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Improving Critical Thinking Skills
Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills
- Make Sure You Understand the Material: You can’t write or think critically about what you don’t understand! Answer the questions in the handout below or create an argument map (see pdf below) to help you understand the material.
- Clarify Your Thinking: Often our thinking and writing are clear to us, but they may be vague to an outsider. Use the Socratic Method of Questioning (see pdf below) and the tips in the handout below to help clarify your thinking and writing.
- Stick to the Point: Thinking that strays off topic or that involves arguments without logical connections can lead to confusion. Try the tips in the handout below to stay on track.
- Question Questions: Ask questions about what you are reading and writing to improve your thinking. Use the Socratic Method of Questioning (see pdf below) and the tips in the handout below to ask better questions.
- Be Reasonable: Good thinking and writing require a willingness to change your view if the evidence fails to support your previous opinion. To ensure you are being reasonable, use the tips in the handout below.