Critical thinking

Information surrounds us all.  We use information to work and study, to inform ourselves, and to entertain ourselves.  Critical thinking is a central part of how we deal with this information. 

Most of us don't accept all information at face value.  When an advertisement suggests that a particular breakfast cereal will help us to look gorgeous in a red dress, we are quite savvy about how we interpret that information.  In college, good critical thinking skills are very important.  College is where we start to think about ideas: evaluating them, contrasting them, building upon them...

The Learning Development section of The University of Plymouth have devised an excellent model to help us think critically about college subjects and assignments.



They encourage us to think about academic subjects or ideas in 3 categories:
(1) Describe them: what? -- when? -- who? -- where?
(2) Analyse them: why? -- how?
(3) Evaluate them: what if? -- so what? -- what next?

(click  on image to enlarge)

You can read more here!