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Share this. But what they often miss is the critical connection that exists between writing and thinking. Sign up to receive headlines in your inbox!
Recommended for you. Most Popular. Read More. Notifications Settings. 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.
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:.
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:.
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. 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:.
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. 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. 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 following video explains this strategy. 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? Subject experts write scholarly sources.
The information that they present has been reviewed and evaluated by other professionals who have considerable knowledge and experience on the subject. The next step is to thoroughly and logically apply the information. To do this requires that we reflect, observe, weigh evidence, analyze, and evaluate the information. It may seem like this is a tedious or time-consuming task. But with practice, evaluating information becomes infused in your thinking process.
Here is a link to the Intellectual Standards. Be sure to look these over. You will find guiding questions to help you reshape the way that you think. As you can see, there is a lot of pre-work that needs to happen before we actually begin to write critically. Before typing up your response to a discussion question or writing a paper, consider what you have learned.
If you have gained sufficient knowledge through your research and evaluation, then your thoughts will flow more easily and you will be able to articulate a critical response. Thoroughly explain the concept, theory, or model. Use your own words to explain the knowledge that you have gained through your research. Avoid dropping in dictionary definitions or quotes to convey meaning or explain the topic. Do not simply summarize what the textbook said about the topic.
Share what you have learned. Share what it means in real life. Use examples to illustrate your key points. What are your observations?
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