Reading as a means to develop critical thinking

Abstract

Critical thinking is a crucial aspect that every citizen needs to be able to take part in a democratic and plural society. The current society, with a generalized access to information through Internet and with a constant bombardment of data, opinions and watchwords, demands new competences. Among them we would choose the one that relates to the capacity to think critically and to understand every kind of text to which it has had access and that are related to subjects, many times with a scientific basis, that affect us directly (climate change, alternative energies, transgenic foods...). This article shows the results of applying two activities of critical reading carried out in the context of Chemistry classes. The texts have been selected taking the contents worked previously and the social relevance of the problem that they discuss, without forgetting and taking into account its possible potential for arousing the interest of the student.