Critical Thinking
“Critical thinking is the ability to question what we read, hear and/or see and to not just accept what we are told."
University of Leeds 2018
The type of questions to ask are
how, why, what if, so what, what next
Critical thinking is an important skill for assignments. Importantly employers value employees who can think creatively and critically
Facts v opinions
Critical reading
Critical writing
Facts v opinions
Tutors expect your arguments to be supported with relevant evidence
Evidence such as statistics, quotations from specialists or even diagrams
Part of showing your skill is checking for bias. This can be done by reviewing the evidence a source uses. In addition to reviewing several sources
You need to refer to several sources of information. Ask your tutor if you need more guidance on this.
Critical reading questions
Does the text support the point with relevant evidence
Does it show the strengths of its own evidence
Does it avoid making statements without evidence
Does it include analysis and evaluative points. Rather than just describing
Critical writing
A good paragraph includes
Evidence supporting your point
Analysis of the evidence
to prove your point
to show relevant arguments and topics for the assignment
