Critical Thinking
Definitions
There are many definitions of critical thinking. Read a few. Memorize at least one that makes sense to you.
Evaluate and analyze.
Thinking about thinking to improve thinking.
Recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, draw conclusions.
"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action." - criticalthinking.org
Techniques
Going through the Elder Paul model's Elements of Thought wheel
General Advice
Listen more than you talk (2 ears, 1 mouth)
Avoid quick decisions. Get all the facts first.
"I would need to learn more before forming an opinion." is a great thing to say
Concepts
Bias - "inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair"
Agenda - "underlying intentions or motives of a particular person or group"
Arguments - "In everyday life, people often use "argument" to mean a quarrel between people. But in logic and critical thinking, an argument is a list of statements, one of which is the conclusion and the others are the premises or assumptions of the argument."
Objectivity - "lack of favoritism toward one side or another : freedom from bias"
Bloom's Taxonomy and Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) vs Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
Additional Resources
Intellectual curiosity
Anticipate the good and the bad potential consequences