The Importance of Critical Thinking in Social Workers` Education

Abstract

In this paper, the authors discuss about the importance of critical thinking in the education of social workers, as well as its implications in the practice of this profession. Namely, the authors start from the assumption that students largely uncritically accept knowledge as true, reliable and accurate. On the other hand, the paper shows how critical thinking can be encouraged in the classroom. In the light of this, the authors analyze the components of critical thinking, a brief history of it (in context of social work practice), as well as various contemporary paradigms in this context. At the end of paper, there is a room for potential challenges, as well as barriers in the implementation of the above-mentioned paradigms in the educational system.