How to Improve Your Critical Thinking

Introduction

1. Key concepts and processes - how thinking, reflection and creativity involve important skills

Key approaches to thinking

2. Critical thinking - how to develop a logical approach to analysis and problem-solving

3. Reflective thinking - how to evaluate your feelings in academic contexts

4. Creative thinking - how to generate innovative and original ideas

Critical thinking in practice

5. Arriving at a viewpoint - how to sift fact and opinion to arrive at a position on a topic

6. Supporting and opposing an argument - how to express your point of view through discussion and debate

7. Interpreting and manipulating data - how to approach graphs, tables, formulae and basic statistics

8. Decision-making and work-planning - how to make choices, plan ahead and prioritise

9. Group effort and collaboration - how to enhance your contribution to teamwork

Evaluating the ideas of others

10.   Evaluating information sources - how to filter and select reliable material

11.   Effective academic reading - how to read efficiently and with understanding

12.   Note-making from texts - how to create effective notes for later reference

13.   Plagiarism and copyright infringement - how to avoid being accused of 'stealing' the ideas and work of others

14.   Citing and listing references  - how to refer appropriately to the work of others

Putting your thinking into words

15.   Tackling a writing assignment - how to respond to the specified task

16.   Academic writing style - how to adopt appropriate language conventions

17.   General writing structures ? how to select and shape your content appropriately

18.   Writing about reflection - how to structure and report your thoughts

19.   Editing and presenting your assignment - how to review your own work and follow academic conventions

Forward thinking

20.   Exploiting feedback - how to learn from what lecturers think of your work

21.   Preparing for employment- how to transfer your thinking skills to a career