Efficient Critical Thinking

The student’s guide to success in college and in life

Think it over!

“Learning without thought is labor lost, thought without

learning is perilous.”

--Confucius

Critical thinking is not a one dimensional activity; it is an

active process composed of many cognitive skills.

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to:– Develop unique approaches to learning– Interpret facts– Evaluate information– Apply learning to real life– Solve problems– Create new ideas

Attitude is Key

• Always be looking for new

ideas and perspectives

• Always be looking for the “rest

of the story”

• Always be looking for logical reasoning

• Always be looking for information that might be of value later

Set a learning goal for every class

Determine a personal outcome for every class:• How can it help me with life after college?• How can it help me have a better career?• How can it help me be a better Christian?• How can it help me be a better citizen?• How can it help me be a better friend,

husband, wife, parent, employee?• How can it contribute to a better ME?

Important Processes to Remember

As you read, listen or discuss, remember to:• Analyze: Is this logical?

• Apply: How, when, why will I use this information?

• Reflect: Incubate, think about the concept

• Connect: Relate learning to prior knowledge, other classes, experience.

• Make it personal!

• Important: Just because someone says it or writes it doesn’t make it so!!

How to Maximize Every Class

• Think in new ways

• Break old habits

• Be open to different perspectives

• Develop new approaches

• Brainstorm (even with yourself)

• Make decisions

• Be Creative

While reading, ask thesebasic questions

• What? Know definitions andappropriate language/terms

• Why? Analyze by breaking down into component parts

• How? Author’s intent, law process, etc.

• Significance? How is this relevant?

• Compare/Contrast: with other topics and

classes

• Organize: outline, categorize, and classify

Evaluate While Learning

• Be objective• Be open-minded• Be skeptical• Be aware of motives, biases, prejudices• Be alert for manipulative language• Be logical• Be responsive to the evidence• Be morally and ethically sensitive

Creative Thinking is the key to making the most of each class

• Reverse the solution

• Consider opposite goals

• Explore all possibilities

• Use offbeat comparisons

• Put yourself in the problem

• Start at the beginning, end—or middle!

• Dream—even fantasize!

• Try “no-holds barred” brainstorming

• Make no assumptions!

Barriers to Beneficial Thinking• Forming view of world based on false images (news, tv,

movies)

• Black or white thinking (all or nothing)

• Fear: mistakes, looking silly, trying new things, taking chances

• Passive attitude

• Tendency to memorize/regurgitate

• “One right answer” syndrome

Thinking is a Life Skill

• Realize that even experts don’t know everything

• Realize that many of the so-called facts you are learning now will be obsolete within a few years (Just look at computers!)

• Realize the world is constantly changing—and we must also; that requires thinking critically and creatively

• Realize we must commit to being life-long active learners

Tutoring for Efficient ThinkingStudents often believe:

• There is only one right answer

• Thinking takes too much time

• What the professor said will be on test

• The possibilities are limited (inside the box thinking)

• Their worldview should match that of others

• Everything “said or read” is true

How to Sell the Concept to Students:

Encourage students to realize how critical, constructive thinking contributes to:

• Having a more complete understanding

• Developing a better memory

• Easing application of concepts to real life

• Evaluating information: keep or toss

• Becoming a valuable employee/boss

• Increasing creativity and innovation

• Achieving success and happiness

I wish you powerful thinking skills for a happy, successful college and life experience!

Bibliography

• Cortina, Joe, Janet Elder, Katherine Gonnet. Comprehending College Textbooks. New York. McGraw Hill, l989.

• Daiek, Deborah, Nancy Anter. Critical Reading for College and Beyond. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004.

• Murphy, Diana. Ed. Ten Practices of Highly Successful College Students. New York: Longman, 2000.

• Paul, Richard. Foundation for Critical Thinking.www.criticalthinking.org

• McWhorter, Kathleen T. Study and Critical Thinking in College. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.

• Schmitt, David E. The Winning Edge: Maximizing Success in College. Boston: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992.