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What is Critical Thinking?Critical thinking is the analysis of facts to form a judgment about a complex subject. When critical thinking, you should include the rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis of factual evidence. Successful critical thinking is the key to a successful Extended Essay. This page is designed to give you some tools to become a better critical thinker, and thus to score better on your Extended Essay.
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The Steps of Critical Thinking
Identify the problem or question: Be specific about the question you are asking. Gather and organize information: Find several sources that present different perspectives and points of view. This will ensure that you are not creating bias by only presenting data that supports your initial view. IB wants to see multiple perspectives. Analyze the data and sources: Evaluate the credibility and reliability of your sources of information. Look for bias in your methods of gathering data. Make a decision: Of the various possible conclusions, which one is supported by the evidence. If you can't justify your decision with facts, you will need to reevaluate your decision. Communicate your conclusion: Present your final decision to stakeholders |
Determine the significance of data: Establish which information is most important to the problem at hand. You may or may not have enough relevant information to make an informed decision. |
Improve Critical Thinking
Become more self-aware
Consider your thought process, values, morals, ethics and other beliefs. What do you believe in? How do your thoughts reflect these values? Think objectively about your likes and dislikes. Knowing what your personal preferences, strengths/weaknesses and biases are can help you better understand why you approach specific situations from a certain perspective. Click here to learn about reflecting on your own views. Evaluate existing evidence Use previous experience and facts to guide you through critical thinking. By conducting research, sorting facts and using previous experience as existing evidence you can arrive at a more applicable and effective solution. |
Develop foresight
Consider how others might feel about a situation or decision. Determine the possible outcomes of a situation and what might change, both positively and negatively. Ask questions When you’re not sure, always ask questions. Start with what you already know and confirm you have all of the details correct. Ask to have points repeated or consider rephrasing in your own words to determine whether you’ve accurately understood. Follow up by asking yourself if something is a fact, an opinion or an idea. Understand your mental process Identify and evaluate how you receive and process information. Understanding how you listen, interpret, and finally react to information. Recognize your own prejudices and how they influence solutions and decisions. Practice active listening Active listening is a foundational element of effective critical thinking. Listen carefully and attentively to all viewpoints. Practice empathy and focus on understanding their perspective(s). |
Adapted from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-improve-critical-thinking
What is Critical Writing?
Critical writing requires you to apply analysis and evaluation to the descriptions you have provided. Writers who can produce persuasive critical writing use evidence to support their ideas. Critical writing takes positive and negative approaches to ideas and interrogates them. Once you have interrogated an idea or theory, you can then provide an evidenced judgment. Critical writing allows you to:
- Apply an idea or theory to a different situations. Does the idea work/not work in practice? Is there a factor that makes this work/not work?
- 'Smith's (2008) theory on teamwork is effective in the workplace because it allows a diverse group of people with different skills to work effectively'.
- Justify why a process or policy exists.
- 'It was necessary for the nurse to check the patient's handover notes because...'
- Suggest an alternative approach to view and act on situations.
- 'By adopting a Freirian approach, we could view the student as a collaborator in our teaching and learning'. Or: 'if we had followed the NMC guidelines we could have made the patient feel calm and relaxed during the consultation'.
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of an idea/theory/policy. Why does this idea/theory/policy work?
- 'Although Smith's (2008) theory on teamwork is useful for large teams, there are challenges in applying this theory to teams who work remotely'.
- How the idea links to other ideas in the subject(synthesis).
- 'the user experience of parks can be greatly enhanced by examining Donnelly's (2009) customer service model used in retail.
- How the idea compares and contrasts with other ideas/theories.
- The approach advocated by the NMC differs in comparison because of factor A and factor C.
- The “up-to-dateness” and relevance of an idea/theory/policy (currency).
- 'although this approach was successful in supporting the local community, Smith's model does not accommodate the needs of a modern global economy'.
- Evaluates an idea/theory/policy by providing an evidence-informed judgment.
- 'Therefore, May's delivery model should be discontinued as it has created significant issues for both customers and staff (Ransom, 2018)'.
- Creates new perspectives or arguments based on knowledge.
- 'to create strong and efficient buildings, we will look to the designs provided by nature. The designs of the Sydney Opera house are based on the segments of an orange (Cook, 2019)'.
How to Write Critically
The Critical Writing Formula (to the left) will help you to write critically. This structure is helpful as it:
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Adapted from https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/academic/writing/CriticalWriting