- Physical and Inherent Abilities
- Initiative and Leadership
- Critical Thinking Skills
Learn critical thinking skills
What is critical thinking.
Critical thinking is the objective analysis of information to form a judgment. Some of the skills included in critical thinking include interpretation, inference, self-regulation, and problem-solving. These skills can help thinkers avoid logic traps. Critical thinking is a valuable skill because it allows individuals to evaluate information that could be biased or misleading and see problems in a new light.
A fundamental part of decision-making lies in the ability to be a critical thinker. For example, the internet offers users a wealth of information, but not all of that information is high quality or true. A person’s point of view can be easily skewed without an understanding of how to thoughtfully assess veracity and bias. Who is presenting the information? Why might they be presenting this information with this frame? Are there contradictory opinions or facts on this subject? By learning critical thinking skills and learning to ask the right questions, individuals can make better judgments about the information that is presented before them in any format, which enables them to make more informed decisions about what to do with that information.
Browse online Critical Thinking Skills courses
Stand out in your field, learn at your own pace, earn a valuable credential, related topics, critical thinking course curriculum.
edX offers many courses to help learners develop critical thinking skills. For example, a short course on the fundamentals of critical thinking may teach strategic analysis and problem-solving. Others could be more focused on specific applications, such as critical thinking for leaders or entrepreneurs. Explore all of the educational opportunities available for learners at every level.
Careers that use critical thinking
Building critical thinking skills offers learners the chance to develop their leadership skills, higher order thinking skills, and problem-solving skills. The ability to think critically can be beneficial to both your personal and professional life, whether you are making decisions in a boardroom, a classroom or an emergency room. With the right background and training, individuals can elevate their decision-making to form rational, logical opinions and lead the way to a better civil society. Take advantage of the knowledge curated by edX and its partners, and explore how online critical thinking courses can help you achieve your goals.
More opportunities for you to learn
We've added 500+ learning opportunities to create one of the world's most comprehensive free-to-degree online learning platforms.
Executive Education
Master's degrees, bachelor's degrees.
Last updated December 2022
PHIL102: Introduction to Critical Thinking and Logic
Course introduction.
- Time: 40 hours
- College Credit Recommended ($25 Proctor Fee) -->
- Free Certificate
The course touches upon a wide range of reasoning skills, from verbal argument analysis to formal logic, visual and statistical reasoning, scientific methodology, and creative thinking. Mastering these skills will help you become a more perceptive reader and listener, a more persuasive writer and presenter, and a more effective researcher and scientist.
The first unit introduces the terrain of critical thinking and covers the basics of meaning analysis, while the second unit provides a primer in analyzing arguments. All of the material in these first units will be built upon in subsequent units, which cover informal and formal logic, Venn diagrams, scientific reasoning, as well as strategic and creative thinking.
First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me in this course". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.
Unit 1: Introduction and Meaning Analysis
Critical thinking is a broad classification for a diverse array of reasoning techniques. In general, critical thinking works by breaking arguments and claims down to their basic underlying structure so we can see them clearly and determine whether they are rational. The idea is to help us do a better job of understanding and evaluating what we read, what we hear, and what we ourselves write and say. In this unit, we will define the broad contours of critical thinking and learn why it is a valuable and useful object of study. We will also introduce the fundamentals of meaning analysis: the difference between literal meaning and implication, the principles of definition, how to identify when a disagreement is merely verbal, the distinction between necessary and sufficient conditions, and problems with the imprecision of ordinary language.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.
Unit 2: Argument Analysis
Arguments are the fundamental components of all rational discourse: nearly everything we read and write, like scientific reports, newspaper columns, and personal letters, as well as most of our verbal conversations contain arguments. Picking the arguments out from the rest of our often convoluted discourse can be difficult. Once we have identified an argument, we still need to determine whether or not it is sound. Luckily, arguments obey a set of formal rules that we can use to determine whether they are good or bad. In this unit, you will learn how to identify arguments, what makes an argument sound as opposed to unsound or merely valid, the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning, and how to map arguments to reveal their structure.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.
Unit 3: Basic Sentential Logic
This unit introduces a topic that many students find intimidating: formal logic. Although it sounds difficult and complicated, formal, or symbolic, logic is actually a fairly straightforward way of revealing the structure of reasoning. By translating arguments into symbols, you can more readily see what is right and what is wrong with them, and you can learn how to formulate better arguments. Advanced courses in formal logic focus on using rules of inference to construct elaborate proofs. Using these techniques, you can solve many complicated problems simply by manipulating symbols on the page. In this course, however, you will only be looking at the most basic properties of a system of logic. In this unit you will learn how to turn phrases in ordinary language into well-formed formulas, draw truth-tables for formulas, and evaluate arguments using those truth-tables.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 13 hours.
Unit 4: Venn Diagrams
In addition to using predicate logic, the limitations of sentential logic can also be overcome by using Venn diagrams to illustrate statements and arguments. Statements that include general words like "some" or "few" as well as absolute words like "every" and "all" – so-called categorical statements – lend themselves to being represented on paper as circles that may or may not overlap.
Venn diagrams are especially helpful when dealing with the logical arguments called syllogisms. Syllogisms are a special type of three-step argument with two premises and a conclusion, which involve quantifying terms. In this unit, you will learn the basic principles of Venn diagrams, how to use them to represent statements, and how to use them to evaluate arguments.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.
Unit 5: Fallacies
Now that you have studied the necessary structure of a good argument and can represent its structure visually, you might think it would be simple to pick out bad arguments. However, identifying bad arguments can be very tricky in practice. Very often what at first appears to be ironclad reasoning turns out to contain one or more subtle errors.
Fortunately, there are a large number of easily identifiable fallacies – mistakes of reasoning – that you can learn to recognize by their structure or content. In this unit, you will learn about the nature of fallacies, look at a couple of different ways of classifying them, and spend some time dealing with the most common fallacies in detail.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
Unit 6: Scientific Reasoning
Unlike the syllogistic arguments you explored in the last unit, which are a form of deductive argument, scientific reasoning is empirical. This means that it depends on observation and evidence, not logical principles. Although some principles of deductive reasoning do apply in science, such as the principle of contradiction, scientific arguments are often inductive, and for this reason, science often deals in confirmation and disconfirmation.
Nonetheless, there are general guidelines about what constitutes good scientific reasoning, and scientists are trained to be critical of their own inferences as well as those of others in the scientific community. In this unit, you will investigate some standard methods of scientific reasoning, some principles of confirmation and disconfirmation, as well as some techniques for identifying and reasoning about causation.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.
Unit 7: Strategic Reasoning and Creativity
While the majority of this course has focused on the types of reasoning that is necessary to critique and evaluate existing knowledge, or to extend our knowledge in accordance with correct procedures and rules, there remains an enormous branch of our reasoning practice that runs in the opposite direction. Strategic reasoning, problem solving, and creative thinking all rely on an ineffable component of novelty supplied by the thinker.
Despite the seemingly mystical nature of such activity, problem solving and creative thinking are best approached by following a set of tried and tested procedures, which prompt our cognitive faculties to produce new ideas and solutions by extending our existing knowledge. In this unit, you will investigate techniques for problem solving, representing complex problems visually, making decisions in risky and uncertain scenarios, and creative thinking in general.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.
Study Guide
This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary terms. It is not meant to replace the course materials!
Course Feedback Survey
Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.
If you come across any urgent problems, email [email protected] or post in our discussion forum .
Certificate Final Exam
Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.
To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.
Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate .
Saylor Direct Credit
Take this exam if you want to earn college credit for this course . This course is eligible for college credit through Saylor Academy's Saylor Direct Credit Program .
The three Saylor Direct Credit quizzes are optional, but recommended to help you prepare for the final exam. You can take them at any time and they do not require a proctor. Quiz grades will not affect your grade on the final exam.
The Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam requires a proctoring fee of $5 . To pass this course and earn a Proctor-Verified Course Certificate and official transcript , you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on the Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam. Your grade for this exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again a maximum of 3 times , with a 14-day waiting period between each attempt.
We are partnering with SmarterProctoring to help make the proctoring fee more affordable. We will be recording you, your screen, and the audio in your room during the exam. This is an automated proctoring service, but no decisions are automated; recordings are only viewed by our staff with the purpose of making sure it is you taking the exam and verifying any questions about exam integrity. We understand that there are challenges with learning at home - we won't invalidate your exam just because your child ran into the room!
Requirements:
- Desktop Computer
- Chrome (v74+)
- Webcam + Microphone
- 1mbps+ Internet Connection
Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a Credit-Recommended Course Completion Certificate and can request an official transcript .
Saylor Direct Credit Exam
This exam is part of the Saylor Direct College Credit program. Before attempting this exam, review the Saylor Direct Credit page for complete requirements.
Essential exam information:
- You must take this exam with our automated proctor. If you cannot, please contact us to request an override.
- The automated proctoring session will cost $5 .
- This is a closed-book, closed-notes exam (see allowed resources below).
- You will have two (2) hours to complete this exam.
- You have up to 3 attempts, but you must wait 14 days between consecutive attempts of this exam.
- The passing grade is 70% or higher.
- This exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions.
Some details about taking your exam:
- Exam questions are distributed across multiple pages.
- Exam questions will have several plausible options; be sure to pick the answer that best satisfies each part of the question.
- Your answers are saved each time you move to another page within the exam.
- You can answer the questions in any order.
- You can go directly to any question by clicking its number in the navigation panel.
- You can flag a question to remind yourself to return to it later.
- You will receive your grade as soon as you submit your answers.
Allowed resources:
Gather these resources before you start your exam.
- Blank paper
What should I do before my exam?
- Gather these before you start your exam:
- A photo I.D. to show before your exam.
- A credit card to pay the automated proctoring fee.
- (optional) Blank paper and pencil.
- (optional) A glass of water.
- Make sure your work area is well-lit and your face is visible.
- We will be recording your screen, so close any extra tabs!
- Disconnect any extra monitors attached to your computer.
- You will have up to two (2) hours to complete your exam. Try to make sure you won't be interrupted during that time!
- You will require at least 1mbps of internet bandwidth. Ask others sharing your connection not to stream during your exam.
- Take a deep breath; you got this!
- College Catalog
- Canvas Login
- Workforce Development
Introduction to Critical Thinking
This introductory-level course is designed to help learners define and identify critical thinking and reasoning skills and develop those skills. Critical thinking is an intellectual model for reasoning through issues to reach well-founded conclusions. It may be the single most valuable skill that one can bring to any job, profession, or life challenge. Being able to ask the right questions, critique an argument, and logically dissect an issue occur constantly in the workplace and our lives.
Learning Outcomes:
- Define critical thinking, reasoning, and logic
- Understand the process of systemic problem-solving
- Identify and overcome barriers to critical thinking
- Articulate common reasoning fallacies
- Engage in critical thinking as it pertains to the workplace
Student Testimonial
"I will be able to implement some of the elements of reasoning questions that are relevant to critical thinking. I feel confident in identifying fallacies as well. The material was well presented." -- Marie, Introduction to Critical Thinking
Course Dates and Times
Course hours: 7 hours .
This workshop is offered through our continuing education online partner.
- Defining Critical Thinking Courses
written by Chris Green
Earlier this semester on our college listserv, some of my Liberal Arts colleagues shared their frustrations about designating certain courses as “critical thinking” when almost every course contains critical thinking in some version. Such frustrations are sensible given the term’s wide and varied use. To help clarify, I would like to explain what the Critical Thinking designator means in Marshall’s General Education curriculum, but, first, here is a bit of back ground about the term.
The term “critical thinking” burst onto the educational scene in 1962 [1] and forwarded a framework to train students in rational argumentation. This move was amplified by the focus on science during the Cold War, the need for higher education to demonstrate its methods, and the influx of students from varied backgrounds.
Over the last forty years, the basic mechanisms and vocabulary of such rational argumentation have become central to higher education. At the same time, the need to demonstrate the utility of higher education has continued to rise as an even wider set of Americans gain access to it.
In response, an industry of Critical Thinking has arisen, promoting the term’s cultural capital as well as increasing its proprietary feel and ambiguity. Indeed, “critical thinking” is now so widely used that one must consider its definition on a case by case basis, but after much consideration, I find the following definition works in most cases: to purposefully hone (through application, evaluation, and adaptation) the effectiveness of a skill or practice.
Working in the framework of that history, various groups of Marshall professors—always with representatives from each college—began developing a set of practices that define what “Critical Thinking” courses will mean for our purposes, a practices that will continue to evolve through use, conversation, and revision. That work came to fruition in Fall 2010 with Faculty Senate recommendation SR-09-10-(03) 49 CFAHC whose details I explain below.
Concisely summarized, a “Critical Thinking” class is a 100 or 200 level course designed to help freshman and sophomore students learn key cognitive skills, attention to which will aid their success in all their course work. This focus on the early learning of such skills complements the requirement that all general education courses now have to be either 100 or 200 level—the goal is to have students take these classes earlier rather than later. General Education Core I courses (FYS and CT) seek to bolster students’ academic success early in their college careers (during which they will take the majority of their general education courses), thus setting them up for stronger performance in other general education classes and greater accomplishment in their majors.
Critical Thinking courses promise to show their students how the disciplinary practices being introduced in that class use at least three of the following lenses: (1) reasoning, (2) representation, (3) cultural judgment, (4) information literacy, and (5) metacognitive reflection. Critical Thinking courses also show how those practices and skills relate to a primary domain of thinking (e.g., scientific or multicultural/international thinking) and at least one other domain. By having departments and professors articulate the different domains in which a CT course operates, the goal is to help everyone see the inter-related nature of courses in different disciplines.
CT courses emphasize conscious development of a few key skills by active learning rather than the accumulation of knowledge by memorization. They do so by helping students develop those skills though varied pedagogical methods that professors specify. The courses also ask students to demonstrate those skills so that the professor can assess the student’s proficiency in higher-order cognition such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
While such specifics can make one feel penned, they also offer a place from which we might start gauging and adjusting the practice and effect of General Education at Marshall. By specifying courses as Critical Thinking, Marshall’s General Education Core I classes have three major goals: (1) to help students develop skills that will foster success in all classes; (2) to help students integrate learning from different disciplines; and (3) to help students identify and apply skills they have gained to changing and varied circumstances and endeavors.
These goals set the basis for continued development and adaptation of those skills throughout the whole of students’ lives in their varied professional undertakings, social and political commitments, and personal explorations. Not only will our alumni continue to be marketable during economic changes, but they will have the skills to excel as citizens as our nation and world continue to alter.
In developing Marshall’s own version of “Critical Thinking,” the hundred plus faculty who have worked on clarifying the goals and process of General Education at Marshall hope that more of our students will complete college with an even better education (which is a high goal) and that Marshall will stand out as a university even more worthy of the population we serve.
For more on General Education at Marshall, visit: www.marshall.edu/gened .
[1] “Critical Thinking.” Philosophy of Education: An Encyclopedia London: Routledge, 1996. Credo Reference. Web. 19 September 2010.
Course Lists
- Core II Course List
- Critical Thinking (Core I) Courses
- Multicultural/International Courses
Faculty/Administrator Links
- Core I (Critical Thinking) Courses Info
- Core II Courses Info
- CT Course Approval Tips
- CT Designator Recertification
- CT Workshop
- FYS Institute
- GEC Membership and Bylaws
- International Designation
- Minutes and Meeting Schedule
- Multicultural Designation
Important Gen Ed Links
- Center for Teaching and Learning
- Faculty Senate Recommendation
- Introducing the Core Curriculum
For students admitted 1995-Summer II 2010
- Marshall Plan
Questions or Comments
Jump to main content
Mesa Community College
- My Maricopa
- Student Email
- Class Schedule
- Give to MCC
Search form
- Programs by Name
- Degrees & Certificates
- Fields of Interest
- Career & Technical Education
- Academic Departments
- Career Coach
- Request Information
- Campus Tours
- Enrollment Steps
- Recruitment
- Mesa Public Schools Advisors
- Academic Advisement
- Admissions & Records
- Career Services
- Cashier Services
- Disability Resources & Services
- Early College Programs
- Financial Aid
- International Education
- Student Life
- Testing Services
- Veteran Services
- Alumni Association
- Community Partnerships
- Fitness Center
- Mesa Community Outreach Center
- Philanthropy
- Rose Garden
- Press Releases
- Media Coverage
- Accreditation
- Administration
- Institutional Advancement
- Institutional Effectiveness
- Mission, Vision, Values & Learning Outcomes
- Our History
- Professional Licensure
- Strategic Plan
CRE 101 (College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking)
Being well-informed makes you a better student, a better citizen, and most importantly, a better person. How well you can critically read and analyze information often dictates how successful you will be in other classes as well as in the workplace. Critical reading and thinking skills allow you to make wise, informed decisions that will affect your quality of life.
College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking coursework at MCC will help you to enhance your reading skills by presenting challenging reading materials that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation through written discourse. You will apply your critical reading and thinking skills in various subjects. You will identify, analyze and explain in writing the author’s point of view and purpose, as well as to detect bias and fallacies in arguments. We will also teach you how to read technical writing for interpretation in corporate environments.
Our College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking (CRE 101) classes are currently being taught in the following formats: face to face, hybrid, and online. College Critical Reading is essential to most programs of study and is a 3 credit university-transfer class. This is a required class for many programs and a required class in order to obtain an associate's degree.
Prerequisites: (A grade of "C" or better in ENG101 or ENG107) and (appropriate reading placement test score or a grade of "C" or better in RDG091 or RDG095 or RDG100 or RDG100LL).
- Join / login
Subscribe Here!
- Critical, Analytical & Creative Thinking
- 10 Great Critical Thinking Activities That Engage Your Students
Get access to ALL our resources and premium unit plans by joining the Future Focused Learning Network
How can students own their learning with critical thinking activities they’ll really love? Allowing our students to take stands on issues that matter to them engages the classroom in a way that fosters great critical thinking.
Who? What? Why? When? Where? How? When they can relate these questions to themselves and exercise personal self-reflection, we build community and “heart-centered” learning.
Let’s get to the critical thinking skills that really matter. From www.facinghistory.org , here are some amazing critical thinking activities that you can do with your students.
10 Great Critical Thinking Activities
Attribute Linking—Building Community by Taking Perspectives
Students pair up according to similar physical attributes determined by the facilitator. These include hair color, eye color, hand size, and height. For each attribute, students discuss times when they were discriminated against because of it. They then take on the roles as victim, perpetrator, or bystander and discuss.
Barometer—Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues
When posed with a thought-provoking prompt, students line themselves up along a U-shaped continuum representing where they stand on that issue. The sides of the U are opposite extremes, with the middle being neutral. The teacher starts a discussion by giving equal opportunity for individuals in each area of the continuum to speak about their stand. The students use “I” statements when stating their opinion.
Big Paper—Building a Silent Conversation
Writing (or drawing) and silence are used as tools to slow down thinking and allow for silent reflection, unfiltered. By using silence and writing, students can focus on other viewpoints. This activity uses a driving question, markers, and Big Paper (poster-sized is best). Students work in pairs or threes to have a conversation on the Big Paper.
Students can write at will, but it must be done in silence after a reflection on the driving question. This strategy is great for introverts, and provides a ready made visual record of thought for later.
Body Sculpting—Using Theatre to Explore Important Ideas
Students are given time to consider their feelings on a thought-provoking abstract or concrete image. Next, they come up with words that describe their reactions—trapped, free, angry, joyful, etc. They are then paired up and one person is the sculptor, while the other is the “clay.” The sculptor poses the clay into a form that artfully displays the word they wish to portray. Here are some guidelines:
- Sculptors can either physically mold the “clay” or act as a mirror for them to show the “clay” the position/image they want.
- Images can be concrete or abstract.
- Sculptors must treat their clay with gentleness and respect (very important!).
- There are no wrong answers; whatever image you get is fine.
- All body sculpting must be done in silence.
Café Conversations
Understanding different viewpoints is a great way to delve deeply into a topic. 5 to 10 students are given character sheets. These might include gender, age, family status (married, single, how many children, etc.), occupation, education level and significant life events. The group is also given a historical event or similar topic.
Students can create identity charts in collaboration with each other to determine their character’s viewpoint. When they can adequately represent their character, what follows is a “cafe conversation.” Don’t forget to go over guidelines on how to respectfully disagree! Allow at least 20 minutes for a conversation.
Other Critical Thinking Activities
Jigsaw—Developing Community and Disseminating Knowledge
Students take on the role of “experts” or “specialists” of a particular topic. Then a panel of experts is assembled to get the larger picture.
K-W-L Charts—Assessing What We Know/What We Still Want to Learn
Charts to document “What I Know” and “What I Want to Know” and after learning has occurred, “What I Learned.”
Think, Pair, Share—Facilitating Discussions in Small and Large Groups
A classic tool to guide students in relevant and meaningful discussion, and to build community.
Town Hall Circle
Like a real town meeting, individual students are “given the floor” and a time limit to express their views.
Reader’s Theater
In groups, create a dramatic script based on the ideas within a given text. Do not script word for word. The idea is to get off the page and represent the idea in the students’ own words.
Bring It to Your Classroom
Allowing students room to think deeply and discuss openly during critical thinking activities is the key to them taking true responsibility for the learning. Through these kinds of activities, we foster real thinkers and life-long learners.
For a great resource for critical thinking activities that are instantly usable in your class and includes full assessment rubrics and more, pick up a copy of our Critical Thinking Companion .
Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Originally published Mar 21, 2016, updated September 18, 2021
Information & Legend
Related Articles
How essential understandings fit into our learning.
What does being educated mean?
The 8 Best Ways of Teaching Creatively That Will Never Fail
When it comes to teaching creatively we use both the heart and the mind in equal measure. ..
10 High School Student Projects for Demonstrating Altruism
If you’re a high school teacher, you know a large percentage of students in your classes are..
- 7 Critical Thinking Barriers and How to Overcome Them
- 25 Real-World Discussion Topics for Learners to Explore Together
- 10 of the Best Growth Mindset Activities for Kids
- 6 Benefits of Critical Thinking and Why They Matter
- 25 Self-Reflection Questions to Get Students Thinking About Their Learning
- The Growth Mindset Choice: 10 Fixed Mindset Examples We Can Change
- 301 Awesome Essential Questions Examples by Subject
- 4 Inspiring Stories of How Great Teachers Changed Someone's Life
- 6 Ways of Helping Students With Overcoming Learning Barriers
- 15 Assessment Activities That Are Fast, Fun, and Formative
- 36 Resources for STEM Project-Based Learning Activities
- 5 Terrific Inquiry-Based Learning Examples
- The 7 Most Common Traits of Highly Effective Critical Thinkers
- The BIG Essential Questions List
- Critical Thinking Cheatsheet
- Bloom's Question Stems
- Critical Thinking Activities
- Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs
- The Growth Mindset Guide
- Lee Crockett
- Global Professional Learning Network
Your browser does not support JavaScript!
Please check if javascript is disabled or use a different browser..
- Home ›
- Y ou are not logged in.
Shopping cart is empty !
- All Classes ›
- Administrative Assistant Professional
- Career Success Skills
- Court Reporting
- Digital Marketing
- Entrepreneurship
- Project Management
- Quality Management Process
- Real Estate
- Autodesk Authorized Training Center
- Canvas Course Organization
- Course Technologies & Accessibility
- Staff Offerings
- Basic Computer Skills
- Computer Skills
- Workplace Computing
- Engineering & Advanced Technology
- EPLAN Electric p8
- Error Proofing Platform (EPP)
- Global Common Control Hardware (GCCH)
- Global Common Control Software (GCCS)
- Global Robotics Specifications (GRS)
- Lockout & Energy Control
- Networks - Ethernet IP
- Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist
- Certified Professional Coding
- Dental Assisting
- Health & Wellness CEU'S
- Home Care Assistant
- Laboratory Assistant
- Nursing Assistant
- Pharmacy Technician
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Landscaping
- Photography
- Creative Learning Experiences
- Displays/Exhibits
- Diversity Dialogues
- Speaker Presentations
- Basic/Intermediate (Endorsement)
- Automation/Programmable Logic Controls (PLCs
- CNC/Machining
- Marine Maintenance Technician Program
- Camp Scrubs
- Contract and Customized Training
- GM Training
- Macomb Student Success Seminars
- Police, Fire and EMS Advanced Training
- WCE Winter Schedule of Classes
- Certificate of Completion ›
- FAQ ›
- Guest Events ›
- Send me a Catalog ›
Critical Thinking
Course number : msss-8004a id : 2857 section number : rt019, « back to classes page.
South Campus Bookstore - 094 ( 2023CE MSSS-8004A-RT019 )
Class Details
1 session(s) weekly - fri, location remote, instructor instructor career services , ceus : 0.15, tuition: , registration closes on saturday, march 25, 2023 @ 12:00 am, schedule information, other class offerings, 03/20/23 - 03/20/23 weekly - mon, instructor instructor career services, 03/21/23 - 03/21/23 weekly - tue, 03/22/23 - 03/22/23 weekly - wed, location sou-g, 03/23/23 - 03/23/23 weekly - thu, location ctr-h, you may also be interested in these classes.
- Motivation and Anti-Procrastin... »
- Time Management »
- Communication Skills »
- Test Taking Skills »
- Memory Skills »
Recommended Classes
- Career Workshop: Health »
- DIVD Intro: Discussion: "Why S... »
- Programmable Logic Controllers... »
- More recommendations »
Follow us on
Show Only: SUN System Courses Honors Classes Open Entry / Open Exit Courses No cost or low cost (<$40) textbooks
- Summer 2023
CRE101: College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking – 3 credits
Develop and apply critical thinking skills through critically reading varied and challenging materials. Includes analysis, evaluation, interpretation, and synthesis through at least two substantial writing and/or speaking tasks. Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [(ENG101 or ENG107) and (RDG095 or RDG100 or RDG100LL or RDG111 or RDG112 or RDG113)] or a grade of B or better in ALT100 or an appropriate district placement or permission of Instructor.
General Education Designations: L
The Shared Unique Number (SUN) System helps students identify courses that will directly transfer among Arizona's community colleges and three public universities. Using the SUN System, students can easily search for and enroll in courses that offer direct equivalency at other Arizona colleges and universities. SUN courses have their own unique course number and prefix listed alongside each college's course number.
See how this and other courses transfer with AZ Transfer's Course Equivalency Guide .
- Free Newsletters
- Enable Javascript to log in
- News & Views
- Student Success
- Teaching & Learning
- Letters to the Editor
- Career Advice
- Hire Faculty & Staff
- Reports & Data
- Become an Insider Log In My Dashboard
- Virginia Foxx's Agenda
- Transfers From Community Colleges Decrease
- A Tale of 3 Republican Governors
- ‘Policy Violation’ or Free Speech?
- What Provosts Think on Tenure, Gen Ed, Budgets
- Admissions Insider
- Diversity Matters
- Events & People
- Capital Campaigns
- Community Colleges
It’s Time to Get Serious About Teaching Critical Thinking
We in academe must do more to ensure today’s students become tomorrow’s skilled thinkers. Fortunately, we are in a position to do so without having to overturn the current higher education system or break the bank, writes Jonathan Haber.
For close to 50 years, educators and politicians from classrooms to the Oval Office have stressed the importance of graduating students who are skilled critical thinkers.
Content that once had to be drilled into students’ heads is now just a phone swipe away, but the ability to make sense of that information requires thinking critically about it. Similarly, our democracy is today imperiled not by lack of access to data and opinions about the most important issues of the day, but rather by our inability to sort the true from the fake (or hopelessly biased).
We have certainly made progress in critical-thinking education over the last five decades. Courses dedicated to the subject can be found in the catalogs of many colleges and universities, while the latest generation of K-12 academic standards emphasize not just content but also the skills necessary to think critically about content taught in English, math, science and social studies classes.
Despite this progress, 75 percent of employers claim the students they hire after 12, 16 or more years of formal education lack the ability to think critically and solve problems -- despite the fact that nearly all educators claim to prioritize helping students develop those very skills. Those statistics were included in Academically Adrift , the 2011 book by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, which caused a stir when the authors asserted that students made little to no progress in critical-thinking ability during their college years.
With perils mounting, many of them attributable to too little critical thinking about the subjects that matter most, we clearly must do more to ensure today’s students become tomorrow’s skilled thinkers. Fortunately, we are in a position to do so without having to overturn the current higher education system or break the bank.
What Do We Mean by ‘Critical Thinking’?
One barrier that has kept us from making more progress in critical-thinking education over the last several decades is the perception that we still do not understand the concept well enough to determine how teaching critical-thinking skills can be integrated into the curriculum.
That paralysis derives partly from debates within the critical-thinking community over how the term should be defined. But such debates, while thoughtful and constructive, should not obscure the fact that there is widespread consensus regarding what skills constitute critical thinking, as well as substantial research on how those skills can be taught successfully.
For example, critical thinking involves thinking in a structured way. The term commonly used to describe this form of productive, structured thinking is “logic,” but logic describes a number of systems for reasoning systematically.
Formal logic reduces words and ideas to symbols that can be manipulated, for instance, much like numbers and symbols used in mathematics. While formal logic is extraordinarily powerful (just ask any computer programmer), we can also systematize our reasoning using informal logic that allows us to consider the meaning of words rather than reducing them to symbols fit into a structure. There are also a number of graphical systems for mapping out logical relationships, some of them easy enough to be picked up by young learners, that can be applied to any content area.
Since most of the communication we need to think critically about involves everyday human language, rather than machine code, skilled critical thinkers must also be adept at translating spoken and written language into precise statements that can be built into a logical structure. This translation process is as much art as science, but with practice, students can perform this kind of translation on anything from historic or literary documents to scientific ideas and mathematical proofs.
When those translated precise statements are built into a logical structure, you have an argument -- the basic unit of reasoning. Arguments can be found in political speeches, editorials and advertisements, as well as in communication across STEM fields, and the rules for analyzing the quality of arguments have been in place for more than 2,000 years.
Structured arguments play a special role in highlighting the importance of reasons for belief (called a warrant in logical argumentation), which gives students the ability to understand why true premises can lead to a false conclusion -- rather than labor under the misconception that the world consists of facts that can be true or false, with everything else falling into the category of opinion (or worse, “just an opinion”).
Another myth that has slowed down integrating critical-thinking instruction more deeply into the curriculum is fear that teaching skills, including critical-thinking skills, must come at the expense of teaching academic content. Yet one cannot think critically about a subject one knows nothing about. Since background knowledge , including knowledge of content related to the academic disciplines, is a vital part of being a critical thinker, understanding content and thinking critically about it do not need to come into conflict.
While people continue to be debate the role of elements such as creativity in the critical-thinking process, there is a general consensus, going back to the earliest definitions of the term, that the concept includes three interconnecting elements: knowledge (for example, knowledge of one or more logical systems), skills (such as skills in applying that logical system to construct and analyze arguments) and dispositions (such as the willingness to apply critical-thinking principles, rather than fall back on existing unexamined beliefs, or simply believe what you’re told by authority figures).
Teaching Students to Think Critically
Just as enough consensus exists about what critical thinking is, so too we have adequate agreement regarding how critical thinking is best taught. Research shows that elements of critical thinking need to be taught explicitly , rather than assumed to come along for the ride when thoughtful teachers run through complex material with students. As mentioned previously, nearly all college professors prioritize developing their students’ critical-thinking abilities, but to move from aspiration to progress, they must marry this priority to practices that make critical-thinking instruction explicit within a discipline.
For example, mathematics is a subject where students are continually introduced to examples of deductive reasoning in the form of mathematical proofs. Yet how many math professors use this opportunity to explicitly introduce students to principles of deductive reasoning, or contrast deductive with inductive logic (the primary mode of reasoning used in science)? Similarly, activities involving informational reading and argumentative writing provide ideal opportunities to introduce students in college writing classes to logical arguments in which evidence (in the form of premises of an argument) leads to a conclusion and how those arguments can be tested for validity, soundness, strength and weakness.
As it turns out, the number of critical-thinking topics professors and students need to understand is relatively small, certainly compared to the much larger body of content that students need to master in an English, math, science or history course. For students to develop as critical thinkers, however, they must put that knowledge to work through deliberate practice that specifically focuses on development of critical-thinking skills. That can be accomplished through carefully designed activities and assignments that provide students opportunities to practice applying critical-thinking principles to answer questions and solve problems specific to academic content areas.
The previous example of a math professor contrasting deductive and inductive reasoning and explaining what each form of reasoning brings to different disciplines demonstrates the potential for critical-thinking skills to transfer between academic domains. Since critical thinking is universally applicable, faculty members can also use examples and deliberate practice exercises to show students how they can apply critical-thinking techniques to issues outside class, such as how to systematically make decisions regarding college or work or how to avoid manipulation by politicians and advertisers.
One critical-thinking researcher has proposed that becoming a skilled critical thinker requires the same amount of practice required to become a highly skilled athlete or musician: approximately 10,000 hours. If this suggestion is even partially correct, it points out a problem, since no single class, or even years of education, can provide this amount of dedicated practice time.
That is why professors must not just teach students critical-thinking skills and give them opportunities to put them to use, but they must also inspire them to continue practicing those skills on their own across academic subjects and in all areas of life. Given that thinking is something we do every waking hour and does not require practice fields, instruments or special equipment, inspired students can apply the critical-thinking skills they learn in class to improve their grades and make better decisions in life, reinforcing their value and creating a virtuous cycle of continuous use.
High-Leverage Critical Thinking Teaching Practices
The techniques I’ve described above -- explicit instruction on critical-thinking principles and techniques, deliberate practice opportunities that put those techniques to work, encouraging transfer between domains, and inspiring students to practice thinking critically on their own -- all represent high-leverage critical-thinking practices applicable to any domain. Such practices can be applied to focused content areas, highlighting the fact that integrating critical-thinking practices into the curriculum does not need to crowd out other activities college instructors have used for years.
Concrete methods for improving student critical-thinking ability can help colleges and universities, including liberal arts schools struggling in an era emphasizing STEM and career-oriented majors like business, define their mission as the place where the most vital 21st-century skills are explicitly taught, practiced and mastered. One major where a new emphasis on practical critical-thinking skills development can have a double impact is education, where students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate teacher-preparation programs can be taught using high-leverage critical-thinking practices they can then bring into the classroom as they enter jobs in K-12 schools.
Changing colleges to embrace both methods and a culture of critical thinking does not require overhauling education, eliminating courses or even asking professors to sacrifice approaches they have developed and used successfully. It simply involves adding new tools to their arsenal that allow them to accomplish what they already wholeheartedly support: helping students develop the skills needed to think critically about the world.
Share Article
Jonathan Haber is the author of Critical Thinking Essentials , recently published by MIT Press. His site, LogicCheck.net , uses the news of the day to teach practical critical-thinking skills.
Jonathan Haber
Inside higher ed careers.
- Faculty Jobs
- Administrative Jobs
- Executive Administration Jobs
- Jobs Outside Higher Education
Browse Faculty Jobs
- Arts & Humanities
- Engineering & Mathematics
- Health & Medical
- Professional Fields
- Science & Technology
- Social Sciences
- Technical & Vocational Fields
Browse Administrative Jobs
- Academic Affairs
- Institutional & Business Affairs
- Student Affairs
Browse Executive Administration Jobs
- C-Level & Executive Directors
- Other Executive Administration
- Presidents & Chancellors
- Vice Presidents
Browse Jobs Outside Higher Education
- Businesses & Consultants
- Government Agencies
- Museums & Cultural Organizations
- Non-Profit Organizations & Associations
- Public Policy
- Publishers & Presses
- Other Jobs Outside Higher Education
- Research & Development
- Software & Technology
Trending Stories
- Upward transfers still declining
- Challenging 'bad' online policies and attitudes
- Eight ways to boost student engagement with advisers
- Reflecting on "The End of the English Major" (opinion)
- Three governors are driving the GOP's higher ed agenda
Resources for faculty and staff from our partners at Times Higher Education.
- Tips for teachers who are new to blended learning
- ChatGPT and the future of university assessment
- Cameras on: how to overcome a key challenge in digital courses
- When is a percentage not a percentage? The problem with HE marking practices
- THE podcast: how to navigate HE as a woman of colour
Most Shared Stories
- A professor's job is endangered for teaching about race
- Provost makes bestiality joke, reacting to concern for LGBTQ faculty
- 14 recommendations for professors approaching retirement (opinion) | Inside Higher Ed
- Reflecting on "The End of the English Major" (opinion) | Inside Higher Ed
- Secretary Cardona harshly criticizes 'U.S. News' rankings | Inside Higher Ed
You may also be interested in...
- Study: Increased marijuana use on college campuses
- Director of well-being adds wellness tools to campus
- USC Professor Recalls Book After ‘L.A. Times’ Finds Plagiarism
Today’s News from Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed’s Quick Takes
Temple restores health coverage to striking grad students, faculty ends inquiry after u of ariz. dismissed report on professor’s death, brown u athletes sue ivy league over no-scholarship policy, connecticut college faculty vote no confidence in president, instructor and polk state student killed in plane crash, republic or democracy academic minute.
Thinking and Analysis
Critical thinking skills.
The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. —Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Define critical thinking
- Describe the role that logic plays in critical thinking
- Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to problem-solve
- Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to evaluate information
- Identify strategies for developing yourself as a critical thinker
Critical Thinking
Thinking comes naturally. You don’t have to make it happen—it just does. But you can make it happen in different ways. For example, you can think positively or negatively. You can think with “heart” and you can think with rational judgment. You can also think strategically and analytically, and mathematically and scientifically. These are a few of multiple ways in which the mind can process thought.
What are some forms of thinking you use? When do you use them, and why?
As a college student, you are tasked with engaging and expanding your thinking skills. One of the most important of these skills is critical thinking. Critical thinking is important because it relates to nearly all tasks, situations, topics, careers, environments, challenges, and opportunities. It’s a “domain-general” thinking skill—not a thinking skill that’s reserved for a one subject alone or restricted to a particular subject area.
Great leaders have highly attuned critical thinking skills, and you can, too. In fact, you probably have a lot of these skills already. Of all your thinking skills, critical thinking may have the greatest value.
What Is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking is clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do. It means asking probing questions like, “How do we know?” or “Is this true in every case or just in this instance?” It involves being skeptical and challenging assumptions, rather than simply memorizing facts or blindly accepting what you hear or read.
Imagine, for example, that you’re reading a history textbook. You wonder who wrote it and why, because you detect certain biases in the writing. You find that the author has a limited scope of research focused only on a particular group within a population. In this case, your critical thinking reveals that there are “other sides to the story.”
Who are critical thinkers, and what characteristics do they have in common? Critical thinkers are usually curious and reflective people. They like to explore and probe new areas and seek knowledge, clarification, and new solutions. They ask pertinent questions, evaluate statements and arguments, and they distinguish between facts and opinion. They are also willing to examine their own beliefs, possessing a manner of humility that allows them to admit lack of knowledge or understanding when needed. They are open to changing their mind. Perhaps most of all, they actively enjoy learning, and seeking new knowledge is a lifelong pursuit.
This may well be you!
No matter where you are on the road to being a critical thinker, you can always more fully develop and finely tune your skills. Doing so will help you develop more balanced arguments, express yourself clearly, read critically, and glean important information efficiently. Critical thinking skills will help you in any profession or any circumstance of life, from science to art to business to teaching. With critical thinking, you become a clearer thinker and problem solver.
The following video, from Lawrence Bland, presents the major concepts and benefits of critical thinking.
Activity: Self-Assess Your Critical Thinking Strategies
- Assess your basic understanding of the skills involved in critical thinking.
- Visit the Quia Critical Thinking Quiz page and click on Start Now (you don’t need to enter your name). Select the best answer for each question, and then click on Submit Answers. A score of 70 percent or better on this quiz is considering passing.
- Based on the content of the questions, do you feel you use good critical thinking strategies in college? In what ways might you improve as a critical thinker?
Critical Thinking and Logic
Critical thinking is fundamentally a process of questioning information and data. You may question the information you read in a textbook, or you may question what a politician or a professor or a classmate says. You can also question a commonly-held belief or a new idea. With critical thinking, anything and everything is subject to question and examination for the purpose of logically constructing reasoned perspectives.
What Is Logic, and Why Is It Important in Critical Thinking?
The word logic comes from the Ancient Greek logike , referring to the science or art of reasoning. Using logic, a person evaluates arguments and reasoning and strives to distinguish between good and bad reasoning, or between truth and falsehood. Using logic, you can evaluate ideas or claims people make, make good decisions, and form sound beliefs about the world. [1]
Questions of Logic in Critical Thinking
Let’s use a simple example of applying logic to a critical-thinking situation. In this hypothetical scenario, a man has a PhD in political science, and he works as a professor at a local college. His wife works at the college, too. They have three young children in the local school system, and their family is well known in the community. The man is now running for political office. Are his credentials and experience sufficient for entering public office? Will he be effective in the political office? Some voters might believe that his personal life and current job, on the surface, suggest he will do well in the position, and they will vote for him. In truth, the characteristics described don’t guarantee that the man will do a good job. The information is somewhat irrelevant. What else might you want to know? How about whether the man had already held a political office and done a good job? In this case, we want to ask, How much information is adequate in order to make a decision based on logic instead of assumptions?
The following questions, presented in Figure 1, below, are ones you may apply to formulating a logical, reasoned perspective in the above scenario or any other situation:
- What’s happening? Gather the basic information and begin to think of questions.
- Why is it important? Ask yourself why it’s significant and whether or not you agree.
- What don’t I see? Is there anything important missing?
- How do I know? Ask yourself where the information came from and how it was constructed.
- Who is saying it? What’s the position of the speaker and what is influencing them?
- What else? What if? What other ideas exist and are there other possibilities?
Problem-Solving with Critical Thinking
For most people, a typical day is filled with critical thinking and problem-solving challenges. In fact, critical thinking and problem-solving go hand-in-hand. They both refer to using knowledge, facts, and data to solve problems effectively. But with problem-solving, you are specifically identifying, selecting, and defending your solution. Below are some examples of using critical thinking to problem-solve:
- Your roommate was upset and said some unkind words to you, which put a crimp in the relationship. You try to see through the angry behaviors to determine how you might best support the roommate and help bring the relationship back to a comfortable spot.
- Your campus club has been languishing on account of lack of participation and funds. The new club president, though, is a marketing major and has identified some strategies to interest students in joining and supporting the club. Implementation is forthcoming.
- Your final art class project challenges you to conceptualize form in new ways. On the last day of class when students present their projects, you describe the techniques you used to fulfill the assignment. You explain why and how you selected that approach.
- Your math teacher sees that the class is not quite grasping a concept. She uses clever questioning to dispel anxiety and guide you to new understanding of the concept.
- You have a job interview for a position that you feel you are only partially qualified for, although you really want the job and you are excited about the prospects. You analyze how you will explain your skills and experiences in a way to show that you are a good match for the prospective employer.
- You are doing well in college, and most of your college and living expenses are covered. But there are some gaps between what you want and what you feel you can afford. You analyze your income, savings, and budget to better calculate what you will need to stay in college and maintain your desired level of spending.
Problem-Solving Action Checklist
Problem-solving can be an efficient and rewarding process, especially if you are organized and mindful of critical steps and strategies. Remember, too, to assume the attributes of a good critical thinker. If you are curious, reflective, knowledge-seeking, open to change, probing, organized, and ethical, your challenge or problem will be less of a hurdle, and you’ll be in a good position to find intelligent solutions.
Evaluating Information with Critical Thinking
Evaluating information can be one of the most complex tasks you will be faced with in college. But if you utilize the following four strategies, you will be well on your way to success:
- Read for understanding by using text coding
- Examine arguments
- Clarify thinking
- Cultivate “habits of mind”
Read for Understanding Using Text Coding
When you read and take notes, use the text coding strategy . Text coding is a way of tracking your thinking while reading. It entails marking the text and recording what you are thinking either in the margins or perhaps on Post-it notes. As you make connections and ask questions in response to what you read, you monitor your comprehension and enhance your long-term understanding of the material.
With text coding, mark important arguments and key facts. Indicate where you agree and disagree or have further questions. You don’t necessarily need to read every word, but make sure you understand the concepts or the intentions behind what is written. Feel free to develop your own shorthand style when reading or taking notes. The following are a few options to consider using while coding text.
See more text coding from PBWorks and Collaborative for Teaching and Learning .
Examine Arguments
When you examine arguments or claims that an author, speaker, or other source is making, your goal is to identify and examine the hard facts. You can use the spectrum of authority strategy for this purpose. The spectrum of authority strategy assists you in identifying the “hot” end of an argument—feelings, beliefs, cultural influences, and societal influences—and the “cold” end of an argument—scientific influences. The following video explains this strategy.
Clarify Thinking
When you use critical thinking to evaluate information, you need to clarify your thinking to yourself and likely to others. Doing this well is mainly a process of asking and answering probing questions, such as the logic questions discussed earlier. Design your questions to fit your needs, but be sure to cover adequate ground. What is the purpose? What question are we trying to answer? What point of view is being expressed? What assumptions are we or others making? What are the facts and data we know, and how do we know them? What are the concepts we’re working with? What are the conclusions, and do they make sense? What are the implications?
Cultivate “Habits of Mind”
“Habits of mind” are the personal commitments, values, and standards you have about the principle of good thinking. Consider your intellectual commitments, values, and standards. Do you approach problems with an open mind, a respect for truth, and an inquiring attitude? Some good habits to have when thinking critically are being receptive to having your opinions changed, having respect for others, being independent and not accepting something is true until you’ve had the time to examine the available evidence, being fair-minded, having respect for a reason, having an inquiring mind, not making assumptions, and always, especially, questioning your own conclusions—in other words, developing an intellectual work ethic. Try to work these qualities into your daily life.
Developing Yourself As a Critical Thinker
Critical thinking is a desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and hatred for every kind of imposture. —Francis Bacon, philosopher
Critical thinking is a fundamental skill for college students, but it should also be a lifelong pursuit. Below are additional strategies to develop yourself as a critical thinker in college and in everyday life:
- Reflect and practice : Always reflect on what you’ve learned. Is it true all the time? How did you arrive at your conclusions?
- Use wasted time : It’s certainly important to make time for relaxing, but if you find you are indulging in too much of a good thing, think about using your time more constructively. Determine when you do your best thinking and try to learn something new during that part of the day.
- Redefine the way you see things : It can be very uninteresting to always think the same way. Challenge yourself to see familiar things in new ways. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and consider things from a different angle or perspective. If you’re trying to solve a problem, list all your concerns: what you need in order to solve it, who can help, what some possible barriers might be, etc. It’s often possible to reframe a problem as an opportunity. Try to find a solution where there seems to be none.
- Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life : Why do you think or feel the way you do? Analyze your influences. Think about who in your life influences you. Do you feel or react a certain way because of social convention, or because you believe it is what is expected of you? Try to break out of any molds that may be constricting you.
- Express yourself : Critical thinking also involves being able to express yourself clearly. Most important in expressing yourself clearly is stating one point at a time. You might be inclined to argue every thought, but you might have greater impact if you focus just on your main arguments. This will help others to follow your thinking clearly. For more abstract ideas, assume that your audience may not understand. Provide examples, analogies, or metaphors where you can.
- Enhance your wellness : It’s easier to think critically when you take care of your mental and physical health. Try taking 10-minute activity breaks to reach 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day . Try taking a break between classes and walk to the coffee shop that’s farthest away. Scheduling physical activity into your day can help lower stress and increase mental alertness. Also, do your most difficult work when you have the most energy . Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do your most difficult work during these times. And be sure to reach out for help . If you feel you need assistance with your mental or physical health, talk to a counselor or visit a doctor.
Activity: Reflect on Critical Thinking
- Apply critical thinking strategies to your life
Directions:
- Think about someone you consider to be a critical thinker (friend, professor, historical figure, etc). What qualities does he/she have?
- Review some of the critical thinking strategies discussed on this page. Pick one strategy that makes sense to you. How can you apply this critical thinking technique to your academic work?
- Habits of mind are attitudes and beliefs that influence how you approach the world (i.e., inquiring attitude, open mind, respect for truth, etc). What is one habit of mind you would like to actively develop over the next year? How will you develop a daily practice to cultivate this habit?
- Write your responses in journal form, and submit according to your instructor’s guidelines.
The following text is an excerpt from an essay by Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, “Thinking Critically and Creatively.” In these paragraphs, Dr. Baker underscores the importance of critical thinking—the imperative of critical thinking, really—to improving as students, teachers, and researchers. The follow-up portion of this essay appears in the Creative Thinking section of this course.
Thinking Critically and Creatively
Critical thinking skills are perhaps the most fundamental skills involved in making judgments and solving problems. You use them every day, and you can continue improving them.
The ability to think critically about a matter—to analyze a question, situation, or problem down to its most basic parts—is what helps us evaluate the accuracy and truthfulness of statements, claims, and information we read and hear. It is the sharp knife that, when honed, separates fact from fiction, honesty from lies, and the accurate from the misleading. We all use this skill to one degree or another almost every day. For example, we use critical thinking every day as we consider the latest consumer products and why one particular product is the best among its peers. Is it a quality product because a celebrity endorses it? Because a lot of other people may have used it? Because it is made by one company versus another? Or perhaps because it is made in one country or another? These are questions representative of critical thinking.
The academic setting demands more of us in terms of critical thinking than everyday life. It demands that we evaluate information and analyze myriad issues. It is the environment where our critical thinking skills can be the difference between success and failure. In this environment we must consider information in an analytical, critical manner. We must ask questions—What is the source of this information? Is this source an expert one and what makes it so? Are there multiple perspectives to consider on an issue? Do multiple sources agree or disagree on an issue? Does quality research substantiate information or opinion? Do I have any personal biases that may affect my consideration of this information?
It is only through purposeful, frequent, intentional questioning such as this that we can sharpen our critical thinking skills and improve as students, learners and researchers.
—Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom
Resources for Critical Thinking
- Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms
- Critical Thinking Self-Assessment
- Logical Fallacies Jeopardy Template
- Fallacies Files—Home
- Thinking Critically | Learning Commons
- Foundation for Critical Thinking
- To Analyze Thinking We Must Identify and Question Its Elemental Structures
- Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
- "logike." Wordnik. n.d. Web. 16 Feb 2016. ↵
- "Student Success-Thinking Critically In Class and Online." Critical Thinking Gateway . St Petersburg College, n.d. Web. 16 Feb 2016. ↵
- Critical Thinking Skills. Authored by : Linda Bruce. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
- Image of three students. Authored by : PopTech. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/8tXtQp . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Critical Thinking. Provided by : Critical and Creative Thinking Program. Located at : http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/Critical+Thinking . License : CC BY: Attribution
- Thinking Critically. Authored by : UBC Learning Commons. Provided by : The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus. Located at : http://www.oercommons.org/courses/learning-toolkit-critical-thinking/view . License : CC BY: Attribution
- Critical Thinking 101: Spectrum of Authority. Authored by : UBC Leap. Located at : https://youtu.be/9G5xooMN2_c . License : CC BY: Attribution
- Image of students putting post-its on wall. Authored by : Hector Alejandro. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/7b2Ax2 . License : CC BY: Attribution
- Foundations of Academic Success. Authored by : Thomas C. Priester, editor. Provided by : Open SUNY Textbooks. Located at : http://textbooks.opensuny.org/foundations-of-academic-success/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
- Critical Thinking.wmv. Authored by : Lawrence Bland. Located at : https://youtu.be/WiSklIGUblo . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
- Skip to content
- High Contrast
Hidden Message, this hidden class will be removed and won't publish anything if the alert is disabled. Its only here for testing.
- Harper Home
- Liberal Arts, Language & Communication
Think critically
If you've ever heard someone's opinion on a topic and were inclined to ask, "Why should I believe that?" then you have begun to philosophize. Some common philosophical questions are: Is there a God? What is right? What is the meaning of life? Is there a soul? What is justice?
The Philosophy Department at Harper College offers a wide variety of classes including critical thinking, ethics and social/political philosophy. We also teach specialized courses in applied philosophy, including business ethics and medical ethics. Additionally, courses in world religions, religion in America and non-Western philosophy are available.
Class activities range from lecture to class discussions, from debates to journals, and to small group work. Philosophy courses are offered in a variety of formats including traditional classroom settings, online and learning communities. None of the courses require a philosophy prerequisite. All require that you read and write at the college level.
Start at Harper. Finish at a four-year university.
The Associate in Arts (AA) degree prepares you to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Speak with your advisor about the best courses to take to meet your academic goals.
- Associate in Arts
Harper also offers institution-specific transfer information to help prepare you to transition to a four-year university. To learn more, visit our Transfer Information page or see your advisor.
- Catalog Course Descriptions
- Course Outlines
- Speaker Series
- Student Organizations
- Job Placement Resource Center
Explore Philosophy Careers
Learn more about career outcomes for Harper's Philosophy degree program. Each career profile offers a complete picture on the local job market, including salaries, open positions, top local employers and more. To learn more, visit our Philosophy Careers page.
Human Resources Managers
Human Resources Specialist
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary
Religious Activities and Education Directors
- Request Information
For more information about starting your college education at Harper, please contact Admissions Outreach at 847.925.6700 or fill out our request information form.
- University College
- Careers and Leadership
- Student Life
- Arts & Culture
- Howling Success
- Inclusion and Well-Being
- Support and Advocacy
- Pack Essentials
- Alumni and Friends
- Give Now
Applying Critical and Creative Thinking Skills in College and Everyday Life
Sue Carson, former director of TH!NK and professor of plant and microbial biology, discusses the importance of critical and creative thinking skills in college and everyday life.
By Alison Krowiak, DASA Assessment
This article is part of a series on NC State’s Pack Proficiencies, which include the five skills NC State faculty think all NC State undergraduates should develop before they graduate: written communication, oral communication, quantitative literacy, critical thinking, and creative thinking.
At NC State, critical and creative thinking are a key part of how we Think and Do the Extraordinary. Critical thinking is the active, persistent and careful consideration of a belief or form of knowledge. Every time students use evidence to form judgements, analyze the ideas or conditions that support conclusions, and evaluate their own thinking, they engage their critical thinking skills.
Creative thinking is just as important and involves the generation of new ideas within or across disciplines. It can draw upon or break the rules in an effort to bring together existing ideas into a new configuration. The ability to think of creative solutions is utilized in every major program at NC State and in every field our students enter upon graduation.
Like all the Pack Proficiencies, these essential skills are taught in General Education classes and reinforced throughout each major program. Sue Carson, professor of plant and microbial biology and former director of the TH!NK program, describes the value for every NC State student in developing their critical and creative thinking competencies. Interview excerpts are edited for brevity and clarity.
How are critical and creative thinking competencies defined?
When I think about critical and creative thinking, I think of them as very intertwined. It often starts with raising a new question or formulating a new problem, gathering and assessing information, coming up with multiple alternative ideas for how to approach the question or how to approach the problem. It involves considering alternatives of the problem, reaching conclusions and effectively communicating about them. Other important aspects of critical and creative thinking include intellectual risk-taking and self-reflection along each stage of the process.
Why should NC States develop proficiencies in critical and creative thinking?
In all of our disciplines, and in all of our careers, to be a leader you need to be a creative thinker. You have to be able to identify problems and questions, and be able to figure out solutions. Even in our everyday lives, critical and creative thinking is so important. Questions like, “Who are you going to vote for in the next election? What daycare are you going to choose for your children? What phone are you going to buy?” all require those skills.
How can students develop their critical and creative thinking skills?
I think that most people understand that critical thinking is a skill that can be developed through practice and feedback. But there’s a misconception that creativity is something that’s innate, and that’s just not true. Creativity is a cognitive process that you can develop through practice and feedback. Creativity is also not confined to the arts. Fields in science, engineering, social sciences, and more need to be creative. We all need to be creative in our lives every day, and it is a skill that we can develop.
How can students develop their critical thinking skills inside and outside the classroom?
When students are selecting their classes, they can choose courses that are more geared toward project-based work. I think that is a good way for students to get feedback on their critical and creative thinking. There are a lot of opportunities outside the class as well. Engaging in undergraduate research is one way. Another way would be service learning projects that allow students to make decisions and have ownership of that project. If the student is able to have ownership and make decisions and identify the questions and problems, it can help develop critical and creative thinking. There is a whole range of opportunities that allow you to do that at NC State.
To learn more about the Pack Proficiencies and how they are assessed, visit go.ncsu.edu/PackProficiencies .
- Faculty and Staff
- Student Success
- college of sciences
- DASA Assessment
More From Academic and Student Affairs News
Announcing the New Department of Performing Arts and Technology
‘ASC’ a Graduate: Rylee Young
Honors Village and Honors Forum Present: A Panel on Moral Leadership in Non-traditional Spaces
Success by design
Select Section
UNI 110: Critical Reading and Thinking
Designed to improve critical thinking skills through active discussions, debates, and writing with an emphasis on argument analysis and information literacy. Students develop strategies to enhance critical thinking utilizing a range of sources. This class teaches interdisciplinary strategies that can be applied to assist with interpreting, analyzing, critically evaluating, and writing about a variety of ideas.
Fulfills the "L" Literacy requirement.
Download the flier
Course Topics
The following topics will be covered:
- Analytical skills
- Effective communication
- Research and inquiry
- Open-minded skepticism
- Problem solving
- Argument v. rhetoric
- Interdependence
You’ll learn to apply these skills in your academic and professional pursuits to assist you in interpreting, analyzing, critically evaluating, and writing about a variety of ideas.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop self-confidence in writing and speaking about challenging ideas and topics
- Engage in the process of research and inquiry
- Demonstrate information literacy skills
- Debate the validity of ideas, opinions and issues
- Develop intellectual flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity
- Execute a large-scale project on a controversial issue
Testimonial
What's Hot
Tucker Carlson Lectures About Liars And It's Unbelievable
Tucker Carlson's Most Unsettling TV Habit Exposed In 'Daily Show' Supercut
Jake Paul Makes Nastiest Excuse For Losing Fight To Tommy Fury
Goldie Hawn Recalls Standing Up To Harvey Weinstein
'How Hitler Started': Cyndi Lauper's Chilling Warning About Anti-LGBTQ Republicans
Kevin McCarthy Hands 'Honorable' Marjorie Taylor Greene The Gavel And Critics Shudder
White House Budget Would Shrink The Deficit By Taxing The Rich
Texas Tech Coach Mark Adams Resigns Following Racially Insensitive Comments
'Hell Of A Flex': F. Murray Abraham Stuns Stephen Colbert With Oscar Statue Secret
Jenna Ortega Has The Best Response To Getting A Stain On Her Red-Carpet Dress
Senate Committee That Grilled Norfolk Southern’s CEO Is Awash In Company’s Cash
Former Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis Censured For Spewing 2020 Election Falsehoods
Critical thinking is essential in every college class.
College English Instructor in Northern California
All of the classes I teach at the two community colleges where I am employed are writing classes. I am often saddled with the dreaded Freshman Composition course, the infamous English 101 that all of you college grads had to take whether you liked it or not. You probably didn't; neither did I when I was an 18-year-old frosh. So I can sympathize with the elephantine ambivalence that my students carry, at least initially, into my classroom.
So I try to make my courses more than just a series of how-to sessions about comma placement, subordinate clauses, and present participial phrases. I inject the concept of critical thinking: the idea that any claim we are presented with, whether it be the whitening capability of a certain toothpaste or the existence of God, should be met with a healthy dose of skepticism. How strong is the evidence supporting the claim? Perhaps the claim has no evidence at all to support it. If that's the case, why is it believed?
An equally important and related critical ability is being able to put information into a coherent context. I am constantly shocked by how many college students cannot do this on even a basic level. As one teacher (no, not I) once wrote on a student's paper, "You have a six-pack of soda cans in your head, but you are missing the plastic thingy that holds them together." The metaphor is appropriate. My son once overheard a young lady answering a friend's question about what had started World War II. She said, "The Jews bombed Pearl Harbor."
The giver of this erroneous information obviously lacked the ability to put what she had heard in her History class into any kind of reasonable context. In the lessons on WWII, she had heard something about Jews and about Pearl Harbor. Also, bombing and other forms of military tactics had been mentioned. But look at how carelessly and foolishly she put it all together: "The Jews bombed Pearl Harbor." Stories like this make me want to cry. And lest you think this is an isolated incident, just the other day, I saw something similar in a short essay turned in by one of my current students.
I had shown in class a movie called Prisoner of Her Past , a documentary about a Chicago Tribune writer, Howard Reich, who wanted to learn more about his elderly Jewish mother who is suffering from late onset post-traumatic stress disorder due to her experiences as a young girl in Eastern Europe. She had spent several of her formative years in the 1940s running and hiding from the Nazis. Most of the time she was hungry and covered with lice, isolated from her family, alone in an "outer world" where people died violently or disappeared without a trace.
Some parts of the movie indeed complicated our perceived understanding of the Holocaust. For instance, an old Ukranian woman (not Jewish) told the filmmakers that, as a little girl, she had witnessed many Jews rounded up and shot and thrown into mass graves. When asked to describe the Germans who had done this, she said, "They weren't Germans. They were Ukranian police. They were my own people." Jolting as that was to us viewers, it was clear -- to most of us at least -- that those Ukranian policemen were puppets of the Nazis.
Such unavoidable ambiguities, though, should in no way lead to what the aforementioned current student of mine wrote in her paper. She said that Reich's mother, in her PTSD induced paranoid state, is constantly afraid that the Jews will come and put a bullet in her head, or that the Jews are going to invade her country. Yes, you read that correctly: My student, after watching this film that ran for about an hour, did not pick up on the fact that Mrs. Reich, who lives in a nursing home in Illinois, is a Jew. My student also confused Jews with Nazis!
How is that possible? How is that even conceivable? The answer that I propose is that she has never been taught to think critically: to process, analyze, and contextualize what she is seeing or listening to. Her mind must be a storehouse of random facts and images with nothing binding them together where they need to be bound or separating them where they need to be separated. Add to that a toxic mixture of uninformed opinions and ideological nonsense, and the thoughts in her head must be blowing around willy nilly as the books in a library with all the windows open might be hurled about by a hurricane.
This young lady's essay should serve as a warning to all of us that we must improve education in this country at all levels, from kindergarten all the way up the ladder. Let's hope that it's not too late to combat the ideological indoctrination, ignorance, and stupidity that lead to such gross misunderstanding as that illustrated above.
Before You Go
Joseph smigelski, contributor, popular in the community, you may like.
Watch Jennifer Lawrence Try To Date A Nerd's 'Brains Out' In Raunchy Sex Comedy
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell Treated For Concussion
'Incredibly Angry': Fox News Staff Reportedly Fuming About Dominion Filings
Ex-Fox News Editor Reveals What The Network Thinks Of Its Audience
Collin College
COUGARWEB LOGIN
Critical Thinking
- Academics Home Page
- Learning Opportunities
- Academics/Programs/Core_CTRubric
Critical Thinking is defined as creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. Core courses will prepare you to be able to present the following marketable skills to a prospective employer.
College Info Geek
7 Ways to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills
C.I.G. is supported in part by its readers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.
When I was in 7th grade, my U.S. history teacher gave my class the following advice:
Your teachers in high school won’t expect you to remember every little fact about U.S. history. They can fill in the details you’ve forgotten. What they will expect, though, is for you to be able to think ; to know how to make connections between ideas and evaluate information critically.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but my teacher was giving a concise summary of critical thinking. My high school teachers gave similar speeches when describing what would be expected of us in college: it’s not about the facts you know, but rather about your ability to evaluate them.
And now that I’m in college, my professors often mention that the ability to think through and solve difficult problems matters more in the “real world” than specific content.
Despite hearing so much about critical thinking all these years, I realized that I still couldn’t give a concrete definition of it, and I certainly couldn’t explain how to do it. It seemed like something that my teachers just expected us to pick up in the course of our studies. While I venture that a lot of us did learn it, I prefer to approach learning deliberately, and so I decided to investigate critical thinking for myself.
What is it, how do we do it, why is it important, and how can we get better at it? This post is my attempt to answer those questions.
In addition to answering these questions, I’ll also offer seven ways that you can start thinking more critically today, both in and outside of class.
What Is Critical Thinking?
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” – The Foundation for Critical Thinking
The above definition from the Foundation for Critical Thinking website is pretty wordy, but critical thinking, in essence, is not that complex.
Critical thinking is just deliberately and systematically processing information so that you can make better decisions and generally understand things better. The above definition includes so many words because critical thinking requires you to apply diverse intellectual tools to diverse information.
Ways to critically think about information include:
- Conceptualizing
- Synthesizing
That information can come from sources such as:
- Observation
- Communication
And all this is meant to guide:
You can also define it this way:
Critical thinking is the opposite of regular, everyday thinking.
Moment to moment, most thinking happens automatically. When you think critically, you deliberately employ any of the above intellectual tools to reach more accurate conclusions than your brain automatically would (more on this in a bit).
This is what critical thinking is. But so what?
Why Does Critical Thinking Matter?
Most of our everyday thinking is uncritical.
If you think about it, this makes sense. If we had to think deliberately about every single action (such as breathing, for instance), we wouldn’t have any cognitive energy left for the important stuff like D&D. It’s good that much of our thinking is automatic.
We can run into problems, though, when we let our automatic mental processes govern important decisions. Without critical thinking, it’s easy for people to manipulate us and for all sorts of catastrophes to result. Anywhere that some form of fundamentalism led to tragedy (the Holocaust is a textbook example), critical thinking was sorely lacking.
Even day to day, it’s easy to get caught in pointless arguments or say stupid things just because you failed to stop and think deliberately.
But you’re reading College Info Geek, so I’m sure you’re interested to know why critical thinking matters in college.
Here’s why:
According to Andrew Roberts, author of The Thinking Student’s Guide to College , c ritical thinking matters in college because students often adopt the wrong attitude to thinking about difficult questions. These attitudes include:
Ignorant Certainty
Ignorant certainty is the belief that there are definite, correct answers to all questions–all you have to do is find the right source (102). It’s understandable that a lot of students come into college thinking this way–it’s enough to get you through most of your high school coursework.
In college and in life, however, the answers to most meaningful questions are rarely straightforward. To get anywhere in college classes (especially upper-level ones), you have to think critically about the material.
Naive Relativism
Naive relativism is the belief that there is no truth and all arguments are equal (102-103). According to Roberts, this is often a view that students adopt once they learn the error of ignorant certainty.
While it’s certainly a more “critical” approach than ignorant certainty, naive relativism is still inadequate since it misses the whole point of critical thinking: arriving at a more complete, “less wrong” answer.
Part of thinking critically is evaluating the validity of arguments (yours and others’). Therefore, to think critically you must accept that some arguments are better (and that some are just plain awful).
Critical thinking also matters in college because:
- It allows you to form your own opinions and engage with material beyond a superficial level. This is essential to crafting a great essay and having an intelligent discussion with your professors or classmates. Regurgitating what the textbook says won’t get you far.
- It allows you to craft worthy arguments and back them up. If you plan to go on to graduate school or pursue a PhD., original, critical thought is crucial
- It helps you evaluate your own work. This leads to better grades (who doesn’t want those?) and better habits of mind.
Doing college level work without critical is a lot like walking blindfolded: you’ll get somewhere , but it’s unlikely to be the place you desire.
The value of critical thinking doesn’t stop with college, however. Once you get out into the real world, critical thinking matters even more. This is because:
- It allows you to continue to develop intellectually after you graduate. Progress shouldn’t stop after graduation –you should keep learning as much as you can. When you encounter new information, knowing how to think critically will help you evaluate and use it.
- It helps you make hard decisions. I’ve written before about how defining your values helps you make better decisions. Equally important in the decision-making process is the ability to think critically. Critical thinking allows you compare the pros and cons of your available options, showing that you have more options than you might imagine .
- People can and will manipulate you . At least, they will if you take everything at face value and allow others to think for you. Just look at ads for the latest fad diet or “miracle” drug–these rely on ignorance and false hope to get people to buy something that is at best useless and at worst harmful. When you evaluate information critically (especially information meant to sell something), you can avoid falling prey to unethical companies and people.
- It makes you more employable (and better paid). The best employees not only know how to solve existing problems–they also know how to come up with solutions to problems no one ever imagined. To get a great job after graduating , you need to be one of those employees, and critical thinking is the key ingredient to solving difficult, novel problems.
Take my free productivity masterclass
With a proper productivity system, nothing ever slips through the cracks. In just one hour, you'll learn how to set up your to-do list, calendar, note-taking system, file management, and more — the smart way.
7 Ways to Think More Critically
Now we come to the part that I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: how the heck do we get better at critical thinking? Below, you’ll find seven ways to get started.
1. Ask Basic Questions
“The world is complicated. But does every problem require a complicated solution?” – Stephen J. Dubner
Sometimes an explanation becomes so complex that the original question get lost. To avoid this, continually go back to the basic questions you asked when you set out to solve the problem.
Here are a few key basic question you can ask when approaching any problem:
- What do you already know?
- How do you know that?
- What are you trying to prove, disprove, demonstrated, critique, etc.?
- What are you overlooking?
Some of the most breathtaking solutions to problems are astounding not because of their complexity, but because of their elegant simplicity. Seek the simple solution first.
2. Question Basic Assumptions
“When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.”
The above saying holds true when you’re thinking through a problem. it’s quite easy to make an ass of yourself simply by failing to question your basic assumptions.
Some of the greatest innovators in human history were those who simply looked up for a moment and wondered if one of everyone’s general assumptions was wrong. From Newton to Einstein to Yitang Zhang , questioning assumptions is where innovation happens.
You don’t even have to be an aspiring Einstein to benefit from questioning your assumptions. That trip you’ve wanted to take? That hobby you’ve wanted to try? That internship you’ve wanted to get? That attractive person in your World Civilizations class you’ve wanted to talk to?
All these things can be a reality if you just question your assumptions and critically evaluate your beliefs about what’s prudent, appropriate, or possible.
If you’re looking for some help with this process, then check out Oblique Strategies . It’s a tool that musician Brian Eno and artist Peter Schmidt created to aid creative problem solving . Some of the “cards” are specific to music, but most work for any time you’re stuck on a problem.
3. Be Aware of Your Mental Processes
Human thought is amazing, but the speed and automation with which it happens can be a disadvantage when we’re trying to think critically. Our brains naturally use heuristics (mental shortcuts) to explain what’s happening around us.
This was beneficial to humans when we were hunting large game and fighting off wild animals, but it can be disastrous when we’re trying to decide who to vote for.
A critical thinker is aware of their cognitive biases and personal prejudices and how they influence seemingly “objective” decisions and solutions.
All of us have biases in our thinking. Becoming aware of them is what makes critical thinking possible.
4. Try Reversing Things
A great way to get “unstuck” on a hard problem is to try reversing things. It may seem obvious that X causes Y, but what if Y caused X?
The “chicken and egg problem” a classic example of this. At first, it seems obvious that the chicken had to come first. The chicken lays the egg, after all. But then you quickly realize that the chicken had to come from somewhere, and since chickens come from eggs, the egg must have come first. Or did it?
Even if it turns out that the reverse isn’t true, considering it can set you on the path to finding a solution.
5. Evaluate the Existing Evidence
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton
When you’re trying to solve a problem, it’s always helpful to look at other work that has been done in the same area. There’s no reason to start solving a problem from scratch when someone has already laid the groundwork.
It’s important, however, to evaluate this information critically, or else you can easily reach the wrong conclusion. Ask the following questions of any evidence you encounter:
- Who gathered this evidence?
- How did they gather it?
Take, for example, a study showing the health benefits of a sugary cereal. On paper, the study sounds pretty convincing. That is, until you learn that a sugary cereal company funded it.
You can’t automatically assume that this invalidates the study’s results, but you should certainly question them when a conflict of interests is so apparent.
6. Remember to Think for Yourself
Don’t get so bogged down in research and reading that you forget to think for yourself –sometimes this can be your most powerful tool.
Writing about Einstein’s paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” (the paper that contained the famous equation E=mc 2 ), C.P. Snow observed that “it was as if Einstein ‘had reached the conclusions by pure thought, unaided, without listening to the opinions of others. To a surprisingly large extent, that is precisely what he had done'”(121).
Don’t be overconfident, but recognize that thinking for yourself is essential to answering tough questions. I find this to be true when writing essays–it’s so easy to get lost in other people’s work that I forget to have my own thoughts. Don’t make this mistake.
For more on the importance of thinking for yourself, check out our article on mental laziness .
7. Understand That No One Thinks Critically 100% of the Time
“Critical thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual; everyone is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought.” – Michael Scriven and Richard Paul
You can’t think critically all the time, and that’s okay. Critical thinking is a tool that you should deploy when you need to make important decisions or solve difficult problems, but you don’t need to think critically about everything.
And even in important matters, you will experience lapses in your reasoning. What matters is that you recognize these lapses and try to avoid them in the future.
Even Isaac Newton, genius that he was, believed that alchemy was a legitimate pursuit .
As I hope you now see, learning to think critically will benefit you both in the classroom and beyond. I hope this post has given you some ideas about how you can think more critically in your own life. Remember: learning to think critically is a lifelong journey, and there’s always more to learn.
For a look at critical thinking principles in action, check out our guide to strategic thinking .
- http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766
- http://calnewport.com/blog/2015/11/25/the-feynman-notebook-method/
- The Thinking Student’s Guide to College by Andrew Roberts (the source of several of the seven ways to think more critically)
- What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain (the source of several of the seven ways to think more critically)
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (the source for the C.P. Snow quote about Einstein and the information about Isaac Newton).
Image Credits: skyline , waterfall , vaulted ceiling , snowy road , thinker
- An Overview of How to Design Instruction Using Critical Thinking Concepts
- Recommendations for Departmental Self-Evaluation
- College-Wide Grading Standards
- Sample Course: American History: 1600 to 1800
- CT Class Syllabus
- Syllabus - Psychology I
- A Sample Assignment Format
- Grade Profiles
Critical Thinking Class: Student Understandings
- Structures for Student Self-Assessment
- Critical Thinking Class: Grading Policies
- Socratic Teaching
- John Stuart Mill: On Instruction, Intellectual Development, and Disciplined Learning
- Critical Thinking and Nursing
Translate this page from English...
*Machine translated pages not guaranteed for accuracy. Click Here for our professional translations.
For full copies of this and many other critical thinking articles, books, videos, and more, join us at the Center for Critical Thinking Community Online - the world's leading online community dedicated to critical thinking! Also featuring interactive learning activities, study groups, and even a social media component, this learning platform will change your conception of intellectual development.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
This specialization introduces general standards of good reasoning and offers tools to improve your critical thinking skills. These skills will help you determine when an argument is being given, what its crucial parts are, and what it assumes implicitly.
Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional Skills you'll gain: Critical Thinking, Leadership and Management, Problem Solving, Collaboration, Communication, Strategy and Operations, Business Analysis, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Research and Design 4.8 (469 reviews) Beginner · Course · 1-4 Weeks Free Imperial College London
Building critical thinking skills offers learners the chance to develop their leadership skills, higher order thinking skills, and problem-solving skills. The ability to think critically can be beneficial to both your personal and professional life, whether you are making decisions in a boardroom, a classroom or an emergency room.
Critical thinking is a broad classification for a diverse array of reasoning techniques. In general, critical thinking works by breaking arguments and claims down to their basic underlying structure so we can see them clearly and determine whether they are rational.
Introduction to Critical Thinking This introductory-level course is designed to help learners define and identify critical thinking and reasoning skills and develop those skills. Critical thinking is an intellectual model for reasoning through issues to reach well-founded conclusions.
Critical Thinking courses promise to show their students how the disciplinary practices being introduced in that class use at least three of the following lenses: (1) reasoning, (2) representation, (3) cultural judgment, (4) information literacy, and (5) metacognitive reflection.
Our College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking (CRE 101) classes are currently being taught in the following formats: face to face, hybrid, and online. College Critical Reading is essential to most programs of study and is a 3 credit university-transfer class.
For a great resource for critical thinking activities that are instantly usable in your class and includes full assessment rubrics and more, pick up a copy of our Critical Thinking Companion. Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Learn and practice the steps to critical thinking, why employers and educators feel this is an important skill for success, and how to sharpen your logical thinking skills. ... Class Days Times Location Instructor(s) Instructional Method; 3/24/2023 - 3/24/2023: Weekly - Fri : 11:00 AM - 12:25 PM: Remote, REMOTE Map, Room: VIR: Instructor Career ...
CRE101: College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking - 3 credits Develop and apply critical thinking skills through critically reading varied and challenging materials. Includes analysis, evaluation, interpretation, and synthesis through at least two substantial writing and/or speaking tasks.
Designing and conducting Socratic discussions using the concepts of critical thinking. Helping students learn to think within the key concepts in subjects and disciplines. This course is for educators or trainers who are actively instructing students or trainees during the semester.
Since critical thinking is universally applicable, faculty members can also use examples and deliberate practice exercises to show students how they can apply critical-thinking techniques to issues outside class, such as how to systematically make decisions regarding college or work or how to avoid manipulation by politicians and advertisers.
Critical thinking is the act of analyzing facts to understand a problem or topic thoroughly. The critical thinking process typically includes steps such as collecting information and data, asking thoughtful questions and analyzing possible solutions. ... It's understandable that a lot of students come into college thinking this way-it's ...
As a college student, you are tasked with engaging and expanding your thinking skills. One of the most important of these skills is critical thinking. Critical thinking is important because it relates to nearly all tasks, situations, topics, careers, environments, challenges, and opportunities.
The Philosophy Department at Harper College offers a wide variety of classes including critical thinking, ethics and social/political philosophy. We also teach specialized courses in applied philosophy, including business ethics and medical ethics.
Critical thinking is the active, persistent and careful consideration of a belief or form of knowledge. Every time students use evidence to form judgements, analyze the ideas or conditions that support conclusions, and evaluate their own thinking, they engage their critical thinking skills.
3 Credits. Designed to improve critical thinking skills through active discussions, debates, and writing with an emphasis on argument analysis and information literacy. Students develop strategies to enhance critical thinking utilizing a range of sources. This class teaches interdisciplinary strategies that can be applied to assist with ...
Critical Thinking Is Essential in Every College Class. All of the classes I teach at the two community colleges where I am employed are writing classes. I try to make my courses more than just a series of how-to sessions about comma placement -- I inject the concept of critical thinking. By. Joseph Smigelski, Contributor.
26927. Online. Flex Start. View class details for College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking. College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking. SPR23. ONL. 3. MAR 20 - MAY 12.
Collin College offers four unique types of learning opportunities for students. Credit and Non-credit options are available. ... Since offering its first classes at area high schools in 1985, Collin College has expanded to serve more than 56,000 credit and continuing education students each year. ... Critical Thinking is defined as creative ...
The above definition includes so many words because critical thinking requires you to apply diverse intellectual tools to diverse information. Ways to critically think about information include: Conceptualizing. Analyzing. Synthesizing. Evaluating. That information can come from sources such as:
The degree to which students hold "epistemically unwarranted beliefs," beliefs not founded on reliable reasoning or credible data, can be used as a measure of critical thinking skills. To this end, college students (n = 806) were surveyed at the beginning and end of a semester. Epistemically unwarranted beliefs were pervasive. Several sections of a critical thinking class that specifically and ...
The Center for Critical Thinking Community Online is the world's leading online community dedicated to teaching and advancing critical thinking. Featuring the world's largest library of critical thinking articles, videos, and books, as well as learning activities, study groups, and a social media component, this interactive learning platform ...