking skills.

INTRODUCTION:
Being a student in 2023 is quite different from being one in 2013. In a span of 10
years, the world of education has witnessed a sea change. As the world keeps facing new
challenges, especially due to COVID-19, younger generations, and the education system they
are a part of, have also become dynamic. However, there are certain foundations to any
education system that has stood the test of time. One key element that has always been
stressed upon and practiced by educators in the liberal education spectrum is imparting Critical
Thinking skills. Enhancing a student’s critical thinking skills is particularly essential in a liberal
education model, which believes in teaching students how to think and not what to think.
Thinking critically will boost creativity and enhance the way you use and manage your time and
critical thinking not only describes the ability to think in accordance with the rules of logic and
probability, but also the ability to apply these skills to real-life problems, which are not content-
independent but unfortunately the education system in Pakistan at school and college level
specially promoting Ratta system and students are unable to think critically. Critical thinking can
provide students with a more insightful understanding of themselves. It will offer an
opportunity to be objective, less emotional, and more open-minded as students will appreciate
others' views and opinions. By thinking ahead, students will gain the confidence to present
fresh perspectives and new insights into burden some concerns.

LITRATURE REVIEW
“Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking to
make your thinking better.”—Richard W. Paul
When the term of ‘Critical Thinking’ is searched, it is understood that there are
meanings of it which are suggested in the frame of philosophy and psychology sciences but
in general sense this term has not got a definite meaning. ‘Critical’, derived from the Greek
word Kritikos meaning to judge, arose out of the way analysis and Socratic argument
comprised thinking at that time. (McGregor, 2007) and then the word Kritikos passed to Latin
as ‘Criticus’ that is the type of spreading to world languages from it (Hançerlioglu, 1996).
According to Critical Thinking Cooperation (2006) critical thinking is an ability which is
beyond memorization. When students think critically, they are encouraged to think for
themselves, to question hypotheses, to analyze and synthesize the events, to go one step
further by developing new hypotheses and testing them against the facts. Questioning is the
cornerstone of critical thinking which in turn is the source of knowledge formation and as
such should be taught as a framework for all learning. Students are frequently conditioned in
their approach to learning by experiences in teacher-cantered, textbook-driven classrooms
(Sharma & Elbow 2000). This situation is a disturbing case for contemporary educators, and
for this reason, they would rather choose the latest models and methods which are more
effective in directing students to think. Critical thinking occurs when students are
analyzing, evaluating, interpreting, or synthesizing information and applying
creative thought to form an argument, solve a problem, or reach a conclusion. The aim of
Critical Thinking is to promote independent thinking, personal autonomy and reasoned
judgment in thought and action. This involves two related dimensions:
1. the ability to reason well and
2. the disposition to do so.
Critical thinking involves logic as well as creativity. It may involve inductive and deductive
reasoning, analysis and problem-solving as well accretive, innovative and complex
approaches to the resolution of issues and challenges.
Education, perhaps the most basic need for people, is the process that provides the
development of humans. According to Meyer (1976) the aim of education is to nurture the
individual, to help, to realize the full potential that already exists inside him or her. There has
always been a strand of educational thought that held that the strengthening of the child’s
thinking should be the chief business of the schools and not just an incidental outcome – if it
happened at all (Lipman, 2003). Qualified education should show the way to students about
what and how to learn. While students evaluate what they learned and their learning methods,
they manifest their critical thinking abilities (Emir, 2009)

METHODOLOGY
The research question is if we change learning methods, will it promote critical thinking in
students? For this research, an online survey was done on some platforms in order to know the
opinions of people. First the question was asked to 50 people on Instagram story and 48 people
agreed that if we upgrade our education system and change learning methods it will definitely
promote critical thinking in our students and thinking critically will boost their creativity and
enhance the way they will use and manage their time and critical thinking will not only describe
their ability to think in accordance with the rules of logic and probability, but also the ability to
apply these skills to real-life problems. Then the same question was asked to 50 people on
Facebook and 47 people asked with the question that if we upgrade our education system and
change learning methods it will definitely promote critical thinking in our students and
remaining 3 percent had not clear opinion about this and said it should be continued as it is.
This was all an online survey. After that this question was asked to the students at university
and tried to know their opinion and this question was asked to about 30 students and they all
agreed that if we upgrade the education system in Pakistan and change learning methods it will
promote critical thinking in students, and they will give better results just like the education
system of Finland the best education system in the world, Finland has meticulously curated an
apparatus for academia and learning that is at par with almost all countries around the globe
and there are some reasons for that; Implementation of a holistic teaching and learning
environment that aims to emphasize equity over excellence. No standardized testing system as
students are graded individually with a grading system created by their teacher. Also, overall
progress is mapped by the Ministry of Education by sampling groups of varied ranges of
schools. Finnish children begin their academic journey at an older age, i.e. only when they turn
seven years old do they commence their schooling and before that learning is made free
flowing while here in our country The curriculum and learning methods in Pakistan have been
criticized for being outdated and failing to Outdated curriculum. lack of pedagogical skills is a
serious issue that needs to be addressed and prepare students for the modern world and many
more issues regarding learning methods that should be improved in order to develop critical
thinking in our students.
LIMITATION:
The question was asked to the students in the small area of the university to know their
opinions. Secondly, the survey was done by using online platforms in which questions were
asked to the people living nearby areas and got a chance to know their opinions about the topic
that thinking critically will boost the creativity of students and enhance the way they will use
and manage their time and critical thinking will not only describe their ability to think in
accordance with the rules of logic and probability, but also the ability to apply these skills to
real-life problems.
HYPOTHESIS
The hypothesis of the research was “if we change learning methods, it will promote critical
thinking in our students”.
FINDINGS
place total agree disagree
university 30 30 zero
Instagram 50 48 2
Facebook 50 47 3

Pie chart

98 percent of the people agreed with the question that “if we change learning methods, it will
promote critical thinking in our students”. The remaining 5 percent were not clear with their
opinion. In this research, an online survey was done on some platforms in order to know the
opinions of people. First the question was asked to 50 people on Instagram story and 48 people
agreed that if we upgrade our education system and change learning methods it will definitely
promote critical thinking in our students and thinking critically will boost their creativity and
enhance the way they will use and manage their time and critical thinking will not only describe
their ability to think in accordance with the rules of logic and probability, but also the ability to
apply these skills to real-life problems. Then the same question was asked to 50 people on
Facebook and 47 people asked with the question that if we upgrade our education system and
change learning methods it will definitely promote critical thinking in our students and
remaining 3 percent had not clear opinion about this and said it should be continued as it is.
This was all an online survey. After that this question was asked to the students at university
and tried to know their opinion and this question was asked to about 30 students and they all
agreed that if we upgrade the education system in Pakistan and change learning methods it will
promote critical thinking in students, and they will give better results just like the education
system of Finland the best education system in the world.
CONCLUSION
From all the surveys and question being asked in the survey it is concluded that for Developing
the ability to think critically which is an important element for modern education approaches
and models. This study intends to give a framework on the concept of thinking critically while
teaching or learning. The world is getting both more technical and more complex day by day life
environment, that’s why the necessity for education increases for each growing generation The
skill of thinking critically is generally accepted as a very vital stage in every field of learning,
particularly in the last decades. So, if we want to develop critical thinking in our students, we
must upgrade our education system and should change learning methods.
SUGGESTIONS
The effort required to learn new information is often intense and involves study practices that
are minimally effective. Students may spend hours using suboptimal learning strategies.
Learning is important for everyone, not just students. If a behavior or thought isn’t innate, then
it is dependent on learning and memory. Most of our behaviors are learned. In the context of
this article, think of learning and memory as being connected—or you can think of learning as a
relatively permanent change in thinking or behavior due to experience. This process of learning
is a process of forming new memories. Don’t spend excessive time worrying about whether
you will remember the information. Evidence suggests that intention to remember may not
have a direct effect on memory (Varakin and Hale 2014). What matters most is the approach
taken when trying to learn the material. Telling yourself you are going to remember
information is not necessarily the optimal strategy for enhancing memory. There are better
strategies for learning.

Massed practice, or “cramming,” should be avoided. Cramming doesn’t lead to the formation of
long-term strong memories. Sometimes students can score high on a test after cramming, but
this doesn’t mean they have formed strong memories or have learned the information deeply.
When they learn the information deeply, they often show a strong understanding of the
materials weeks after testing. I have seen many students who cram for tests perform well on a
test, but they lack any type of memory for the material a few days after the test. Gains achieved
during massed practice disappear quickly.

Take advantage of the testing effect. The testing effect, sometimes referred to as the retrieval
effect, occurs when learning is enhanced by quizzing or testing yourself. Quizzing/testing
yourself on a regular basis tells you what you know and don’t know and therefore where to
focus further study. Also, retrieving what you are learning helps strengthen connections to
what you already know.

Space your learning/training sessions. Memory is best when you spread your studying or
training across multiple sessions (spaced learning). For over a century, it has been known that
learning and/or memory is strengthened when information is studied over time compared with
the same amount of information studied in one or fewer cramming sessions (Sisti et al. 2007)
Learning is a process, and that process is enhanced when it occurs over time. One of the key
reasons that spaced learning increases memory is that each time you study, you may perceive
the material from a different perspective. Seeing the material from different perspectives
allows the creation of different connections that you didn’t see before.

Develop focused attention; it is a foundation of learning. Whether you are learning to play
tennis or learning math, focused attention is a key requirement. Focused attention involves
being attentive to desired sensory inputs while ignoring distraction. Focused attention requires
you to keep in mind what is important to your current goal. Cognitive scientist Amishi Jha refers
to attention as our human superpower (Jha 2021). Attention is a skill; it can be learned.
Research indicates various forms of mindfulness, meditation, and other strategies can lead to
improved attention.

REFERANCE
References

Brown, P.C. 2014. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Cambridge, MA: The
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Jha, A. 2021. Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day. New
York, NY: Harper One Publishers.

Karpicke, J.D., et al. 2010. Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practice
retrieval when they study on their own? Memory 17: 471–479.

Sisti., H.M., et al. 2007. Neurogenesis and the spacing effect: Learning over time enhances
memory and the survival of new neurons. Learning & Memory 14: 368–375.

Varakin, D.A., and J. Hale. 2014. Intentional memory instructions direct attention, but do not
enhance visual memory. Sage Open 1–8. Online at