<HTML>There is a great deal of work being done in the United States on Critical
Thinking. There are several yearly conferences and many texts which have
been published. They are generally from the field of cognitive psychology.
Critical thinking is generally introduced in the adolescent years and
deals with ethical dilemmas and case studies.
As religious educators, we must apply the principles of critical thinking
within the framework of our halachick system. There must be an
understanding that the critical mind works within the system. The task of
the educator is to foster critical thinking, yet to provide young people
with a framework so that the process does not get out of hand and lead in
a direction which is not acceptable. Perhaps this is one of the topics for
critical thinking.</HTML>
