Discussion - York U

Critical Thinking

Learning Skills Serviceslss.info.yorku.caYork University 1

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Discussion

Why is critical thinking important for university students?

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Expand Your Mind!

Critical Thinking Skills

for University Students

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Critical Thinking


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As we are not all gathered in the same physical spaces, we

recognize this land acknowledgment might not be for the territory

you are currently on. If this is the case, we ask that you take the

responsibility to acknowledge the traditional territory you are on

and the current treaty holders. We recognize that many Indigenous

Nations have longstanding relationships with the territories upon

which York University campuses are located that precede the

establishment of York University. York University acknowledges its

presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations.

The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the

Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the

Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and

Métis communities. We acknowledge the current treaty holders,

the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject

to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an

agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region

Land Acknowledgement

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Critical Thinking - Overview

◼ The attitude of a critical thinker

◼ What critical thinking is and isn’t

◼ What is an argument?

◼ Steps to critical thinking

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Critical Thinking


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Attitude: Curious and Motivated

▪ You must be curious enough to want to further your

understanding of an idea or issue

▪ You must be motivated enough to:

▪ Put in time and energy, to examine and evaluate all sides of

an issue

▪ Develop enough understanding of the area to make

educated judgments

What Makes a Good Critical Thinker?

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Attitude: Open-Minded

▪ Thinks independently. Doesn’t believe something

just because someone else says it’s true

▪ Has the courage to examine taken-for-granted beliefs

to see how/ if they are influencing one’s judgment of

an idea/ issue

▪ Examines ideas/ issues without prejudice, even if

they differ radically from own beliefs and views

▪ Waits until sufficient evidence is in, before deciding


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Critical Thinking


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Attitude: Skeptical

▪ Means to begin from a position of doubt

▪ Just another aspect of open-mindedness

▪ Don’t accept claims until have investigated

them objectively and thoroughly

▪ Looking at the issue from all sides

▪ Seeking out relevant information and details

▪ Evaluating, based on the rules of evidence

and argument established within a discipline

or field (more on this later…)


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Attitude: Balanced and Objective

▪ Willing to accept even your own views may be wrong

▪Always prepared to listen to new evidence and re-

assess

▪ Listens to all sides without prejudging, then evaluates

based on evidence/ rational grounds

▪ Addresses the issue/idea, not person delivering it


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Critical Thinking


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Critical Thinking

◼ What it is

◼ What it isn’t….

Hmmm,

dinner?…

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Critical Thinking at University

What it IS:

▪Critical thinking always involves:▪ Asking questions, relevant to a subject area, field of study

or discipline

▪ Finding evidence to address these questions

▪ Evaluating the evidence, to arrive at a conclusion and/or

new questions to explore

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Critical Thinking


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Critical Thinking at University

▪Each discipline or field:

▪Asks specific kinds of questions

▪Has its own rules about what counts as

evidence and how you gather and evaluate it

(e.g., the scientific method)

What it IS:

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Critical Thinking

Is NOT:

▪ About attacking, finding fault or “criticizing” in the

way we normally use the word

▪ Based on emotions, personal values or belief

systems

▪ Always the most persuasive form of argument in the

“real world” - as advertisers and politicians know!

▪ But it is the ONLY accepted form of argument at the

university!

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Critical Thinking


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Critical Thinking

Is NOT:

▪ Just describing or explaining a concept or

theory (even if that concept of theory is complex

and difficult to describe or explain)

▪ However, when doing a critical analysis of a

theory/concept, you must begin with a brief, clear,

balanced description of it

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Exercise: Describing vs. Critiquing

Pick a familiar story, fairy tale or movie everyone in the

group knows well

For example:

▪ The Lion King

▪ Cinderella

▪ The 1st Harry Potter

▪ Briefly describe the story

▪ Be concise but thorough; include all key information

▪ Summarize plot; describe characters; other relevant info

▪ Next, think critically about the story or movie

▪ Look beneath the surface: what kinds of critical questions

might you ask?

▪ What different ways could you analyze/ critique this story?▪ Examples: What does it say about gender roles? Social class? Other hidden

messages or assumptions?

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Critical Thinking


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Critical Thinking

IS:

▪ Analytical

▪ Multi-layered, probes beneath the surface for meaning

▪ Looks at interconnections among ideas

▪ Investigates assumptions behind issues/ ideas

▪ Objective, impersonal and evidence-based

▪ Does not reflect personal bias or emotional attachment to

particular views

▪ Uses established criteria of logic and evidence, developed within a

field of study, to assess ideas/ issues/ information

▪ Always seeks evidence to support claims

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Critical Thinking

IS:

▪ Normally used in academic work to assess or develop an

“argument”

▪ What’s an “argument”? (according to formal logic)

▪ Consists of a claim or conclusion, which follows

logically from one or more premises▪ A premise is a statement or evidence of some kind, supporting

a claim or conclusion

▪ Most academic work consists of arguments of this type,

where the premises consist of evidence (eg research studies),

which supports or refutes (ie. denies/ contradicts) a claim

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Critical Thinking


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Steps to Critical Thinking

1. Identify the argument (claim, conclusion or

theory) being made

▪ Is the argument/ claim:

▪ Clearly stated?

▪ Understandable?

▪ Relevant to the field?

▪ Watch for shifting claims, and/or language that

obscures the basic argument

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2. Are there any assumptions behind the claim which should

be supported by evidence, instead of just assumed to be

true?

▪ Many claims, theories or studies include certain

assumptions, or “taken-for-granteds”

▪ E.g.: In the past, many health studies used only male subjects,

assuming that all bodies react the same way. We now know this

assumption is not true – for example, symptoms of heart attack

differ in men and women

▪ Look for assumptions behind key claims or theories. If

you find some, ask:

▪ Are these assumptions reasonable?

▪ Or do they need to be supported by evidence, rather than just

assumed?

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Critical Thinking


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3. Next, assess the evidence

▪ What kind of evidence is given?

▪ Does the evidence logically and clearly connect to the

claim?

▪ Are the sources for the evidence trustworthy, believable

and unbiased?

▪ Are these ‘scholarly sources’?

▪ Best, because “peer reviewed” by other scholars, who know and follow strict

rules for gathering and evaluating evidence within their field

▪ Only research which meets these rules and standards is accepted for

publication in scholarly journals and books

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3. Assessing the evidence (cont’d)

▪ Is the evidence sufficient?

▪ Is there enough evidence to support the claim or is the author arguing from only 1 or 2 isolated examples?

▪ What evidence is being left out of the argument? (Note: you may need to look at other studies to answer this question!)

▪ Are there other explanations/ claims which the same evidence could support?

▪ Or is this the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the evidence?

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Critical Thinking


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Do try this at home!

▪ Read a news article, editorial or political platform that

interests you. ▪ Identify the argument(s)being made – i.e. the claim/ conclusion, position

▪ Can you identify any assumptions behind this claim, that are not being stated? (Hint: Look for “everyone knows” types of statements)

▪ Then, look for evidence given to support the claim or position. Is any provided?

▪ If so, assess the evidence. ▪ Is there enough evidence given, to convince you that the claim or position

is correct?

▪ What’s being left out? (E.g. Whose voices are left out? Is there another body of evidence contradicting this claim, not being mentioned?)

▪ Is there another conclusion that could fit the same evidence?

▪ Now, how do you feel about this particular argument, claim

or platform?

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Critical Thinking


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Discussion - York U

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