Critical thinking skills II

To develop your critical thinking skills

1. Before you do anything else, note down something that you believe to be true. This can be anything you like, as long as it something that you genuinely believe. Your should begin your note with the phrase, 'I believe that ... ' Your belief could be a value judgement, something like, 'I believe that J.K. Nyerere was one of the founders of African Union', or 'I believe that Chinua Achebe is the finest African novelist ever to write in the English language'. Alternately, your belief could be factual, something like, 'I believe that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level', or 'I believe that Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa.'

2. Look at the following document: Critical Thinking - An Introduction

3. Remove the words 'I believe that' from the statement you wrote earlier and replace them with the word 'Therefore'. You have just written the conclusion of your argument! You now need to back up your conclusion with reasons. Try to find at least two reasons that can support your conclusion. When you have done this, you will have produced an argument.

4. Post your argument in the discussion board by using the link below and replying to the 'instructions' post.

Use the discussion board link below to view some of the other arguments. Reply to on at least one other person's argument, preferably one that has not been replied to. Try to find at least one additional reason to support that person's conclusion.