critical thinking training module

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A Short Guide to Building Your Team’s Critical Thinking Skills

• Matt Plummer

Critical thinking isn’t an innate skill. It can be learned.

Most employers lack an effective way to objectively assess critical thinking skills and most managers don’t know how to provide specific instruction to team members in need of becoming better thinkers. Instead, most managers employ a sink-or-swim approach, ultimately creating work-arounds to keep those who can’t figure out how to “swim” from making important decisions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To demystify what critical thinking is and how it is developed, the author’s team turned to three research-backed models: The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, Pearson’s RED Critical Thinking Model, and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Using these models, they developed the Critical Thinking Roadmap, a framework that breaks critical thinking down into four measurable phases: the ability to execute, synthesize, recommend, and generate.

With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates , you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.

• Matt Plummer (@mtplummer) is the founder of Zarvana, which offers online programs and coaching services to help working professionals become more productive by developing time-saving habits. Before starting Zarvana, Matt spent six years at Bain & Company spin-out, The Bridgespan Group, a strategy and management consulting firm for nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropists.  

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Critical thinking skills module

Critical thinking skills explains what critical thinking really is and how it can be applied to learning in order to question assumptions, evaluate the reliability of sources and evidence and compare propositions.

Sample activity: Assess your existing critical thinking abilities

Some people are more likely than others to trust that what they hear, read or see is true and reliable.

These differences may relate to past experiences or to personality traits.

However, critical thinking does not strictly rely upon influences from your previous encounters or personality: it depends more on using a certain set of methods to pull apart evidence in an objective way.

How critical is your current thinking? Read each of the statements below and select all that you think apply to you.

• There is always more than one way of looking at any issue
• I only believe what I'm told if it is supported by evidence
• There are some opinions I simply will not accept, regardless of the evidence
• I question everything, because I find it difficult to accept that other people's opinions are reliable
• I feel comfortable pointing out potential weaknesses in the work of experts
• I am aware of how my current beliefs may influence my consideration of an issue
• If I am not sure about something, I carry out research to learn more

If you feel that not many of the statements above apply to you, then it is likely that you are more trusting and less sceptical about the information you read, hear or see. To think critically, you may benefit from introducing an element of scepticism and doubt into the way you view information.

If lots of the statements above resonate with you, you may be sceptical about verbal, visual and aural information. Critical thinking can give you the tools to use such scepticism and doubt constructively. It can enable you to analyse information and make informed decisions about whether something is likely to be true and reliable.

Download the worksheet ' Assess your thinking skills ' to take a more comprehensive look at your thinking skills.

Module content

Critical thinking skills features the following:

• Diagnostic test
• Section 1: What is critical thinking
• Section 2: Critical reading and writing
• Section 3: Evaluating evidence
• Module assessment

See what’s in each section below:

• Critical thinking as a student
• Reading, listening and writing critically
• Benefits of critical thinking
• Foundations for critical thinking
• Learn from your tutor
• Skills self-assessment
• What is an argument?
• What is the writer's position?
• Examining reasoning, proposition and progression 
• Drawing conclusions
• Critically reading your own writing
• Points of learning from other students
• Finding and evaluating evidence
• Evaluating sources of evidence
• Checking for bias
• Evaluating statistics and numbers
• Tips from other students

Assess your existing critical thinking abilities

How critical is your current thinking? Read each of the statements below and consider which ones apply to you.

If lots of the statements above resonate with you, you may be sceptical about verbal, visual and aural information. Critical thinking can give you the tools to use such scepticism and doubt constructively. It can enable you to analyse information and make informed decisions about whether something is likely to be true and reliable.

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BBIT INTRODUCTORY COURSE

One module. all at your own pace..

Start Course

This course will give you a new outlook on how to think clearer and understand day-to-day challenges better. Critical thinking can be used in everything from complex business problems to everyday life issues to make better, more-informed decisions.

What you’ll master in this free online module on critical thinking

This free online module is the first (of five) modules of our Thinking Foundations course. The course will teach you how to construct and critically analyze logical statements to better understand the rationale and underlying assumptions behind what you, and others, say and do. You will be able to think clearly and quickly to identify the cause-and-effect relationships behind the statements and actions people make.

A new, more-analytical approach to thinking

If you feel stuck and you keep going in circles on problems in life and in work, this free online course could be the analytical breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

Get started now and improve the way you solve problems and make decisions every single day.

TRY IT NOW. IT’S FREE

Is this module right for you?

There’s every chance you already have confidence in your decision-making and problem-solving skills! But that’s not to say you can’t dig deeper into the thought patterns behind critical thinking to upskill in this arena.

This free online module hones in on the first — and most important — part of any analysis of recurring or polarising challenges in life and in business: critical thinking.

We’ve created the first module of the BBIT Thinking Foundations completely FREE so you can get an idea of what our courses have to offer.

Sign up today

Critical Thinking Online Course

Course: critical thinking online course.

Course Overview

This course equips you with the skills and habits of critical thinking. It teaches practical techniques for confident, discerning critical engagement with sources, evidence, arguments and reasoning. 

Learning Outcomes

The course also:

• Builds key reasoning, argument and analysis skills
• Boosts writing, essay and exam results
• Improves work, planning and research habits
• Provides explicit training in a key skill sought by graduate recruiters
• Teaches digital and information literacy.

Please note:  to best experience this course, we recommend you use a Chrome, Safari, or Firefox browser. 

Course Instructor: Dr Tom Chatfield

Dr tom chatfield.

Dr Tom Chatfield is an author, tech philosopher and broadcaster. His books explore the skills required to thrive in a digital age, including  Critical Thinking (SAGE)  and Live This Book! (Penguin). Tom is interested in improving our understanding of digital technology and its uses in policy, education, and engagement. He is currently technology and media advisor at Agathos LLP, non-executive director at the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, a faculty member at London’s School of Life, a Master’s committee member at the Economics Research Council, and a senior expert at the Global Governance Institute. Tom speaks and broadcasts around the world on technology, the arts, and media. Appearances include TED Global, authors@Google, Science Foo Camp and the Houses of Parliament. He also guest lectures at universities in the UK and Europe.

Module One: Why Bother Thinking Twice?

This module will help you to understand:  

• What it means to think critically  
• Why objectivity and skepticism are important  
• How speed can affect the quality of your thinking  

Module Two: What's the Point of Arguments?

• How to spot an argument  
• How to set out an argument clearly  
• How to challenge peoples' assumptions  

Module Three: How Can I Argue My Case?

• What it means to make logical arguments  
• How to reason about what's likely and use probability  
• How to handle evidence effectively  

Module Four: What's the Best Explanation?

• What makes a good explanation  
• How to develop explanations in practice  
• How researchers test explanations  

Module Five: Why We Get Things Wrong

• How to identify rhetoric and its persuasive effects  
• How to spot bad arguments and avoid falling for them  
• How to identify biased thinking  

Module Six: Handling Information Overload

This module will help you to:  

• Understand the relationship between data, information, and knowledge  
• Practice techniques for search and discovery  
• Create your personal digital literacy plan  

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Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking

(10 reviews)

Matthew Van Cleave, Lansing Community College

Copyright Year: 2016

Publisher: Matthew J. Van Cleave

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by "yusef" Alexander Hayes, Professor, North Shore Community College on 6/9/21

Formal and informal reasoning, argument structure, and fallacies are covered comprehensively, meeting the author's goal of both depth and succinctness. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Formal and informal reasoning, argument structure, and fallacies are covered comprehensively, meeting the author's goal of both depth and succinctness.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

While many modern examples are used, and they are helpful, they are not necessarily needed. The usefulness of logical principles and skills have proved themselves, and this text presents them clearly with many examples.

Clarity rating: 5

It is obvious that the author cares about their subject, audience, and students. The text is comprehensible and interesting.

Consistency rating: 5

The format is easy to understand and is consistent in framing.

Modularity rating: 5

This text would be easy to adapt.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization is excellent, my one suggestion would be a concluding chapter.

Interface rating: 5

I accessed the PDF version and it would be easy to work with.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The writing is excellent.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is not an offensive text.

Reviewed by Susan Rottmann, Part-time Lecturer, University of Southern Maine on 3/2/21

I reviewed this book for a course titled "Creative and Critical Inquiry into Modern Life." It won't meet all my needs for that course, but I haven't yet found a book that would. I wanted to review this one because it states in the preface that it... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

I reviewed this book for a course titled "Creative and Critical Inquiry into Modern Life." It won't meet all my needs for that course, but I haven't yet found a book that would. I wanted to review this one because it states in the preface that it fits better for a general critical thinking course than for a true logic course. I'm not sure that I'd agree. I have been using Browne and Keeley's "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking," and I think that book is a better introduction to critical thinking for non-philosophy majors. However, the latter is not open source so I will figure out how to get by without it in the future. Overall, the book seems comprehensive if the subject is logic. The index is on the short-side, but fine. However, one issue for me is that there are no page numbers on the table of contents, which is pretty annoying if you want to locate particular sections.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I didn't find any errors. In general the book uses great examples. However, they are very much based in the American context, not for an international student audience. Some effort to broaden the chosen examples would make the book more widely applicable.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I think the book will remain relevant because of the nature of the material that it addresses, however there will be a need to modify the examples in future editions and as the social and political context changes.

Clarity rating: 3

The text is lucid, but I think it would be difficult for introductory-level students who are not philosophy majors. For example, in Browne and Keeley's "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking," the sub-headings are very accessible, such as "Experts cannot rescue us, despite what they say" or "wishful thinking: perhaps the biggest single speed bump on the road to critical thinking." By contrast, Van Cleave's "Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking" has more subheadings like this: "Using your own paraphrases of premises and conclusions to reconstruct arguments in standard form" or "Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives." If students are prepared very well for the subject, it would work fine, but for students who are newly being introduced to critical thinking, it is rather technical.

It seems to be very consistent in terms of its terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 4

The book is divided into 4 chapters, each having many sub-chapters. In that sense, it is readily divisible and modular. However, as noted above, there are no page numbers on the table of contents, which would make assigning certain parts rather frustrating. Also, I'm not sure why the book is only four chapter and has so many subheadings (for instance 17 in Chapter 2) and a length of 242 pages. Wouldn't it make more sense to break up the book into shorter chapters? I think this would make it easier to read and to assign in specific blocks to students.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The organization of the book is fine overall, although I think adding page numbers to the table of contents and breaking it up into more separate chapters would help it to be more easily navigable.

Interface rating: 4

The book is very simply presented. In my opinion it is actually too simple. There are few boxes or diagrams that highlight and explain important points.

The text seems fine grammatically. I didn't notice any errors.

The book is written with an American audience in mind, but I did not notice culturally insensitive or offensive parts.

Overall, this book is not for my course, but I think it could work well in a philosophy course.

Reviewed by Daniel Lee, Assistant Professor of Economics and Leadership, Sweet Briar College on 11/11/19

This textbook is not particularly comprehensive (4 chapters long), but I view that as a benefit. In fact, I recommend it for use outside of traditional logic classes, but rather interdisciplinary classes that evaluate argument read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This textbook is not particularly comprehensive (4 chapters long), but I view that as a benefit. In fact, I recommend it for use outside of traditional logic classes, but rather interdisciplinary classes that evaluate argument

To the best of my ability, I regard this content as accurate, error-free, and unbiased

The book is broadly relevant and up-to-date, with a few stray temporal references (sydney olympics, particular presidencies). I don't view these time-dated examples as problematic as the logical underpinnings are still there and easily assessed

Clarity rating: 4

My only pushback on clarity is I didn't find the distinction between argument and explanation particularly helpful/useful/easy to follow. However, this experience may have been unique to my class.

To the best of my ability, I regard this content as internally consistent

I found this text quite modular, and was easily able to integrate other texts into my lessons and disregard certain chapters or sub-sections

The book had a logical and consistent structure, but to the extent that there are only 4 chapters, there isn't much scope for alternative approaches here

No problems with the book's interface

The text is grammatically sound

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Perhaps the text could have been more universal in its approach. While I didn't find the book insensitive per-se, logic can be tricky here because the point is to evaluate meaningful (non-trivial) arguments, but any argument with that sense of gravity can also be traumatic to students (abortion, death penalty, etc)

No additional comments

Reviewed by Lisa N. Thomas-Smith, Graduate Part-time Instructor, CU Boulder on 7/1/19

The text covers all the relevant technical aspects of introductory logic and critical thinking, and covers them well. A separate glossary would be quite helpful to students. However, the terms are clearly and thoroughly explained within the text,... read more

The text covers all the relevant technical aspects of introductory logic and critical thinking, and covers them well. A separate glossary would be quite helpful to students. However, the terms are clearly and thoroughly explained within the text, and the index is very thorough.

The content is excellent. The text is thorough and accurate with no errors that I could discern. The terminology and exercises cover the material nicely and without bias.

The text should easily stand the test of time. The exercises are excellent and would be very helpful for students to internalize correct critical thinking practices. Because of the logical arrangement of the text and the many sub-sections, additional material should be very easy to add.

The text is extremely clearly and simply written. I anticipate that a diligent student could learn all of the material in the text with little additional instruction. The examples are relevant and easy to follow.

The text did not confuse terms or use inconsistent terminology, which is very important in a logic text. The discipline often uses multiple terms for the same concept, but this text avoids that trap nicely.

The text is fairly easily divisible. Since there are only four chapters, those chapters include large blocks of information. However, the chapters themselves are very well delineated and could be easily broken up so that parts could be left out or covered in a different order from the text.

The flow of the text is excellent. All of the information is handled solidly in an order that allows the student to build on the information previously covered.

The PDF Table of Contents does not include links or page numbers which would be very helpful for navigation. Other than that, the text was very easy to navigate. All the images, charts, and graphs were very clear

I found no grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text including examples and exercises did not seem to be offensive or insensitive in any specific way. However, the examples included references to black and white people, but few others. Also, the text is very American specific with many examples from and for an American audience. More diversity, especially in the examples, would be appropriate and appreciated.

Reviewed by Leslie Aarons, Associate Professor of Philosophy, CUNY LaGuardia Community College on 5/16/19

This is an excellent introductory (first-year) Logic and Critical Thinking textbook. The book covers the important elementary information, clearly discussing such things as the purpose and basic structure of an argument; the difference between an... read more

This is an excellent introductory (first-year) Logic and Critical Thinking textbook. The book covers the important elementary information, clearly discussing such things as the purpose and basic structure of an argument; the difference between an argument and an explanation; validity; soundness; and the distinctions between an inductive and a deductive argument in accessible terms in the first chapter. It also does a good job introducing and discussing informal fallacies (Chapter 4). The incorporation of opportunities to evaluate real-world arguments is also very effective. Chapter 2 also covers a number of formal methods of evaluating arguments, such as Venn Diagrams and Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives, but to my mind, it is much more thorough in its treatment of Informal Logic and Critical Thinking skills, than it is of formal logic. I also appreciated that Van Cleave’s book includes exercises with answers and an index, but there is no glossary; which I personally do not find detracts from the book's comprehensiveness.

Overall, Van Cleave's book is error-free and unbiased. The language used is accessible and engaging. There were no glaring inaccuracies that I was able to detect.

Van Cleave's Textbook uses relevant, contemporary content that will stand the test of time, at least for the next few years. Although some examples use certain subjects like former President Obama, it does so in a useful manner that inspires the use of critical thinking skills. There are an abundance of examples that inspire students to look at issues from many different political viewpoints, challenging students to practice evaluating arguments, and identifying fallacies. Many of these exercises encourage students to critique issues, and recognize their own inherent reader-biases and challenge their own beliefs--hallmarks of critical thinking.

As mentioned previously, the author has an accessible style that makes the content relatively easy to read and engaging. He also does a suitable job explaining jargon/technical language that is introduced in the textbook.

Van Cleave uses terminology consistently and the chapters flow well. The textbook orients the reader by offering effective introductions to new material, step-by-step explanations of the material, as well as offering clear summaries of each lesson.

This textbook's modularity is really quite good. Its language and structure are not overly convoluted or too-lengthy, making it convenient for individual instructors to adapt the materials to suit their methodological preferences.

The topics in the textbook are presented in a logical and clear fashion. The structure of the chapters are such that it is not necessary to have to follow the chapters in their sequential order, and coverage of material can be adapted to individual instructor's preferences.

The textbook is free of any problematic interface issues. Topics, sections and specific content are accessible and easy to navigate. Overall it is user-friendly.

I did not find any significant grammatical issues with the textbook.

The textbook is not culturally insensitive, making use of a diversity of inclusive examples. Materials are especially effective for first-year critical thinking/logic students.

I intend to adopt Van Cleave's textbook for a Critical Thinking class I am teaching at the Community College level. I believe that it will help me facilitate student-learning, and will be a good resource to build additional classroom activities from the materials it provides.

Reviewed by Jennie Harrop, Chair, Department of Professional Studies, George Fox University on 3/27/18

While the book is admirably comprehensive, its extensive details within a few short chapters may feel overwhelming to students. The author tackles an impressive breadth of concepts in Chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4, which leads to 50-plus-page chapters... read more

While the book is admirably comprehensive, its extensive details within a few short chapters may feel overwhelming to students. The author tackles an impressive breadth of concepts in Chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4, which leads to 50-plus-page chapters that are dense with statistical analyses and critical vocabulary. These topics are likely better broached in manageable snippets rather than hefty single chapters.

The ideas addressed in Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking are accurate but at times notably political. While politics are effectively used to exemplify key concepts, some students may be distracted by distinct political leanings.

The terms and definitions included are relevant, but the examples are specific to the current political, cultural, and social climates, which could make the materials seem dated in a few years without intentional and consistent updates.

While the reasoning is accurate, the author tends to complicate rather than simplify -- perhaps in an effort to cover a spectrum of related concepts. Beginning readers are likely to be overwhelmed and under-encouraged by his approach.

Consistency rating: 3

The four chapters are somewhat consistent in their play of definition, explanation, and example, but the structure of each chapter varies according to the concepts covered. In the third chapter, for example, key ideas are divided into sub-topics numbering from 3.1 to 3.10. In the fourth chapter, the sub-divisions are further divided into sub-sections numbered 4.1.1-4.1.5, 4.2.1-4.2.2, and 4.3.1 to 4.3.6. Readers who are working quickly to master new concepts may find themselves mired in similarly numbered subheadings, longing for a grounded concepts on which to hinge other key principles.

Modularity rating: 3

The book's four chapters make it mostly self-referential. The author would do well to beak this text down into additional subsections, easing readers' accessibility.

The content of the book flows logically and well, but the information needs to be better sub-divided within each larger chapter, easing the student experience.

The book's interface is effective, allowing readers to move from one section to the next with a single click. Additional sub-sections would ease this interplay even further.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Some minor errors throughout.

For the most part, the book is culturally neutral, avoiding direct cultural references in an effort to remain relevant.

Reviewed by Yoichi Ishida, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Ohio University on 2/1/18

This textbook covers enough topics for a first-year course on logic and critical thinking. Chapter 1 covers the basics as in any standard textbook in this area. Chapter 2 covers propositional logic and categorical logic. In propositional logic,... read more

This textbook covers enough topics for a first-year course on logic and critical thinking. Chapter 1 covers the basics as in any standard textbook in this area. Chapter 2 covers propositional logic and categorical logic. In propositional logic, this textbook does not cover suppositional arguments, such as conditional proof and reductio ad absurdum. But other standard argument forms are covered. Chapter 3 covers inductive logic, and here this textbook introduces probability and its relationship with cognitive biases, which are rarely discussed in other textbooks. Chapter 4 introduces common informal fallacies. The answers to all the exercises are given at the end. However, the last set of exercises is in Chapter 3, Section 5. There are no exercises in the rest of the chapter. Chapter 4 has no exercises either. There is index, but no glossary.

The textbook is accurate.

The content of this textbook will not become obsolete soon.

The textbook is written clearly.

The textbook is internally consistent.

The textbook is fairly modular. For example, Chapter 3, together with a few sections from Chapter 1, can be used as a short introduction to inductive logic.

The textbook is well-organized.

There are no interface issues.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

This textbook is relevant to a first semester logic or critical thinking course.

Reviewed by Payal Doctor, Associate Professro, LaGuardia Community College on 2/1/18

This text is a beginner textbook for arguments and propositional logic. It covers the basics of identifying arguments, building arguments, and using basic logic to construct propositions and arguments. It is quite comprehensive for a beginner... read more

This text is a beginner textbook for arguments and propositional logic. It covers the basics of identifying arguments, building arguments, and using basic logic to construct propositions and arguments. It is quite comprehensive for a beginner book, but seems to be a good text for a course that needs a foundation for arguments. There are exercises on creating truth tables and proofs, so it could work as a logic primer in short sessions or with the addition of other course content.

The books is accurate in the information it presents. It does not contain errors and is unbiased. It covers the essential vocabulary clearly and givens ample examples and exercises to ensure the student understands the concepts

The content of the book is up to date and can be easily updated. Some examples are very current for analyzing the argument structure in a speech, but for this sort of text understandable examples are important and the author uses good examples.

The book is clear and easy to read. In particular, this is a good text for community college students who often have difficulty with reading comprehension. The language is straightforward and concepts are well explained.

The book is consistent in terminology, formatting, and examples. It flows well from one topic to the next, but it is also possible to jump around the text without loosing the voice of the text.

The books is broken down into sub units that make it easy to assign short blocks of content at a time. Later in the text, it does refer to a few concepts that appear early in that text, but these are all basic concepts that must be used to create a clear and understandable text. No sections are too long and each section stays on topic and relates the topic to those that have come before when necessary.

The flow of the text is logical and clear. It begins with the basic building blocks of arguments, and practice identifying more and more complex arguments is offered. Each chapter builds up from the previous chapter in introducing propositional logic, truth tables, and logical arguments. A select number of fallacies are presented at the end of the text, but these are related to topics that were presented before, so it makes sense to have these last.

The text is free if interface issues. I used the PDF and it worked fine on various devices without loosing formatting.

1. The book contains no grammatical errors.

The text is culturally sensitive, but examples used are a bit odd and may be objectionable to some students. For instance, President Obama's speech on Syria is used to evaluate an extended argument. This is an excellent example and it is explained well, but some who disagree with Obama's policies may have trouble moving beyond their own politics. However, other examples look at issues from all political viewpoints and ask students to evaluate the argument, fallacy, etc. and work towards looking past their own beliefs. Overall this book does use a variety of examples that most students can understand and evaluate.

My favorite part of this book is that it seems to be written for community college students. My students have trouble understanding readings in the New York Times, so it is nice to see a logic and critical thinking text use real language that students can understand and follow without the constant need of a dictionary.

Reviewed by Rebecca Owen, Adjunct Professor, Writing, Chemeketa Community College on 6/20/17

This textbook is quite thorough--there are conversational explanations of argument structure and logic. I think students will be happy with the conversational style this author employs. Also, there are many examples and exercises using current... read more

This textbook is quite thorough--there are conversational explanations of argument structure and logic. I think students will be happy with the conversational style this author employs. Also, there are many examples and exercises using current events, funny scenarios, or other interesting ways to evaluate argument structure and validity. The third section, which deals with logical fallacies, is very clear and comprehensive. My only critique of the material included in the book is that the middle section may be a bit dense and math-oriented for learners who appreciate the more informal, informative style of the first and third section. Also, the book ends rather abruptly--it moves from a description of a logical fallacy to the answers for the exercises earlier in the text.

The content is very reader-friendly, and the author writes with authority and clarity throughout the text. There are a few surface-level typos (Starbuck's instead of Starbucks, etc.). None of these small errors detract from the quality of the content, though.

One thing I really liked about this text was the author's wide variety of examples. To demonstrate different facets of logic, he used examples from current media, movies, literature, and many other concepts that students would recognize from their daily lives. The exercises in this text also included these types of pop-culture references, and I think students will enjoy the familiarity--as well as being able to see the logical structures behind these types of references. I don't think the text will need to be updated to reflect new instances and occurrences; the author did a fine job at picking examples that are relatively timeless. As far as the subject matter itself, I don't think it will become obsolete any time soon.

The author writes in a very conversational, easy-to-read manner. The examples used are quite helpful. The third section on logical fallacies is quite easy to read, follow, and understand. A student in an argument writing class could benefit from this section of the book. The middle section is less clear, though. A student learning about the basics of logic might have a hard time digesting all of the information contained in chapter two. This material might be better in two separate chapters. I think the author loses the balance of a conversational, helpful tone and focuses too heavily on equations.

Consistency rating: 4

Terminology in this book is quite consistent--the key words are highlighted in bold. Chapters 1 and 3 follow a similar organizational pattern, but chapter 2 is where the material becomes more dense and equation-heavy. I also would have liked a closing passage--something to indicate to the reader that we've reached the end of the chapter as well as the book.

I liked the overall structure of this book. If I'm teaching an argumentative writing class, I could easily point the students to the chapters where they can identify and practice identifying fallacies, for instance. The opening chapter is clear in defining the necessary terms, and it gives the students an understanding of the toolbox available to them in assessing and evaluating arguments. Even though I found the middle section to be dense, smaller portions could be assigned.

The author does a fine job connecting each defined term to the next. He provides examples of how each defined term works in a sentence or in an argument, and then he provides practice activities for students to try. The answers for each question are listed in the final pages of the book. The middle section feels like the heaviest part of the whole book--it would take the longest time for a student to digest if assigned the whole chapter. Even though this middle section is a bit heavy, it does fit the overall structure and flow of the book. New material builds on previous chapters and sub-chapters. It ends abruptly--I didn't realize that it had ended, and all of a sudden I found myself in the answer section for those earlier exercises.

The simple layout is quite helpful! There is nothing distracting, image-wise, in this text. The table of contents is clearly arranged, and each topic is easy to find.

Tiny edits could be made (Starbuck's/Starbucks, for one). Otherwise, it is free of distracting grammatical errors.

This text is quite culturally relevant. For instance, there is one example that mentions the rumors of Barack Obama's birthplace as somewhere other than the United States. This example is used to explain how to analyze an argument for validity. The more "sensational" examples (like the Obama one above) are helpful in showing argument structure, and they can also help students see how rumors like this might gain traction--as well as help to show students how to debunk them with their newfound understanding of argument and logic.

The writing style is excellent for the subject matter, especially in the third section explaining logical fallacies. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this text!

Reviewed by Laurel Panser, Instructor, Riverland Community College on 6/20/17

This is a review of Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, an open source book version 1.4 by Matthew Van Cleave. The comparison book used was Patrick J. Hurley’s A Concise Introduction to Logic 12th Edition published by Cengage as well as... read more

This is a review of Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, an open source book version 1.4 by Matthew Van Cleave. The comparison book used was Patrick J. Hurley’s A Concise Introduction to Logic 12th Edition published by Cengage as well as the 13th edition with the same title. Lori Watson is the second author on the 13th edition.

Competing with Hurley is difficult with respect to comprehensiveness. For example, Van Cleave’s book is comprehensive to the extent that it probably covers at least two-thirds or more of what is dealt with in most introductory, one-semester logic courses. Van Cleave’s chapter 1 provides an overview of argumentation including discerning non-arguments from arguments, premises versus conclusions, deductive from inductive arguments, validity, soundness and more. Much of Van Cleave’s chapter 1 parallel’s Hurley’s chapter 1. Hurley’s chapter 3 regarding informal fallacies is comprehensive while Van Cleave’s chapter 4 on this topic is less extensive. Categorical propositions are a topic in Van Cleave’s chapter 2; Hurley’s chapters 4 and 5 provide more instruction on this, however. Propositional logic is another topic in Van Cleave’s chapter 2; Hurley’s chapters 6 and 7 provide more information on this, though. Van Cleave did discuss messy issues of language meaning briefly in his chapter 1; that is the topic of Hurley’s chapter 2.

Van Cleave’s book includes exercises with answers and an index. A glossary was not included.

Reviews of open source textbooks typically include criteria besides comprehensiveness. These include comments on accuracy of the information, whether the book will become obsolete soon, jargon-free clarity to the extent that is possible, organization, navigation ease, freedom from grammar errors and cultural relevance; Van Cleave’s book is fine in all of these areas. Further criteria for open source books includes modularity and consistency of terminology. Modularity is defined as including blocks of learning material that are easy to assign to students. Hurley’s book has a greater degree of modularity than Van Cleave’s textbook. The prose Van Cleave used is consistent.

Van Cleave’s book will not become obsolete soon.

Van Cleave’s book has accessible prose.

Van Cleave used terminology consistently.

Van Cleave’s book has a reasonable degree of modularity.

Van Cleave’s book is organized. The structure and flow of his book is fine.

Problems with navigation are not present.

Grammar problems were not present.

Van Cleave’s book is culturally relevant.

Van Cleave’s book is appropriate for some first semester logic courses.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Reconstructing and analyzing arguments

• 1.1 What is an argument?
• 1.2 Identifying arguments
• 1.3 Arguments vs. explanations
• 1.4 More complex argument structures
• 1.5 Using your own paraphrases of premises and conclusions to reconstruct arguments in standard form
• 1.6 Validity
• 1.7 Soundness
• 1.8 Deductive vs. inductive arguments
• 1.9 Arguments with missing premises
• 1.10 Assuring, guarding, and discounting
• 1.11 Evaluative language
• 1.12 Evaluating a real-life argument

Chapter 2: Formal methods of evaluating arguments

• 2.1 What is a formal method of evaluation and why do we need them?
• 2.2 Propositional logic and the four basic truth functional connectives
• 2.3 Negation and disjunction
• 2.4 Using parentheses to translate complex sentences
• 2.5 “Not both” and “neither nor”
• 2.6 The truth table test of validity
• 2.7 Conditionals
• 2.8 “Unless”
• 2.9 Material equivalence
• 2.10 Tautologies, contradictions, and contingent statements
• 2.11 Proofs and the 8 valid forms of inference
• 2.12 How to construct proofs
• 2.13 Short review of propositional logic
• 2.14 Categorical logic
• 2.15 The Venn test of validity for immediate categorical inferences
• 2.16 Universal statements and existential commitment
• 2.17 Venn validity for categorical syllogisms

Chapter 3: Evaluating inductive arguments and probabilistic and statistical fallacies

• 3.1 Inductive arguments and statistical generalizations
• 3.2 Inference to the best explanation and the seven explanatory virtues
• 3.3 Analogical arguments
• 3.4 Causal arguments
• 3.5 Probability
• 3.6 The conjunction fallacy
• 3.7 The base rate fallacy
• 3.8 The small numbers fallacy
• 3.9 Regression to the mean fallacy
• 3.10 Gambler's fallacy

Chapter 4: Informal fallacies

• 4.1 Formal vs. informal fallacies
• 4.1.1 Composition fallacy
• 4.1.2 Division fallacy
• 4.1.3 Begging the question fallacy
• 4.1.4 False dichotomy
• 4.1.5 Equivocation
• 4.2 Slippery slope fallacies
• 4.2.1 Conceptual slippery slope
• 4.2.2 Causal slippery slope
• 4.3 Fallacies of relevance
• 4.3.1 Ad hominem
• 4.3.2 Straw man
• 4.3.3 Tu quoque
• 4.3.4 Genetic
• 4.3.5 Appeal to consequences
• 4.3.6 Appeal to authority

Answers to exercises Glossary/Index

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a “critical thinking textbook.”

About the Contributors

Matthew Van Cleave ,   PhD, Philosophy, University of Cincinnati, 2007.  VAP at Concordia College (Moorhead), 2008-2012.  Assistant Professor at Lansing Community College, 2012-2016. Professor at Lansing Community College, 2016-

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How to Think Critically

Thinking critically is something that is not easy, but it is essential to making good decisions. It is easier to think analytically, in a linear fashion like working with constants in a mathematical problem. Critical thinking requires thinking in a literary way that is much more non-linear. When you think critically about something you are analyzing and evaluating it with an end result of making an improvement. Following are some steps to take in your thinking process that will help you think more critically.

Something to Think About:

Apply the word WHY

A first step in thinking analytically about something is to use the word WHY. One aspect of thinking critically is to question every aspect of a topic, including the credibility of the source to your own opinions and conclusions. You need to raise clearly formulated vital questions, not just questions for the sake of argument.

Gather Information

Review the answers to those questions and gather information that is relevant to the topic. Interpret the information effectively, using it to clarify the problem or to add information to the ideas presented. Sift through the information to week out the pieces that do not contribute to the overall improvement or solution of the issue.

Draw Conclusions

Informed conclusions and solutions need to be tested and evaluated using relevant criteria. In other words, if your conclusions do not help with solving the issue, they are not relevant. When critically analyzing an issue or problem, the goal is to come up with a solution that will effectively solve the problem with few or no repercussions or without causing additional problems. How often have you heard the saying, “He/she didn’t think that one through.”?

Think with an Open Mind

Recognize alternative solutions, assess them and review what would happen if another choice was made. What are the assumptions, the implications, and practical consequences of doing it another way? Remember assumptions are not bad, but in order to validate an assumption, you must analyze it for relevance, currency, accuracy, and validity. If an assumption proves true based on the analysis, it can be used as a valid alternative solution.

Communicate Effectively

Solutions to complex problems can be obtained if everyone is in communication with each other on a steady basis. Once a decision has been made, make sure that everyone affected is notified, not only of the decision, but also of the reasons why the decision was made. Others will buy into a solution if they understand why it came about.

Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective. No one can think critically for us. In order to overcome our own egocentrism, we need to learn to be effective problem solvers, communicate effectively, and show a commitment to the solution.

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Thinking is a natural process and we cannot avoid it but we can definitely change our way of thinking. It is our brain which processes our thoughts when we look at any situation, object, data, person etc.

We have a set of preinstalled assumptions, reasons, logics biases which construct our thoughts and we can definitely change or control them to build an effective thinking skill which is called Critical Thinking.

Critical Thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, comprehending the logical connection in a situation.  It has been the subject of much thought for a lot of centuries and has continued to be a subject of discussion in today’s modern world.

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This Zoe training course will empower you in your Critical thinking by providing detailed knowledge of thoughts, logic, reasoning and arguments. This course will make you think 360 degrees about an idea and will help you make decisions effectively.

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Individuals who participate in this Critical Thinking Training Program can gain from it in the following ways:

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MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION- Critical Thinking

• What are the types of thinking?
• What is critical thinking?
• Importance of critical thinking

MODULE 2: Cognitive Thinking

• Definition of Cognition
• How does your Brain Work?
• Evolution of Human Brain
• Left Brain Vs Right Brain
• Importance of Cognition in Critical Thinking
• Limitation of Cognition

MODULE 3: Reasoning

• What is reasoning?
• Importance of Reasoning in Decision Making
• Impact of Reasoning in Critical Thinking
• Is reasoning always correct?
• Fallacious Reasoning
• Good and Bad Reasoning
• Limitations of Reasoning

MODULE 4: Logical Thinking

• What is logic?
• Importance of Thinking Logically
• Inductive Reasoning
• Deductive Reasoning
• Impact of Logics in Critical Thinking

MODULE 5:  Statements and Arguments

• What is a Statement?
• What is the Argument?
• Understanding Assumption

MODULE 6: Six Thinking Hats Model

• Introduction
• Application of 6 Hats Tool

MODULE 7: Cognitive Bias

• What is Cognitive Bias?
• Myths about Cognitive Bias
• Some Examples
• How does it impact Critical Thinking?
• Debiasing Strategies

MODULE 8: Parts of Critical Thinking

• Comprehension
• Identification
• Explanation
• Self- Assessment

MODULE 9: Time to Apply

• Case Studies and Story Telling
• Understanding the practical application of Critical Thinking
• Developing a powerful, positive leadership mindset
• Applying the tools and theories to improve Critical Thinking

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Critical Thinking Training

• Duration: 3 days
• Language: English
• 17 NASBA CPE Credits (live, in-class training only)
• 17 PMI PDUs
• Level: Foundation

In this Critical Thinking Training course, you will learn how to leverage critical thinking and creative problem-solving techniques to solve organizational issues in a corporate environment. You will learn about:

• Left and right-brain thinking
• Spur creativity
• Outcome-based thinking

Critical Thinking Training Delivery Methods

Critical thinking training benefits.

In this leadership course, you will:

• Learn to make better decisions through critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
• Enhance your personal creativity through proven tools and techniques.
• Apply critical processes to assess work issues and problems.
• Transform your creativity into practical business solutions.
• Continue learning and face new challenges with after-course one-on-one instructor coaching.

Prequisites

Critical Thinking Training Outline

Module 1: critical thinking and creative problem-solving essentials.

In this module, you will learn how to: 

• Apply creative problem solving in the workplace
• Differentiate between creativity and innovation
• Apply the steps of critical thinking and understand the connections between ideas and facts
• Analyze and evaluate data and establish significance
• Identify various conclusions, weigh strengths, and limitations of all possible outcomes

Module 2: Leveraging Personal Thinking Styles

In this module, you will learn how to:

• Identify your own natural brain dominance with the Triune Brain Theory
• Assess your preferred approach to thinking, along with your strengths and opportunities
• Leverage your left- or right-brain dominance
• Enhance your whole-brain thinking
• Recognize and adapt to others’ preferred thinking styles

Module 3: Unleashing Your Creativity

• Explore your own creativity
• Utilize tools and techniques to become more creative
• Identify elements that stimulate creativity
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• Avoid groupthink, which can lead to poor outcomes
• Unscramble the iterative mind
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• Apply analysis models for problem solving
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• Deconstruct problems using the stair-step technique, which focuses on solving a problem step-by-step
• Create a satisfaction scale to help you choose the best solution

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• Overcome the "It won't work here" mentality
• Analyze for outcomes, not solutions
• Clearly express analysis results

Module 6: Putting It All Together

• Reinforce your newly developed creative thinking skills
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What is critical thinking.

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze a situation and make a professional judgement.

What is creative problem solving?

Generating inventive solutions to every day problems by implementing the innovating ideas in a practical way for your workplace.

What is the difference between critical thinking and creative thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to interpret data and make a professional judgement whereas creative thinking gives possible solutions for the data you interpreted and analyzed.

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Develop critical thinking skills with the 21CLD knowledge construction dimension

This module introduces educators to the dimension of knowledge construction which helps learners build deep knowledge that they can transfer and apply in practice.

Learning objectives

In this module, you will:

• Determine why knowledge construction is important
• Define knowledge construction
• Understand the 21CLD Knowledge Construction rubric and decision tree
• Identify Microsoft tools that support knowledge construction
• Design learning activities that focus on knowledge construction

Prerequisites

• Introduction min
• Introduction to knowledge construction min
• Design learning experiences with the knowledge construction rubric min
• Support knowledge construction with Microsoft tools min
• Knowledge construction in action min
• Knowledge check min
• Summary min

MODULE 2: CRITICAL THINKING

AIM OF THE MODULE

SUPPORTING MATERIALS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The present module provides a guide for teachers and educational professionals for analysing the basic aspects of thinking processes, in order to support students in creating their own opinions independently, being able to analyse and evaluate the reliability of information, discourses and arguments, questioning assumptions and detecting logical fallacies and thinking biases. 

In the era of hyper-connection we are living, we are bombarded with a continuous flow of information and news: young people in particular if not well trained in critical thinking, will tend to absorb any information without reformulating and questioning it, thus ending up believing immediately everything they read or hear. Critical thinking is important especially in a world that is often made of fake news, voluntary distortions of facts or reality and propaganda.

With particular reference to controversial issues, such as migration, terrorism, gender violence and sexual orientations, left to rely on friends and social media for their information, young people can be frustrated or confused about some of the major issues which affect their communities and European society today. In the absence of help from school, they might have no reliable means of dealing with these issues constructively and no one to guide them.

The role of school and teachers becomes fundamental in this sense, to support students in developing their critical thinking, approaching news, data and information in logical and conscious ways, to understand and handle life in pluralist social environments, becoming resilient against extreme views, social polarisation and radicalisation processes.

After the completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Understand the links between ideas
• Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas
• Recognise arguments
• Identify inconsistencies, weaknesses and errors in reasoning
• Recognise biases
• Evaluate sources and data

Critical thinking can be defined as the ability to think rationally, exploring issues and ideas and understanding the logical connection between them, before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion . It might be also described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

We all think and we do it continuously. Our thoughts and way of thinking depends on the quality of our life, the choices we made, the way we see and interpret the reality.

But often our thinking is biased, prejudiced, distorted or based on partial information. Having not a full and clear overview of a situation, issue, news, can lead us to assume a different perspective that can affect many aspects of our actions.

Critical thinking is a habit of mind that needs to be cultivated from childhood. Schools and teachers need to support students in developing their ability to reason upon ideas, accustoming them to be active learners rather than passive recipients of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

It requires you to use your ability to reason. 

The basic unit of reasoning is an argument.

Within the context of “logic” or critical thinking, the word “argument” doesn’t refer to a heated discussion or “fight” between people.

An argument is the linguistic representation of a thinking “step” or act (called the inference), whereby someone comes to accept a statement as true (the conclusion) on the basis of accepting other statements as true (the premise). 

Arguments are commonly found in newspaper editorials and opinion columns, as well as magazine essays.

Around a certain issue, a critical thinker is able to understand and analyse arguments and determine if they are “good” in the sense of logically reliable, and therefore if a rational person, upon hearing them, should be convinced. Being able to evaluate an argument allows us to not passively accept opinions and ideas given by others but to analytically, independently and consciously develop our own point of view.

In this module we will analyse what an argument is, how it is built and how to analyse and evaluate it. Furthermore, the module analyses also how our own thought processes can be not always rational but biased, even unconsciously. Not intentionally, biased discourses are used by politics or advertising, to easily persuade people about ideas and opinions, by appealing to the less rational mental processes.

To be aware of biases in our way of thinking and to learn how to recognise and detect them in the communication’s strategies used around us to make a discourse more persuasive, it is a fundamental step of critical thinking.

WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?

An argument is an attempt to convince, using reasons (Epstein, 1998). An argument consists of two parts:

• The conclusion is the sentence that the argument is arguing for, or that part of the argument that the arguer is trying to convince you of. The conclusion is always a claim.
• The premises are sentences that are supposed to support, lead to, provide evidence for, prove or convince that the conclusion is true.

So, an argument is an attempt to convince someone that a certain claim is true, through a set of sentences such that one of them is being said to be true (conclusion) and the other(s) are being offered as reasons for believing the truth of the one (premises).

For example, this is an argument:

It is Wednesday, Paula always wears a jacket on Wednesday so Paula will be wearing a jacket today .

The last sentence is the conclusion . The other sentences are premises .

Here’s another example:

It is important to complete college education. College graduates earn, on average, more money and they report higher achievements in life.

In this case, the first sentence is the conclusion , and the rest are premises . You should be able to note this because the other sentences provide reasons to believe the first sentence. That is, they act as premises, or evidence, for the conclusion. Another way to see that this is the conclusion is to ask yourself: what is the person trying to convince me of? It’s not “college graduates earn more money.” He’s telling me that without any evidence. But, if that’s true, that’s a reason to graduate from college. In other words, it’s a premise. The premise is presented as evidence for the conclusion. The premise of an argument is a statement which is used or offered as a reason for accepting another statement as true. The conclusion of an argument is a statement that answers the issue.

HOW DO I EVALUATE ARGUMENTS?

First of all, it is important to distinguish arguments from assertions. An argument is a set of sentences, one of which is being asserted; an assertion is a single sentence that can be true or false.

In logic, assertions are either true or false, but arguments are neither true nor false. They are either good or bad.

A good argument is one in which:

(a) the conclusion follows from the premises;

(b) the premises are all true.

PRACTICING CRITICAL THINKING: A GUIDE IN THREE STEPS

Step 1 - framing the situation.

When approaching a text or a speech, it is important to take into consideration many elements, to frame the situation analytically.

You can do so, asking the following questions.

Who said it? Someone known? Someone in a position of authority or power? Does it matter who told you this?

What did they say? Did they give facts or opinions? Did they provide all the facts? Did they leave anything out?

Where did they say it? Was it in public or in private? Did other people have a chance to respond an provide an alternative account?

When did they say it? Was it before, during or after an important event? Is timing important?

Why did they say it? Did they explain the reasoning behind their opinion? Were they trying to make someone look good or bad?

How did they say it? Were they happy or sad, angry or indifferent? Did they write it or say it?

STEP 2 - EVALUATION OF THE ARGUMENT

The evaluation of an argument needs to be based upon rational criteria. An evaluation strategy useful for this scope is the one provided by the  F.E.L.T.  criteria below (Fairness, Evidence, Logic, Tone).

• Is the argument fair and balanced, or does it contain bias?
• Is the argument one-sided?
• Are there alternative points of view not addressed?
• What are the implications of this narrowness?
• Think about the implications of the argument and the author’s suggestions. Would implementing the author’s suggestions have results that they have not written about, either positive or negative?
• Are there any worthwhile implications, e.g. for policy recommendations or action?
• Are there any undesirable or dangerous implications?

E vidence and  L ogic

• Are the given premises reliable and relevant? Are they thoroughly explained?
• Is the movement from premise to conclusion logical? Does the argument contain gaps in reasoning or  logical fallacies ?
• Do the premises themselves require further justification? (Bag the question fallacy)
• Arguments need to be supported by evidence to be effective. Types of evidence include other authors’ ideas, statistics and surveys. When evaluating an argument, think about whether the appropriate type of evidence has been used to support it.
• Is there enough evidence?
• Is the evidence biased?
• Is the considered sample representative?
• Is the evidence used up to date/relevant?

In logic an argument can be valid or invalid. In a valid argument the conclusion follows on from the premises (propositions, statements or assumptions upon which the argument is based). If all the premises in an argument can be proved to be true and the conclusion can be shown to follow on from the premises, then the conclusion will necessarily be true. In examining an argument consider whether the premises (or steps) in an argument follow on from one another, and whether the premises are true.

• Are the prepositions, assumptions or statements upon which the argument is based true?
• Does the conclusion necessarily follow from the premises?
• Is the attitude of the writer appropriate for the content? For example, is it too serious? Is it too sarcastic or dismissive? Is it overly dramatic? (Tone can reinforce bias.)
• In everyday life, we often try to persuade people by using emotive language (by using words such as ‘great’, ‘fantastic’). Emotive language may make an argument appear stronger than it really is, and it is inappropriate in academic writing. As a reader you need to examine the author’s argument to make sure it is justified.
• Does the argument use emotional appeal rather than relying on the force of reason? Is the author’s ‘voice’ conveyed through unsubstantiated personal opinion rather than through engaging with the argument?

STEP 3 - CREDIBILITY AND RELIABILITY OF SOURCES AND DATA

Usability of Data Check the available data in support of the argument presented:

• Are they relevant to the topic?
• Are they complete (i.e. across groups, geographical areas or sectors?)
• Are they sufficiently recent?
• Are they representative?
• Are they trustworthy?

Reliability of the Sources Review the sources of the data and try to assess:

• the qualifications and technical expertise of the source
• its reputation and track record for accuracy
• its objectivity and motive for bias
• its proximity to the original source or event
• Triangulate the information with other sources

Alternative hypotheses (Devil’s Advocacy) Explore multiple ways in which a situation can develop based on same data. Identify alternative options or outcomes and/or explore the consequences of a specific course of action.

• Brainstorm to identify all possible hypotheses.
• List all significant evidence/arguments relevant to the hypotheses.
• Focus on disproving hypothesis rather than proving one.
• Establish the relative likelihood for hypotheses and report all conclusions.
• Logic Mapping: Mapping the logic underpinning an argument or decision to identify faulty logic.
• Read through the arguments and evidence supporting them.
• Use post-its to identify key elements of the logic. Each post-it should contain one assumption, assertion, key argument, deduction and conclusion.
• Arrange the post-its on a wall/board, clustering similar themes and identify the connecting or linking arguments and key relationships.
• Group each cluster under a theme. Note any isolated post-its or clusters that do not fit into.
• Create a diagram showing the key elements of the arguments.

TIPS FOR APPLYING THE METHODS TO DIFFERENT SUBJECTS

Critical thinking is a habit of mind that can and should be, developed and applied to any subject and matter.

The specific strategies and methods included in this module particularly fit with analysis of text, speeches and discourses, so they perfectly apply to teaching as languages (native and foreign).

Critical thinking can be easily practiced also, in teaching history, geography, art and literature, social science and similar, but also mathematics and sciences.

For example:

• In language and literature (national of foreign): Teachers can submit a text or a video to students and ask them to analyse it. Particularly effective can be the analysis of articles from newspaper, adverts or political discourses – for example,  presidential elections, actual or historical, to detect logical fallacies and biases and evaluate the text in a critical way.
• In philosophy: Analysing a theory that can rise different opinions and positions;
• In Geography and History: Challenge the Eurocentric vision of books and sources, exploring different points of views.
• In Art and Literature: Ask students to analyse and comment on  a piece of art, a poem or a passage from a book, asking what the author intended to express and analyse different critics (positive and negative);
• Rather than directing students to use a particular strategy to solve an assigned problem, the teacher should work with them to identify various strategies and to develop criteria for choosing a suitable strategy from among the options.
• Error analysis: Teachers can include intentional errors in a formula or in the procedure to solve a problem or an exercise asking students to find the errors and explain the reason why it is incorrect and how the correct version should be
• Ask students to make autonomous research about a certain topic, asking them to consider at least 3 different sources of information and to analyse the difference between them. Then build the content of the lesson asking the first students to report the result of the research and   the others to turn,   add further findings and elements.
• Not give pre-built information and opinions but make students create the content of the lesson step-by-step in a peer-learning process, asking questions such as “why?” and “what if…?”;

  https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

Martha Bailey, Shirlee Geiger, Hannah Love, Martin Wittenberg, Critical Thinking: Analysis and Evaluation of Argument, Portland Community College, USA licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Available at: https://www.oercommons.org/courses/critical-thinking-analysis-and-evaluation-of-argument

Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL) https://www.oercommons.org/courses/argument-critical-thinking/view This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-4.0 International License.

Marianne Talbot , Critical Reasoning for beginners, Oxford University, series of podcasts available at http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/critical-reasoning-beginners

ACAPS, Cognitive Biases, Report 2016 Available at: https://www.acaps.org/cognitive-biases

Critical Thinking Skills – https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/critical-thinking.html

2004-2019 Joe Lau & Jonathan Chan – University of Hong Kong – https://philosophy.hku.hk/think/

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