Critical Thinking: Using Critical Thinking: Using ReflectionReflection

Friday, 21st November 2008

What is This Session About?What is This Session About?

critical (adj)Making or involving adverse or

censorious comments or judgements

Expressing or involving criticism

Skilful at or engaged in criticism

Critical: ‘incisive, questioning, probing’

Some Critical QuestionsSome Critical Questions

DefinitionsAre all the concepts sufficiently well defined for you to be able to judge whether what is said about them is justified?

ClarityIs everything that is stated sufficiently clear for you to be able to judge whether what is said is justified? Are some statements so vague that they could hardly be contradicted?

Some Critical QuestionsSome Critical QuestionsFacts

Is everything that is presented as ‘fact’ really fact? Where facts are stated, are there some good reasons given to accept them as facts (e.g. references to reliable sources)?

OpinionsWhere opinions are given is it made clear that they are opinions and not ‘facts’? What is the balance of well-supported fact or argument on the one hand and opinion on the other?

Some Critical QuestionsSome Critical Questions

AssumptionsWhat assumptions are being made that you are asked to accept? Are these well justified?

RelevanceAre there statements or claims that are actually irrelevant to the arguments? Is everything that is included relevant and isthat relevance made clear?

Group ExerciseGroup Exercise

You are a team of management staff in a College

You have to save £100,000 out of a total budget of £500,000 in one year

You have three options:◦Cut two teachers or three admin staff◦Cut a course◦Cut plans for a new building, but there are too

many students to fit in the existing teaching facilities

Cut StaffCut Staff

Cut a CourseCut a Course

Cut a CourseCut a Course

Tracking the DecisionTracking the DecisionHow did you come up with your decisions?Consultation processConsequences of action

◦For Individuals◦For Stakeholder groups◦For organisation

Why ideas are always best formulated after reading a number of relevant materials, then prepare an opinion or line of argument

Elements of Critical ThinkingElements of Critical ThinkingAnalyse = Examine ideas, detect and

analyse argumentsEvaluate = Monitoring and weighing the

process of decision making Inference = Querying evidence,

conjecturing alternatives and drawing conclusions

Explanation = Stating results, justifying procedures and presenting arguments

Interpret = decoding significance, clarifying meaning

Critically Analyse the Success of Critically Analyse the Success of the Barclays Premiership the Barclays Premiership

Critically Analyse the Success of Critically Analyse the Success of the X Factor the X Factor

Developing a Literature Review Developing a Literature Review or Discussionor Discussion

Use as many reliable sources as possibleBooks, journals, periodicals, newspapers, etcTry and develop a line of argument e.g. what

are you hoping to find outYou hope to find this out, however in other

similar research or studies, this was found so my line of argument may have to follow this thought

Literature reviews always need a for and against argument

Critical Analysis + Evaluation = Good MarksDescription + Own Opinion = Poor Marks

Key QuestionsKey Questions

1. What resources will you use for your next literature review?

2. How many references do you think are appropriate?

3. How can you amend the structure of your work to become more critical?