Think, Read, Write Critically
“The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive, and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered.”
--Jean Piaget
--Jean Piaget
Critical Thinking
What is Critical Thinking?
Everyone thinks: it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated. Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it. |
Critical Thinking Concepts and Skills
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Critical Reading
What is Critical Reading?
Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes, evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical thinking skills to QUESTION both the text and our own reading of it. Different disciplines may have distinctive modes of critical reading (scientific, philosophical, literary, etc.). |
Critical Reading Concepts
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Critical Writing
What is Critical Writing?
Critical writing is about developing your own academic voice within your subject area. Developing your critical writing skills involves reflecting, researching, note-making and reading, as well as writing. As a critical writer you take a clear position and support your argument/s by providing evidence and examples from your research, citing scholarly sources. As an academic writer you are expected to engage critically with other scholars in your subject area. This involves agreeing and disagreeing with scholars’ arguments and evaluating their ideas and theories. |