It is not enough to teach students to perform thinking operations and tasks. They should also be disposed to carrying them out on their own, unasked.
Critical Thinking Dispositions
by Robert Ennis
Seek a clear statement of the thesis or question
Seek reasons
Try to be well informed
Use and mention credible sources
Take into account the total situation
Try to remain relevant to the main point
Keep in mind the original or basic concern
Look for alternatives
Be open-minded
Take a position (and change a position) when the evidence and reasons are sufficient to do so
Seek as much precision as the subject permits
Deal in an orderly manner with the parts of a complex whole
Use one's critical thinking abilities
Be sensitive to the feelings, level of knowledge, and degree of sophistication of others
Source: Robert H. Ennis. "A Taxonomy of Critical Thinking Dispositions and Abilities" in Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice; eds. Joan Boykoff Baron and Robert J. Sternberg. Freeman, 1987.