What Teachers Need to Know about Critical Thinking Vs Creative Thinking

Both creative thinking and critical thinking are important in education. Peace education and language acquisition literature refers frequently to each. But what exactly are these ways of thinking and how do they contribute to learning language and peace?

What Teachers Need to Know about Critical Thinking Vs Creative Thinking takes a close look at both and relies on several different sources to show similarities and differences between the two.

One quote from the article is helping in understand key differences: “creative thinking tries to create something new, critical thinking seeks to assess worth or validity in something that exists.” Both are necessary in peace education. With only critical thinking, we can end up stuck in cynicism and see no way out. With only creating new ideas, we end up in an alternate reality too far removed from where we are now.

Language for each type of thinking is different too. Depending on the thinking process a group is engaged in, their language might pick ideas apart or build on each other. Knowing which process is needed for which situation is one part of strategic peacebuilding and language learning.