Transcript Critical Thinking - Texas A&M College of Geosciences

Critical Thinking
Strategies for Developing and
Improving Skills
Sarah Witham Bednarz
Texas A&M University
What is Critical Thinking?
Possible Definitions…
• Higher order thinking
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Analysis: X = A, B, and C
Synthesis: A, B, and C are related
Inference: X follows from A, B, and C
Evaluation: A is better than or equal to B
Reasoning: A implies B which implies C etc.
Possible Definitions
• Skeptical thinking
– The essence of “critical”
Possible Definitions
• Careful argumentation (Yeh 2001)
– Weighing conflicting evidence and views from
different sources
– Thinking critically about process of collecting
evidence
– Presenting this point of view persuasively
Critical Thinking…
• Is domain specific
• Must start in elementary school
– Provide reasons and consider counterarguments
– Oral debates
• Is tied to cognitive strategies (known ways
of thinking)
Strategies
• Living Graphs
• Odd One Out
• Concept Maps
• Analysis of Data from
Internet Resources