The ability to demonstrate critical thinking is essential for students who seek to achieve good grades at university but it typically creates a lot of confusion and anxiety. Critical Thinking Skills provides an easy to follow, step by step guide to developing analytical reasoning skills and applying them to tasks such as reading, note-making and writing. A complex subject is broken down into easy to understand blocks, with clear explanations, good examples, and plenty of activities to develop understanding at each stage.
Students can use this book to: · Critically assess other people's arguments · Recognise flawed reasoning · Evaluate the material used to support arguments · Apply critical thinking when reading, writing and making notes · Write excellent essays and reports
The 4th edition features a new section on argument mapping techniques, which help readers to visualize the structures of an argument. It also contains new and updated examples that link to current affairs, showing the importance of critical thinking as a lifelong skill.
Written by internationally renowned author Stella Cottrell, this is an essential resource for students looking to refine their thinking, reading and writing skills.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Introducing Critical Thinking Skills 1. What is Critical Thinking? 2. How Well Do You Think? Develop Your Thinking Skills 3. What's Their Point? Identifying Arguments 4. Is it an Argument? Argument and Non-Argument 5. How Well Do They Say It? Clarity, Consistency and Structure 6. Reading Between the Lines: Recognising Underlying Assumptions and Implicit Arguments 7. Does it Add Up? Identifying Flaws in the Argument 8. Where's the Proof? Finding and Evaluating Sources of Evidence 9. Criticality When Selecting, Interpreting and Noting From Sources 10. Critical, Analytical Writing: Critical Thinking When Writing 11. Mapping and Evaluating Arguments 12. Critical Reflection 13. Applying Critical Thinking to Career Planning and Employability Practice Activities Appendix: Selected Search Engines and Databases for Online Literature Searches Bibliography Index