Monday, February 23, 2009

Lecture 7: Critical Thinking and Essay Preparation


What is critical thinking?


“Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do”
-- Robert Ennis

“Active, presistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends”
-- JohnDewey


What is reflective thinking?

“Judgment suspended during further inquiry”
-- Dewey


Think of the scientific method as a way of organising your argument in your essay:

  • Definition of the problem
  • Proposal of the hypothesis/hypotheses
  • Observation
  • Measurement
  • Qualitative/Quantitative Analysis
  • Testing
  • Interpretation

An "ideal" critical thinker should employ these attributes:

  • Inquisitive
  • Open-minded
  • Orderly
  • Focused
  • Persistent
  • Devise testing strategies
  • Formulates alternative solutions/hypotheses
  • Judges acceptability of premises and inferences
  • Draws conclusions


Classic way *not* to structure your essay:





Syllogisms:

All X are Y. Z is X.
Therefore, Z is Y.

--or—

All X are Y. No Z is Y.
Therefore, no Z is X.

For next week: critically evaluate three websites/online resources that fit with feminist theory and digital cultures. Title your blog post: Lecture 7, Critical Thinking, Name.



Coursework Essay DUE DATE: 7th May, 4:00pm





11 comments:

Char Paul said...

this is a great and useful post~ I am sharing it via my e-mail newsletter now :-)

Dr. Jessica Laccetti said...

Glad the post was of use Char.

Thanks for commenting.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jess. Another super pedagogical post. I'll be using this in my critical literacy grad course.

Al Gorgon said...

Thanks for the information. This is a wonderful post!!
affordable essay | admission essays service | thesis

Tracy Manners said...

Critical thinking is necessary not only to write an essay so thanks for the lecture - it's very informing. thesis writing service

website design india said...

Excellent job done and nice informative blog posted.
Thanks

Test Automation said...

Your blog is absolutely fantastic. Good work.Regards.

Hearing Testing said...

Thank you for this great blog! Really enjoying every little bit of it.

Stacy said...

Your blog is really very informational. Thanks ... it helps a lot.Regards.
stacy@listfreewebdirectories.com

Stacy said...

Well, good information on your blog. This blog is really useful for everyone. I must appreciate your work here guys. Keep posting good blogs. Thanks

Great site,
stacy@momsindianrecipes.com

Web Hosting Bangalore said...

This is really interesting; you are a very skilled blogger. I continuously look for these kinds of blogs which give lot of information.