Abstract:

In the era of information explosion, the demand for talents with critical thinking ability and problem-solving ability is getting increasingly high. Colleges and universities in various countries have begun to pay more attention to training students in this respect, and further play the guiding role of critical thinking and problem solving.

Many people cannot really understand the application of critical thinking, tend to develop in the direction of sophistry, and become fond of finding other people's shortcomings and faults. In fact, the most significant thing is to criticize and reflect on their own ideas. Critical comes from the ancient Greek word for discernment and decision-making ability, emphasizing the importance of rational and logical thinking. Generally speaking, it is a rethinking of the thinking process!

It has been pointed out that the five essential skills of citizens in the future society are information processing ability, critical thinking, problem solving ability, learning ability and global awareness. Thinking and making certain decisions, we tend to be biased towards our own preferences, and it is easy for us to stand in line with people with similar opinions. From the perspective of biological instinct, our brain is lazy and does not like to think and consume brain cells and time, which will make the brain uncomfortable. So in general, our brain is not interested in things that require deep thinking. The easier it is to deal with the information, the more it likes it. Just like when we take exams, our favorite questions are multiple choice questions and judgment questions, and our favorite multiple choice questions are single choice questions. In order to improve critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, we need to deliberately train our brains to reduce the intake and thinking of useless information. Upgrade the brain instinct and make the lower limit of laziness higher.

In the teaching practice of innovative methods, guided by critical thinking and problem-solving, teachers should change from imparting knowledge to improving students' learning ability and optimizing students' thinking structure, so that students can create new knowledge, discover problems and solve problems creatively. To solve problems, we must first find problems, which is sometimes more challenging than solving problems. Meanwhile, the process of problem solving is also an effective way to train critical thinking, which can train students to think in multiple dimensions and overcome the common self-centeredness, stereotype and prejudice in the way of thinking.

In addition, the differences of traditional national culture in different countries and regions will make the acceptance of innovative teaching methods oriented by critical thinking and problem solving ability different.

Critical thinking and problem solving ability are one of the essential skills for future students and one of the key goals of education, playing an important role in the development of future society and human civilization.

Keywords:

Information age, critical thinking and problem solving, innovative teaching, multiple dimensions and cultural differences.