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Look out for the new Recycling System!!

Please help us to help theenvironment!

In all areas you can now

recycle:

- Paper and Card

- Plastics

- Metals

-Glass

For more information visit:www.bradford.ac.uk/ecoversity

Please Respect Other Students andKeep Your Lecture Room Tidy!

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CRITICAL THININKG AND ANALYSIS

Effective Learning Service

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COMMON FORMS OF UNIVERSITY

WRITING FOR ASSIGNMENTS

In progressive order of challenge:

� Description Writing� Summary Writing (what does the writer 

say? What is this idea about?)

� Compare/Contrast Writing

� Cause-Effect Writing (why & what issues)

� Critical Analysis

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WHAT IS CRITICAL ANALYSIS?

� To µanalyse¶: break information into elements or component parts

� To be µcritical¶ (in an academic sense) is tomake careful judgement about information andto evaluate its quality

� So, it is about your ability to be critical(evaluate) of information and to make your own

 judgements about it.

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS TYPE QUESTIONS OFTEN

SUGGESTED BY WORDS IN ASSIGNMENT

TOPICS SUCH AS:

� Discuss

� Analyse� Justify

� Evaluate

� Criticize

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OPINION

� Go into any pub, clubor bar to hear lots of opinions!

� An opinion is an ideaor assertion for whichthere is no evidence

� always ask ³what

evidence do theypresent to supporttheir assertions´?

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 Argument

µPresenting reasons to support your position « If 

other people accept those reasons, they are more

likely to be persuaded to your point of view.¶

Cottrell, S. (2005) Critical Thinking Skills. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan

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The structure of persuasion

� Presenting an argument

� (with reference to credible sources)� « through a line of reasoning

� « to arrive at a conclusion

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� E.g. confidence presentation

� Argument:� Reasons:

1.

2.

3.

� Conclusion:

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� E.g. confidence presentation

� Argument: We spend too much time on issues of concern and not on factors we can influence.

� Reasons:

1. Concern circles are big, influence circles are small.

2. Concern is ¶lovely place to be· ² can complain but don·t need to solve. So spend more (and more) time there .

3. And so, circle of influence diminishes 

� Conclusion: Need to make better choices by focussing on circles of influence.

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Definition

Critical thinking is about evaluating the

validity of any theory, model, idea or 

practice (TMIP) in the context in which it

is to be applied.

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� What¶s the author¶s position ?

� Why ?

� How does this bear on their argument ?

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EVIDENCE

Assertions should always be supported byevidence. Four key questions: is theevidence presented:

reliable, e.g. supported by other research or commentators

sufficient: i.e. presents enough evidence to

sufficiently µprove¶ something relevant: e.g. relevant to current situation or 

circumstances

credible: is it µbelievable¶?

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YOUR JUDGEMENT ON THE

EVIDENCE

� Assignment questions are often presented informs that present you with a particular premise (a proposition within a statement)

�  Your task in such an assignment is toidentify and evaluate the premise, which willlead you to:

- agree (fully or partially) with it- disagree (fully or partially) with it

- remain undecided (a risky strategy!)

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Barriers to critical thinking

µStudent¶s natural resistance to learning to think critically.¶

Student: µI  want you (the expert) to give me answers to questions; I  want to know the right answer.· 

Teacher: ¶ I want you to become critical thinkers, which means I want you to challenge experts· answers and pursue you own answers through active questioning.

This means lots of hard work.· 

Cowell, B., Keeley, S., Shemberg, M. and Zinnbauer, M. (1995) Coping withStudent Resistance to Critical Thinking; What the PsychotherapyLiterature Can Tell Us. College Teaching 43 (4)

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So what¶s their point ?I dentifying arguments 

� What is an argument ?

� What are its key features ?