How can you increase your critical thinking skills?

Answer 1

Paul, Binker, Jensen, and Kreklau (1990) have developed a list of 35 dimensions of critical thought: "A. Affective Strategies 1. Thinking independently - don't just believe what everyone else does. 2. Developing insight into egocentricity (thinking and behaving as if you are the center of the universe) or sociocentricity (thinking and behaving as a member of a society) 3. Exercising fairmindedness - keep an open mind always. 4. Exploring thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts - don't let your feelings take over! 5. Developing intellectual humility and suspending judgment - don't jump to conclusions and assume that you are right. 6. Developing intellectual courage - don't be afraid to make mistakes. 7. Developing intellectual good faith or integrity - don't assume that information is wrong, and don't try to spread wrong information. 8. Developing intellectual perseverance - keep at it! 9. Developing confidence in reason - critical thinking does solve problems.

B. Cognitive Strategies--Macro-Abilities 10. Defining generalizations and avoiding oversimplifications - avoid broad definitions or "lumping everything together" - recognize that there are many shades of gray and try to sort them out. 11. Comparing analogous situations: transferring insights to new contexts - how is this new situation like something familiar? How are these things like those things? Learn to see similarities. 12. Developing one's perspective: creating or exploring beliefs, arguments, or theories - be able to understand and explain your own beliefs so that you can compare them to others. 13. Clarifying issues, conclusions, or beliefs - find the most complete definition or conclusion that you can. 14. Clarifying and analyzing the meanings of words or phrases - make certain that you fully understand all words and phrases. 15. Developing criteria for evaluation: clarifying values and standards - how are you going to evaluate this information? How will you decide which is the best solution? 16. Evaluating the credibility of sources of information - learn how to tell if this information comes from a relliable source (encyclopedia, experts, textbooks) or from a less reliable one (Wiki is generated by anyone, so the information might not be as reliable) 17. Questioning deeply: raising and pursuing root or significant questions - always ask questions! It's the root of critical thinking. 18. Analyzing or evaluating arguments, interpretations, beliefs, or theories - be able to explain and evaluate every part of the data. 19. Generating or assessing solutions - be able to take all that data and see what answers come from it, then decide if it is reliable or not. 20. Analyzing or evaluating actions or policies - be able to see pros and cons - decide if it is the best way to go. 21. Reading critically: clarifying or critiquing texts - understand what you read - look up what you don't understand and question what you read until you understand. 22. Listening critically: the art of silent dialogue - treat a conversation or lecture the same as a text - be sure you understand, and question the speaker until you do (don't interrupt, though). 23. Making interdisciplinary connections - how are these data from one subject connected to those in another one? How is this area like that one? 24. Practicing Socratic discussion: clarifying and questioning beliefs, theories, or perspectives - Socrates taught by asking his students questions - learn to ask, ask, ask! 25. Reasoning dialogically: comparing perspectives, interpretations, or theories - learn to compare many different ideas - how are they similar? How are they different? 26. Reasoning dialectically: evaluating perspectives, interpretations, or theories - do these sound correct or incorrect? Does this make sense when that is added into the equation?

C. Cognitive Strategies--Micro-Skills 27. Comparing and contrasting ideals with actual practice - how is the perfect situation going to work in the real world? 28. Thinking precisely about thinking: using critical vocabulary - are you using logic or emotion? How are you making that decision? Learn about your own thinking habits. 29. Noting significant similarities and differences - become aware of how everything is connected. How are these alike and different? 30. Examining or evaluating assumptions - is that statement one of the "everyone says" or "everyone knows" variety, or is it based on fact? 31. Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant facts - is this really important to the situation, or is it off on a tangent? 32. Making plausible inferences, predictions, or interpretations - based on the information, what logical answers can you find? 33. Evaluating evidence and alleged facts - learn how to determine if something is more likely to be true - again, experts (who write textbooks) are more likely to use facts than "the man on the street." 34. Recognizing contradictions - again, similarities vs. differences - learn to spot things which stand out as pointing in a different direction than the other facts. 35. Exploring implications and consequences - keep going! Ask questions like, "What happens now?" and "What if that occurs?" What does your solution mean for society? This information is from Paul, R., Binker., A., Jensen, K., & Kreklau, H. (1990). Critical thinking handbook: A guide for remodeling lesson plans in language arts, social studies and science. Rohnert Park, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Well first, lets look at what critical thinking is. A critical thinker acquires

information, assimilates it, reflects on it, and evaluates it - taking everything into consideration to come up with a well justified answer to the question. In another sense we can say it is the process of simplicity of thought. Simplicity of thought is not simple thinking but actually a higher way of thinking. It's the ability to look at - what we might say is - chaos or disorder, and through the process of elimination make sense out of it leading to growth. Critical thinking will affect your thought process, therefore it will affect your writing skills.

As a reader think of it this way. No one sees reality in its most perfect and

purest form. We interpret what we see, hear, and read, and call that reality when it could be the furthest thing from the truth. Perceptions can be correct and on target, or incorrect and misleading. Its just a perception. Critical thinkers take all into consideration to include assessment of beliefs and identification of prejudice, bias, Propaganda etc. Thus, once again we have a thought process that leads to intellectual integrity, and fair-mindedness. Thus, it will affect your thought process of acquired knowledge through reading.