HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

ADVANCED STUDY PROGRAM

Th.S: Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thủy

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, students will be
able to:
 Use critical thinking and argumentation in university
contexts to improve academic results
 Understand the importance and function of critical
thinking in academic culture
 Use a variety of thinking tools to improve critical
thinking
 Identify types of argument, and bias within arguments,
in order to better evaluate the strength of arguments
 Use evidence to support claims in arguments
 Apply critical thinking and argumentation to real world
problems and issues
 CONTENTS
I Introduction

II The importance of critical thinking

III Developing critical thinking

IV Demonstrating critical thinking

I. INTRODUCTION CRITICAL THINKING
Definition

- Cognitive component: CT is a
Earlier skill, a set of skills, a mental
procedure, or simply rationality.
01
- Broader perspectives: CT is
02 Later reasonable reflective thinking
(Ennis, 1987).
03
Recently - More holistic view: CT has 3
dimensions---cognitive skills,
disposition, and knowledge
(Thomas & Lok, 2015).
I. INTRODUCTION CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is a cognitive process and a

fundamental skill that involves analyzing, evaluating,
and synthesizing information to form well-reasoned
judgments and make informed decisions

Critical thinking involves questioning assumptions,

considering alternative perspectives, and making
informed judgments based on evidence and
reasoning.
I. INTRODUCTION CRITICAL THINKING
Why critical thinking is important in
academic life?
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN
ACADEMIC
 Critical thinking skills are a vital part of your academic life
– when reading, when writing and when working with
other students

 Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which

you question, analyse, interpret, evaluate and make a
judgement about what you read, hear, say, or write

 Critical thinking is the art of making clear, reasoned

judgements based on interpreting, understanding,
applying and synthesizing evidence gathered from
observation, reading and experimentation
Burns, T., & Sinfield, S. (2016)& nbsp;Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to
Success at University (4th ed.) London: SAGE, p94.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN
ACADEMIC
Critical thinking- academic
 In the academic context, critical thinking is most
commonly associated with arguments. You might be
asked to think critically about other people's arguments
or create your own.

 To become a better critical thinker, you therefore need

to learn how to:

 Critical thinking is all about asking questions”

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN
ACADEMIC
Why should students have critical thinking skills?
 Students should have critical thinking skills because
they are essential for their overall development and
success in various aspects of life.

 Critical thinking enables students to analyze information

objectively, evaluate evidence, and make informed
decisions.

 It fosters independent thinking, creativity, and problem-

solving abilities, allowing students to approach
challenges with a logical and systematic mindset.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN
ACADEMIC
Why should students have critical thinking skills?
 Critical thinking will also help you to create strong
arguments of your own (for example, in assignments).
This means that you will be able to present and justify
any claims you make based on the evidence you have
evaluated
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Developing critical thinking skills

Developing critical thinking skills will allow students to
develop more reasoned arguments for their assignments,
projects and examination questions. Students will be able
to use and draw on evidence to justify their own
arguments and ideas

Students will be able to synthesize their own thoughts, the

thoughts of differing theorists/ researchers and those of
the course materials author
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Students become better equipped to navigate the

complexities of the modern world, including understanding
and evaluating the vast amount of information available to
them.

Additionally, critical thinking promotes effective

communication, as students learn to express their
thoughts and ideas clearly and persuasively.

In an ever-evolving world, critical thinkers are better

accommodated to new situations, embrace diverse
perspectives, and thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Six key steps to developing your critical thinking

skills and mindset
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Six key steps to developing your critical thinking
skills and mindset

1 Clarify your thinking purpose and context

2 Question your sources of information

3 Identify arguments

4 Analyse sources and arguments

5 Evaluate the arguments of others

6 Create or synthesise your own arguments

III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

1.Clarity your thinking purpose and context

 To be an effective critical thinker, you need to
focus on your own purpose and context, so that
you can avoid information overload and keep
track of your own line of thinking
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

2.Question your source

 Not all sources of information are equally credible,
accurate or relevant. Questioning your sources will
sharpen your thinking, help you select the most
appropriate information and prepare the ground for
further analysis and evaluation.
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

3.Identify argument
 Arguments can be found everywhere. Whenever
somebody is trying to show that something is true, or
persuade somebody else to agree with them, you can
identify an argument.

 As a student, you will find that the ability to identify

arguments is one of the most useful critical thinking
skills
III. DEVELOPING CRITICALTHINKING SKILLS

Argument
 Argument can be defined as a connected series of
related ideas “intended to establish a position and
implying response to another (or more than one)
position” (Andrews 1995, p.3)
 Argument is regarded as the primary expression of
critical thinking in higher education (Andrews 1995,
Scott 2000), and the defining feature of the essay
(Elander et al. 2006)
 Bonnett (2001, pp.50-51) emphasizes: “Your essay is
your argument, everything else makes sense because
of it”
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

4.Analyse sources and arguments

 To analyse something means to examine it in detail,
explain and interpret it. For the purposes of critical
thinking you need to be able to examine sources,
arguments, theories and processes, and explain how
they work

 Good analysis also involves examining, interpreting

and explaining the interaction of evidence, reasoning,
assumptions, methodologies, claims and arguments
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

5. Evaluate the arguments of others

 Evaluation should consider and explain the relative
strengths and weaknesses of your sources and the
arguments they present.

 You need to be able to evaluate arguments, the claims

that support those arguments, the evidence that
supports those claims and the reasoning that connects
them all
III. DEVELOPING CRITICALTHINKING SKILLS

6.Create your own arguments

 Creating arguments consists of bringing together
evidence, reasoning and claims and developing your
own main claim. Creating arguments is also called
synthesis, which means “placing things together.”

 When you create arguments, you bring together the

insights from your analysis and evaluation. You also
consider how your critical thinking might apply in the
broader context, and what new insights and
perspectives it brings.
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
In general, students who develop critical thinking
skills are more able to

1 Achieve better marks

2 Become less dependent on teachers

3 Create knowledge

4 Evaluate, challenge and change the structures in society

III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Structure
III. DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Stephen Toulmin’s model

(Golden, Berquist &Coleman, 1989)

IV. DEMONSTRATING CRITICALTHINKING

Read critically
 What problem or issue is the author addressing ?
 Is the problem or issue clearly identified ?
 How does the author make their arguments (E.g by
appealing to emotion, objectively etc.)
 Is their bias in the argument and what is it ?
 How is the argument laid out or structured?
 What contribution does the items make to your specific
information need?
 How does this document relate to other literature you
have read ?
IV. DEMONSTRATING CRITICALTHINKING

Critical thinking is applied to writing

 The abilities are expressed through the process of
argumentation, producing an argument i.e. the essay,
the dissertation, thesis
 Writing critically can be understood set of abilities
student writers need in order to write effective
argumentative essays
 Academic writing requires criticality; so you also need
to analyse and evaluate information and use it to build
your own arguments
 You show your own thoughts based on the evidence
available,
IV. DEMONSTRATING CRITICALTHINKING
Critical thinking and academic writing process

Adapted from “Critical

Thinking Competency
Standards: Standards,
Principles, Performance
Indicators, and Outcomes with
a Critical Thinking Master
Rubric” by R. Paul and L.
Elder, p. 20-55
III. DEVELOPING CRITICALTHINKING
Read through the following statements and tick those that you
think may come from critical thinkers.
“I hate talk shows where people just state their opinions but never
give any reasons at all”
“No matter how complex a problem, you can bet there will be a
simple solution”
“Just because information is in a textbook, doesn’t necessarily
mean it can be trusted”
“My views are probably shaped by the social and economic
groups I belong to”
“I hate it when teachers discuss problems instead of just giving
the information”
“Selling an idea is like selling cars, you say whatever works”
“I like to think about whether someone’s views reflects the
experience of all groups of people”
“I question the authority of evidence before I accept it”
 DISCUSSION
 Is online learning more effective than traditional
classroom learning?
 Should school uniforms be mandatory in all schools?
 Is social media more harmful or beneficial for society?
 Should students work part-time job in Australia?
 ASSIGMENTS

Assignments for critical thinking

What is the purpose of assignment ?

The structure of the assignment ?

What is the definition of critical thinking?

How to develop the critical thinking skills?
How to apply critical thinking in academic
When will students use it in the university life