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Critical Thinking

1. Universal intellectual standards

   • What are they used for?
     • become infused in the thinking of students, forming part of their inner voice, which then guides them to better and better reasoning.
   • What are they?
     • Universal intellectual standards are standards which must be applied to thinking whenever one is interested in checking the quality of reasoning about a problem, issue, or situation.
   • CLARITY
     • Could you elaborate further on that point?
   • PRECISION
     • Could you give more details? Could you be more specific?
   • RELEVANCE
     • How is that connected to the question?
   • DEPTH
     • How does your answer address the complexities in the question?
   • BREADTH
     • Do we need to consider another point of view?
   • ACCURACY
     • Is that really true? How could we check that? How could we find out if that is true?
   • FAIRNESS
     • Do I have a vested interest in this issue?
   • LOGIC
     • Does this really make sense?

2. Elements of thought

   • What are they used for?
     • We use concepts, ideas and theories to interpret data, facts, and experiences in order to answer questions, solve problems, and resolve issues.
   • What are they?
     • the most basic structures out of which all thinking is made. We must learn how to take thinking apart.
   • Information
     • What information do I have and what information do I not have, but need?
   • Purpose
     • Why is this case study being developed?
   • Assumptions
     • Am I assuming something I shouldn’t?
   • Point of View
     • What is your point of view?
   • Interpretations and Conclusions
     • What are the judgments that will allow me to know if I’ve been successful?
   • Key Question
     • What is the problem being presented or addressed?
   • Concepts
     • What information do I need to apply to correct the problem?
   • Implications and Consequences
     • What are the implications of my proposed solution?