Epistemological Inclusion: Critical Thinking in Teacher Education

Abstract

The application of critical thinking in K-12 and higher education today enjoys universal approval at most levels of learning and unites educators. However, there is one view of critical thinking in teacher education that perceives traditions, i.e. non-scientific ways of knowing, as an impediment to learning. The educator’s role is to encourage an abandonment of “old ways of thinking” and adopt an interpretation and practice of critical thinking that privileges a scientific perspective and epistemology. The author begins with an illustration for discussion and then argues for a broader practice of critical thinking that is epistemologically broad and inclusive.