Critical thinking - Lecture

Dr Liana Christensen, Lecturer in Student Learning
Student Learning, Teaching and Learning Centre Murdoch University.

Academics begin by defining terms on a conceptual level.

• What you already know about critical thinking
  - Ennis: "critical thinking is reflective and reasonable thinking aimed at deciding what to do or believe"
  - Reflecting, gathering evidence, surveying range of opinions, seeking appropriate advice, talking as thinking, writing as thinking
  - Critical thinking is a lifelong activity, you already know how to do it


• What you need to know about critical thinking at university
  Critical thinking at university requires a deep engagement with generic skills and qualities, as well as careful attention to specific disciplinary orientations.
  - Deep engagement: approach a subject a) intending to understand its content (ie not cramming as much information in as you can) b) vigorously interacting with the content c) relating new ideas to previous knowledge d) relate concepts to everyday experience (points c and d are how we build a bridge to new knowledge, how we draw the knowledge in) e) relating evidence to conclusions f) examining the logic of the argument.
  - Generic skills: giving and assessing arguments (deductive and inductive), definitions, assumptions, factual claims, value claims, observation reports, generalisations, causal claims (logic), predictions, points of view; ordering and classifying information; comparing and contrasting; problem solving; asking questions; clarifying; challenging; using metacognition (thinking about thinking)


• What critical thinking can and cannot do for you
  Will not help you become rich, popular, slim, happy or ethical.
  - Without emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills can be distorted and negative. This is not good critical thinking. Need to think critically about critical thinking!
  - Personal qualities required for critical thinking (emotional intelligence): open-mindedness, contextual sensitivity, interpersonal sensitivity, sensitivity to contrasting points of view, decisiveness, persistence, willingness to explore background knowledge.

What will mark you out as someone who has studied at university is that you've learned to research effectively and think critically.