1. Critical Thinking

2. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 2 Becoming a Critical Thinker Boils down to asking and answering questions. Use the Learning Styles model of What, Why, How, and What if, to develop your critical (thorough) thinking skills.

3. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 3 Becoming a Critical Thinker Why am I considering this issue? –Seek a rationale for your learning –Your motivation for learning will increase

4. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 4 Becoming a Critical Thinker Consider the source Seek out alternative views Ask questions Look for at least three answers

5. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 5 Becoming a Critical Thinker What are various points of view on this issue –Define terms –Look for assertions –Look for at least three viewpoints –Practice tolerance

6. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 6 Becoming a Critical Thinker How well is each point of view supported? –Look for logic and evidence –Consider the source –Understand before criticizing –Watch for hot spots –Be willing to be uncertain

7. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 7 Becoming a Critical Thinker What if I could combine various points of view or create a new one? –Create a critical thinking “spreadsheet –Write about it –Accept your changing perspectives

8. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 8 Critical Thinking can be… Convergent thinking –Narrowing-down from many possible viewpoints Divergent (or creative) thinking –Asking questions –Generating as many possible options as you can –Divergent thinking provides a basis for convergent thinking.

9. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 9 Finding “Aha!” Burst of creative energy Fuels critical thinking Choose when to think creatively Cultivate “aha!” Follow through

10. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 10 Ways to Create Ideas Conduct a brainstorm Focus and let go Cultivate creative serendipity Keep idea files Collect and play with data

11. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 11 Ways to Create Ideas Create while you sleep Refine ideas and follow through Create success strategies Trust the process

12. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 12 Inventing Questions Put a question mark after a fact Ask about what’s missing Just let your pen move Pretend to be someone else Ask what else you want to know Begin a general question and brainstorm endings

13. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 13 Uncovering Assumptions Testing the validity of a viewpoint Viewpoint Write them out See if you can find exceptions to them Look for the assumptions (the assertions implied by that view)

14. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Critical Thinking- 14 Don’t Fool Yourself: Twelve Common Mistakes in Logic Jumping to conclusions Attacking the person Appealing to an “authority” Pointing to a false cause Thinking in “all-or- nothing” terms Basing arguments on emotion Faulty analogy Creating a “straw man” Begging the question Confusing fact and fiction Creating a Red Herring Appealing to tradition