Yes, I think it further education does teach thoughtfulness. I think it inheres in the structure of education. As you get to higher and higher levels, you are given more and more freedom. This helps by gently nurturing a student into a natural state of being where they can successfully navigate a subject area on their own. They come to rely less and less on the instruction of someone else to motivate them to explore what there is to learn. They come to know, through experience, the process of self-motivated study from beginning to wherever they find themselves, because there is no end (except the inevitable end, of course).

Furthermore, as you naturally start to specialice and hone in on your specific interests, you get that experience of the learning never ceasing. Even when you feel like you've specilaised, you find there's more scope than you ever imagined. This promotes thoughtfulness as one is never prone to resting on their laurels. Your perception towards your study area can change with one question or a whole new realm of thought can be opened to you by the single sentence of a wiser person. If you've experienced that, it helps teach you to always keep your mind open and active when approaching any subject area or experience.

One becomes thoughtful, and one's thoughtfulness is shaped, through experience. I guess you could kind of relate it to what I perceive as my consciousness growing. Sometimes when I see children playing on doing whatever they happen to be doing, I question what's going on in there head? What was going on in my head when I was that age, doing those things? And through that reflection you come to realise how much questioning, considerations, and inter-dependencies have come together to shape your current thought processes. That model of reality is directly molded by you experiencing your existence growing. In the ideal word, when that growing is shaped and nurtured by education, one comes to a position where they can step back and question themselves with skill. Step back from what they're doing, learning, or experiencing, and draw on their experience to tactfully navigate their thought patterns and ultimately their life.

I guess that's generally from quite a idealised perspective. However, I am a bit high at the moment, so if it sounds a tad floaty then so be it.