LibGuides: Problem Solving Toolbox: Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking tool

Critical Thinking is a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion (Association of American Colleges and Universities, n.d.).

Employers covet employees who are able to look at complex information and successfully draw connections, develop courses of action, and effectively communicate conclusions that apply to work situations.

In this section you will find tools and resources for interpreting information, analyzing assumptions, evaluating evidence, discerning patterns, and grasping abstract ideas.

Source: Association of American Colleges and Universities. (n.d.) VALUE: Valid assessment of learning in undergraduate education. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/VALUE/rubrics/

Tutorials

Argumentation and critical thinking
(http://www.humboldt.edu/act/HTML/)
The tutorials consist of a series of tests to help reinforce your knowledge and understanding of some basic concepts associated with making arguments and thinking critically. It specifically focuses on the Classical Logical Stucture of Arguments and Informal Argumentative Fallacies.
Critical Thinking And Reflection Tutorial
(http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/learning-at-university/critical-thinking-and-reflection/critical-thinking-and-reflection-tutorial/)
"This tutorial explores the critical thinking process. It is aimed at students, and offers advice on how to apply the process to their academic work."
Critical Thinking Web
(http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/)
"We have over 100 online tutorials on different aspects of thinking skills. They are organized into modules listed below and in the menu above. Our tutorials are used by universities, community colleges, and high schools across the world. The tutorials are completely free and under a Creative Commons license."
From Search to Research: Developing Critical Thinking Through Web Research Skills
The goal of collecting information and making it available to the public remains the same from ancient times to the present: to provide people with the quality sources they need to understand the world and to reflect care-fully on existing beliefs and opinions. In other words, the goal of information repositories, digital or otherwise, is to support research, by providing access to the information necessary to foster the development of critical thinking.

Videos

Assumptions: Critical Thinking
Films on Demand (26:16 MIN)
This program offers exercises that illustrate the use of assumptions and that help students hone their critical thinking skills.
Boost Your Teaching: with Critical Thinking
Alexander Street Video (11:19 min)
Roy van den Brink-Budgen, a former chief examiner for critical thinking, explains some of the concepts involved in helping your pupils developing critical thinking skills.Learning how to analyse, evaluate and produce arguments can help pupils become enquiring thinkers, and skills can be developed across subjects and key stages.
Credibility: Critical Thinking
Films on Demand (39:28 min)
This program begins with an exploration of the concept of credibility and illustrates the key criteria of motive, bias, vested interest, neutrality, ability to perceive, and expertise. A reconstruction of a famous murder case from the 1920s is then used to provide the material for viewers to evaluate the credibility of the evidence that was used.
Critical Analysis
Alexander Street Video (14:05 min)
Year 9 pupils hone their critical analysis skills by examining the 1916 film 'The Battle of the Somme'.
Evidence in Argument: Critical Thinking
Films on Demand (24:56 min)
This program begins by illustrating the meaning and significance of evidence and the presentation of evidence in numbers, percentages, rates, and over time. An argument against zoos then gives viewers the opportunity to evaluate how evidence is used to support the arguments being made.

Journal Articles & eBooks

Concept mapping: A critical thinking technique.
Education; Winter2013, Vol. 134 Issue 2, p207-211, 5p
Critical Thinking : Make Strategic Decisions with Confidence by Feldman, Daniel A.
Publication Date: 2009
eBooks on EBSCOhost
Evaluating Evidence: Defining Levels and Quality Using Critical Appraisal Mixed Methods Tools. by Taylor, E., & Hignett, S.
Health Environments Research & Design Journal (HERD). Spring2014, Vol. 7 Issue 3, p144-151. 8p.
The Thinking Effect : Rethinking Thinking to Create Great Leaders and the New Value Worker by Vaughan, Mike
Publication Date: 2013
Alexander Street
WikiED: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Teach Content and Critical Thinking. by Frisch, J., Jackson, P., & Murray, M.
Journal of College Science Teaching; Sep/Oct2013, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p70-80, 11p

Information Literacy Tools

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