Keys to Thinking and Learning

For any Study Skills or Student Success course with a critical thinking emphasis. This text is designed to facilitate students' understanding of how they think and to enhance their power to apply their thinking ability. Through the application of critical thinking to study skills and life skills topics, readers will increase their ability to understand how their minds work and to maximize their achievement. Students will learn how to apply problem solving, decision making, and logical reasoning processes to all aspects of their lives. Emphasis on personal action and responsibility encourages students to make well-considered choices and to be responsible for the consequences, helping them to avoid unexamined responses to people and situations. Critical thinking is consistently applied to college, career, and life situations. Through understanding how text topics apply to their own lives and goals, students can internalize the meaning of each thinking process. The book emphasizes the combination of knowledge and action, helping students to realize that their knowledge is useless unless it is actively applied toward desired outcomes. Once students master the basic thinking skills presented in this book, they will be ready to be effective "knowledge-workers", meeting and exceeding the demands of their employers in the twenty-first century global economy.1. Thinking Critically: Interacting With Information. What Is Critical Thinking? Who Is a Critical Thinker? How Does Your Mind Work? What are Inductive and Deductive Thinking? What Are the Types of Knowledge? 2. Thinking Skills in Real Life: Problem Solving and Decision Making. Why is Critical Thinking Essential to Problem Solving and Decision Making? How Can You Define a Problem? How Can You Analyze a Problem Effectively? How Does Critical Thinking Help You to Make Decisions? How Can You Become a More Creative Thinker? 3. Thinking Logically: Evaluating Fact and Opinion, Assumption, and Argument. What Distinguishes Fact From Opinion? How Do You Identify and Evaluate Assumptions? How Do You Evaluate an Argument? How Do You Construct an Effective Argument? What Are Some Common Thinking Errors? 4. Thinking About Your World: Recognizing Perspectives. What are Values and How Do They Develop? Why Should You Explore Perspectives? What Is Information Literacy? How Can You Make the Most of Your Library? 5. Thinking Strategically: Setting Goals and Planning Your Time. Why Plan Strategically? How Do You Set and Achieve Goals? What Are Your Priorities? How Can You Manage Your Time? Why Is Procrastination a Problem? 6. Thinking About How You Learn: Learning Styles. What Are Some Common Assumptions About Learning? How Can You Discover Your Learning Styles? What Are the Benefits of Knowing Your Learning Styles? How Do You Explore Who You Are? How Can You Start Thinking About Choosing a Major? 7. Thinking in the Classroom: Reading, Note Taking, Memory, and Test Taking. How Can You Respond Critically to What You Read? How Can You Make the Most of Your Notes? What Note-taking System Should You Use? What Will Help You Improve Your Memory. How Can You Prepare for Tests? What Can Help You Succeed on Tests? 8. Thinking About Expression: Listening, Communication, and Writing. How Can You Become A Better Listener? How Can You Express Yourself Effectively? What Are the Elements of Effective Writing? What is the Writing Process? 9. Thinking Quantitatively: Math, Science, and Computers. Why Do You Need To Be Able to Think Quantitatively? How Can Critical Thinking Help You Master Math Basics? How Can You Overcome Math Anxiety? What Do Learning Math and Learning Science Have in Common? What Basics Should You Know About Computers? 10. Thinking for Life: Working Toward Your Personal Best. How Can You Understand and Accept Others? Why is Teamwork Important? What Strategic Thinking Can Help You Plan Your Career? How Can You Live With and Adapt to Change? How Can You Continue to Grow and Learn Throughout Your Life? How Can you Live Your Mission? Appendix A: Learning Styles Assessments. Appendix B: Researching Information and Student Resources on the Internet.