Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in the Elementary School Curriculum

Abstract

Introduction:  Chaotic convulsions are frequent in contemporary elementary school education.  The current convulsion appears to focus on how we can teach elementary school students to be critical in their thinking.  If we succeed, then we can rest assured that we as Americans can keep our competitive edge in the world.  In the meantime, international conferences, government-sponsored committees, and media reports are grappling with this latest issue on critical thinking.  What has come out of these findings so far is a lack of clarity on just what is critical thinking.  In particular, there seems to be little concern on clarifying the difference between critical thinking and problem-solving.  Many educators and critics of the schools give the impression that the two terms are synonymous.