Thinking Critically: The Basis of a College Education

Your Turn In your own words, define liberal education. Why would a “free” mind be an asset for you now and in the future?

What Is Critical Thinking and Why Is It Important? The ability to think for yourself and to reliably and responsibly make the decisions that affect your life Shoddy thinking can be costly People who do not think for themselves tend not to have much control or possess any real power in business or society Critical thinkers Investigate problems Ask questions Pose new answers Discover new information

Your Turn On the basis of the explanation, how would you rate yourself as a critical thinker?

Becoming a Critical Thinker Ask questions Engage curiosity and question statements and assertions Consider multiple points of view Be fair and open-minded to all ideas Draw conclusions Examine the outcome of your inquiry in a more demanding, critical way

Your Turn Think of a problem you had to solve in the past. How did you do it? How can you draw on that experience to improve your ability to solve academic problems?

Your Turn Imagine that your state has just approved a license plate design incorporating a cross and the slogan “I Believe.” Almost immediately, a number of organizations begin protesting that this is a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. What kinds of questions will you ask to get at the truth?

How Collaboration Fosters Critical Thinking Having more than one student involved in the learning process generates a greater number of ideas Can happen not only face to face, but also over the Internet Collaborative weblogs Teamwork improves ability to think critically

Your Turn If you have never worked with a study group, now is the time to try it and discover how much more learning can take place in a shorter period of time. How do you think you could benefit from joining a study group? What reasons might you give for not joining one?

Thinking Critically about Arguments Challenge assumptions Some assumptions should be examined more thoughtfully Helps to gain better understanding Examine the evidence Be careful to check that the evidence supporting an argument is of the highest possible quality Beware of logical fallacies Make sure that an argument hasn’t been compromised by faulty reasoning

Your Turn What, if anything, is wrong with making decisions purely on the basis of your emotions?

Your Turn Have you ever used any fallacies to justify a decision? Why was it wrong to do so? Can you think of other errors of logic that might push you farther from the truth?

Critical Thinking in College and Everyday Life Practice critical thinking so it can become a natural part of your life Not only in your academic work but also in your everyday interactions with friends and family Use critical thinking to figure things out instead of depending on how you feel or what you’ve heard

Your Turn Suppose you’re shopping for a surround-sound system. One good friend urges you to buy the top of the line. Another well-meaning friend steers you to a different brand, claiming it’s just as good as the more expensive brand leader. Now all you know is that two of your good friends have offered information that might or might not be true. How do you think critically about which system to choose?

Tech Tip: Research Wisely How to evaluate the types of information found on the Web Portals News Corporate and marketing Informational Blogs Wikis