Critical Thinker

Attributes of a Critical thinker • asks pertinent questions • assesses statements and arguments • is able to admit a lack of understanding or information • has a sense of curiosity • is interested in finding new solutions • is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas • is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts • listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback • sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment • suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered • looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs • is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found
As students, you are accustomed to teachers asking you questions about your reading. o Questions are designed to help you understand a reading and respond to it more fully, and often this technique works. o When you need to understand and use new information though it is most beneficial if you write the questions, as you read the text for the first time. o With this strategy, you can write questions any time, but in difficult academic readings, you will understand the material better and remember it longer if you write a question for every paragraph or brief section. o Each question should focus on a main idea, not on illustrations or details, and each should be expressed in your own words, not just copied from parts of the paragraph. • Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values: Examining your personal responses. The reading that you do for this class might challenge your attitudes, your unconsciously held beliefs, or your positions on current issues. o As you read a text for the first time, mark an X in the margin at each point where you fell a personal challenge to your attitudes, beliefs, or
o Whereas outlining reveals the basic structure of the text, summarizing synopsizes a selection's main argument in brief. o Outlining may be part of the annotating process, or it may be done separately (as it is in this class). o The key to both outlining and summarizing is being able to distinguish between the main ideas and the supporting ideas and examples. o The main ideas form the backbone, the strand that hold the various parts and pieces of the text together. o Outlining the main ideas helps you to discover this structure. o When you make an outline, don't use the text's exact words. • Summarizing begins with outlining, but instead of merely listing the main ideas, a summary recomposes them to form a new text. Whereas outlining depends on a close analysis of each paragraph, summarizing also requires creative synthesis. Putting ideas together again -- in your own words and in a condensed form -- shows how reading critically can lead to deeper understanding of any