Critical thinking
The notion of critical understanding is closely related to the concept of Critical Thinking, described as, ‘reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.’ Critical thinking has also been described as, ‘thinking about thinking’, specifically in relation to John Dewey’s work on ‘the problem of training thought’. Critical understanding has its roots in the notion of pluralism, the idea of multiple approaches, methods and interpretations in which dialogue plays an important role. In a pedagogical sense it is closely linked to the theory of Education for Critical Consciousness, outlined by Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator and critical theorist, who wrote, ‘Only dialogue, which requires critical thinking, is also capable of generating critical thinking. Without dialogue there is no communication, and without communication there can be no true education.’