In order for teachers to teach critical thinking, they must have an understanding of what it is and how to go about teaching it. Peter A. Facione, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University, says in his essay “Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts” that interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation are “at the very core of critical thinking” (4). He goes further to explain why critical thinking is so important by quoting, “While not synonymous with good thinking, CT is a pervasive and self-rectifying human phenomenon. The ideal critical thinker is habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded…” (14). These listed qualities are all important for a student to possess. A teacher who develops these skills is doing the student a great service for later in life. However, Karen Gocsik of Dartmouth College argues, “reading assignments and lectures by themselves do not insure that our students will improve their critical thinking skills” (1). Teachers must use a variety of other techniques to force students to think critically. To Page 5