How to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Improve your ability to solve problems with critical thinking.

Critical thinking skills allow you to more effectively explore the information that you acquire through learning and apply this information in your daily life. Individuals who are good critical thinkers question newly acquired information as a matter of course. By working to develop your critical thinking skills, you can make the information you learn more relevant and allow it to impact your thoughts, ideas and actions.

Instructions

1. Question presented facts. Instead of accepting what you are told at face value, don't be afraid to question. Consider the plausibility of facts before you accept them into your knowledge base. If you doubt the validity of information you are presented with, research it and gather more information before determining whether the fact is valid and, therefore, worthy of remembering.

2. Gather information through inference. As you acquire new facts, use them to draw inferences. For example, if you learn that radio is the means by which most individuals in a set area gather information, you could infer that individuals in that area do not have televisions or Internet access. Research your inferences to determine whether they are accurate.

3. Compose pro and con lists. Consider the merits of positions with these lists. Select topics of importance to you, such as the death penalty, and compose lists of arguments on both sides. Explore your finished list and use it to determine how you really feel about the topic in question.

4. Form and advocate for opinions based upon facts. Use information you've gathered to determine how you feel about issues of importance to you. Argue these issues with friends or classmates, using facts to support your stance.

5. Seek more information on topics of interest. Continuously build your knowledge base by exploring topics that are important to you personally. Consult a variety of sources and gather new information regularly, instead of waiting for information to be presented to you.

References

• InsightAssessment: Critical Thinking -- What It Is and Why It Counts.
• Eastern Tennessee State University: What is Critical Thinking