1. Critical thinking skills Sara Steinke
GET AHEAD UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012
Critical thinking skills Sara Steinke

2. Aims of the session
To recognise the value of your everyday critical reasoning skills for academic studies
To identify what is meant by analytical thinking at university
To reflect on how you can translate your everyday critical reasoning skills into analytical thinking for your academic studies

3. Why consider everyday critical reasoning skills?
Adult learners process a diverse range of knowledge, experiences and skills that involve critical reasoning, involving family and work; these qualities are of great value for university studies
Everyday decisions are rarely straightforward. Similarly, analytical thinking at university is ‘messy’, topics are not seen as ‘black or white’.

4. Think about the following
Job opportunities /promotion
Desire to return to learning
Financial concerns
Time constraints
Course subject
Other reasons
What factors were
involved in your
decision to study a
particular course at
Birkbeck?

5. What is critical thinking?
Persistence – consider an issue carefully, and more than once
Evidence – evaluate the evidence put forward in support of the belief or viewpoint
Implications – what conclusions would follow; are these suitable and rational; if not, should the belief or viewpoint be reconsidered?
Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook page 275

6. The importance of analytical thinking at university
Core of academic study
Takes place across a variety of study skills
– reading, note-taking, writing essays /reports, exams, revision, presentations
Involves thinking analytically about yours and other peoples work/ideas
Actively engage with these activities. You will be constantly updated your study skills.

7. What is analytical thinking?
Stand back from the information given
Examine it in detail from many angles
Check whether it is accurate
Check each statement follows logically
Look for possible flaws in the reasoning/evidence/conclusion
Compare the same issue from point of view of theorists /writers
Explain why different people arrive at different conclusions
Argue why one opinion/result/conclusion is preferable to another
Be on guard for devices that encourage the reader to take questionable statements at face value
Check for hidden assumptions
Check for attempts to lure the reader into agreement
Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook page 275

8. Think about the following
What is the main argument of the article?
What are the reasons given to justify the argument?
What evidence has been used?
What do you know about the author?
What audience is the author addressing?
What sources has the author used?
You have been asked to read an article in preparation for a lecture. What questions might you ask in order to undertake a critical reading of the article?

9. Definition of a ‘critical thinker’
Intellectually independent
Distinguishes between theory, facts and opinions
Recognises and resists manipulation
Reads ‘between the lines’
Distinguishes between emotive and neutral vocabulary
Sees connections between subjects

10. What is wrong with this piece of analytical writing?
Mount Pepe is going up – it’s going to take everything with it when it goes. And I mean everything – villages, farms, trees, the lot. It’s frightening to think of how powerful a volcano can be. Think of the damage they cause! Remember Pompeii and Mount Etna! Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook page 209

11. What is right with this piece of analytical writing?
In order to assess whether it is necessary to evacuate the villages on Mount Pepe, three main factors need to be taken into consideration. The first, and most important, of these is the element of safety. According to seismic experts currently working on the volcano, there is likely to be a major eruption within the next ten years (Achebe 2007) According to Achebe, the eruption is likely to destroy villages over a radius of 120 miles (Achebe 2008, p.7). Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook page 209

12. Create a critical thinking action plan
1. Write down the three most important
critical thinking skills that you have learnt /thought about in this session?
Why are they important to you?
Identify which of your current knowledge,
skills, qualities and experiences can be
turned into analytical skills.
How are you going to make this happen?

13. Recap of the session
We have thought about your everyday critical reasoning skills
We have started to consider how to turn your everyday critical reasoning skills into analytical thinking skills for your academic studies
We have introduced what is meant analytical thinking at university

14. 5 minute interactive tutorial supporting this Student
ahead-stay-ahead/skills/critical-thinking
5 minute interactive tutorial
supporting this Student
Orientation programme
studyskills/course_timetable
study skills workshops which deal
with critical thinking skills – and
other study skills – in greater
detail
studyskills/thinking/index.asp
helpful information on critical
thinking skills on the Skills4Study
website
Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook, 3rd Edition (London, Palgrave) chapter 12 ‘Critical analytical thinking’ pp
Cottrell, S. (2005) Critical Thinking Skills (London, Palgrave)
mp3s.asp#Critical
12 minute audio file based on Cottrell’s Critical Thinking Skills book
services/facilities/support/critical-
thinking
online resources on critical
thinking skills available on the
Birkbeck Library website