What Are the Best Tips for Critical Thinking Development?

This book uses critical thinking skills to analyze seemingly puzzling things. The book's explanation is very good, and examples are more practical. Allows you to continuously understand and develop your thinking cognition at each stage of thinking.

Critical thinking skills

Chinese name: Critical Thinking Skills

Original name: Critical Thinking Skills

Author: Stella cottrell

Resource Format: PDF

Version: text version

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

ISBN: 9781403996855

Release time: September 9, 2005

area:

Contents

Introduction

Glossary

Acknowledgements

1 What is critical thinking?

Introduction

What is critical thinking?

Reasoning

Why develop critical thinking skills?

Underlying skills and attitudes

Self-awareness for accurate judgement

Personal strategies for critical thinking

Critical thinking in academic contexts

Barriers to critical thinking

Critical thinking: knowledge, skills and

attitudes

Priorities: developing critical thinking

abilities

Summary

2 How well do you think? Develop

your thinking skills

Introduction

Assess your thinking skills

Scoring Sheet

Focusing attention

Focusing attention: Identifying difference

Focusing attention: Recognising sequence

Categorising

Activity: Categorising text

Close reading

Information about the sources

Answers to activities in Chapter 2

3 What's their point? Identifying

arguments

Introduction

The author's position

viii

xii

xiv

Activity: Capturing the author's position

Argument: Persuasion through reasons

Identifying the argument

Activity: Identifying simple arguments

Activity: Reasons and conclusions

Hunting out the conclusion

Summary of features

Summary

Information about the sources

Answers to activities in Chapter 3

4 Is it an argument? Argument and

non-argument

Introduction

Argument and disagreement

Activity: Argument and disagreement

Non-arguments: Description

Non-arguments: Explanations and

summaries

Activity: What type of message?

Distinguishing argument from other

material

Activity: Selecting out the argument

Summary

Information about the sources

Answers to activities in Chapter 4

5 How well do they say it? Clarity,

consistency and structure

Introduction

How clear is the author's position?

Internal consistency

Activity: Internal consistency

Logical consistency

Activity: Logical consistency

Independent reasons and joint reasons

Activity: Independent and joint reasons

Intermediate conclusions

Intermediate conclusions used as reasons

Activity: Intermediate conclusions

Summative and logical conclusions

Activity: Summative and logical

conclusions

Logical order

Activity: Logical order

Summary

Information about the sources

Answers to activities in Chapter 5

6 Reading between the lines:

Recognising underlying assumptions

and implicit arguments 85

Introduction 85

Assumptions 86

Activity: Identify the underlying

assumptions 8 7

Identifying hidden assumptions 88

Implicit assumptions used as reasons 89

Activity: Implicit assumptions used as

reasons 90

False premises 9 1

Activity: False premises 92

Implicit arguments 93

Activity: Implicit arguments 94

Denoted and connoted meanings 95

Activities: Associations and stereotypes 97

Activity: Denoted and connoted meanings 98

Summary 99

Information about the sources 99

Answers to activities in Chapter 6 100

7 Does it add up? Identifying flaws

in the argument 105

Introduction 105

Assuming a causal link 106

Correlations and false correlations 107

Activity: Identify the nature of the link 108

Not meeting the necessary conditions 109

Not meeting sufficient conditions 110

Activity: Necessary and sufficient

conditions 111

False analogies 112

Activity: False analogies 113

Deflection, complicity and exclusion 114

Other types of flawed argument 115

Unwarranted leaps and 'castle of cards' 116

Emotive language; Attacking the person 11 7

More flaws 118

Misrepresentation and trivialisation 119

Tautology; Two wrongs don't make a right 120

Summary 121

Information about the sources 121

Answers to activities in Chapter 7 122

8 Where's the proof? Finding and

evaluating sources of evidence 125

Introduction 125

Primary and secondary source materials 126

Searching for evidence 127

Literature searches 128

Reputable sources 129

Authenticity and validity 130

Currency and reliability 131

Selecting the best evidence 132

Relevant and irrelevant evidence 133

Activity: Relevant and irrelevant evidence 134

Representative samples 135

Activity: Representative samples 136

Certainty and probability 137

Sample sizes and statistical significance 138

Over-generalisation 139

Controlling for variables 140

Facts and opinions 141

Eye-witness testimony 142

Triangulation 143

Evaluating a body of evidence 144

Summary 145

Information about the sources 145

Answers to activities in Chapter 8 146

9 Critical reading and note-making:

Critical selection, interpretation and

noting of source material 147

Introduction 147

Preparing for critical reading 148

Identifying the theoretical perspective 149

The relation of theory to argument 150

Categorising and selecting 151

Accurate interpretation when reading 152

Making notes to support critical reading 153

Reading and noting for a purpose 154

Concise critical notes: Analysing argument 155

Concise critical notes: Books 156

Concise critical notes: Articles and papers 157

Critical selection when note-making 158

Activity: Critical selection 159

Commentary on critical selection 161

Note your source of information 162

Summary 164

Information about the sources 164

Answers to activities in Chapter 9 165

10 Critical, analytical writing:

Critical thinking when writing

Introduction

Characteristics of critical, analytical

writing

Setting the scene for the reader

Activity: Setting the scene for the reader

Writing up the literature search

Words used to introduce the line of

reasoning

Words used to reinforce the line of

reasoning (2)

Signposting alternative points of view

Words used to signpost conclusions

Words and phrases used to structure

the line of reasoning

Drawing tentative conclusions

Activity: Writing conclusions

Summary

Information about the sources

Answers to activities in Chapter 10

11 Where's the analysis? Evaluating

critical writing

Introduction

Checklist for Essay 1

Evaluate Essay 1

Evaluation of Essay 1

Commentary for Essay 1

Checklist for evaluating Essay 2

Evaluate Essay 2

Evaluation of Essay 2

Commentary on Essay 2

Evaluating your writing for critical

thinking 196

Summary 198

Texts for activities in Chapters 8, 9

and 11 199

Practice activities on longer texts 207

Practice 1: Features of an argument 208

Answers to Practice 1: Features of an

argument 212

Practice 2: Finding flaws in the

argument 215

Answers to Practice 2: Finding flaws in

the argument 219

Practice 3: Features of an argument 223

Answers to Practice 3: Features of an

argument 229

Practice 4: Finding flaws in the

argument 234

Answers to Practice 4: Finding flaws in

the argument 239

Appendix: Selected search engines

and databases for on-line literature

searches 245

Bibliography

Index