We understand what critical thinking is, why it is needed in study, work and everyday life. At the same time, we share tips on how to develop critical thinking, and talk about specific techniques that will help with this. ‍‍

In the modern world, we are surrounded by information, it comes from different sources and needs to be rethought and checked for authenticity. Thanks to critical thinking, we see inconsistencies and contradictions, we can weed out inaccurate data and separate facts from their interpretation.

Why you need critical thinking

Studies

Critical thinking helps in choosing the sources that we rely on during training, teaches us to see cause-and-effect relationships, generalize and structure information, argue our position and see weaknesses in the positions of others. Critical thinking is important in the study of subjects in which it is necessary to be able to reason, since there is no single correct answer to the question: history, philosophy, political science, social science. The higher the level of critical thinking, the easier it is to master the school curriculum and the university program.

Work

Today, specialists in any field should be able not only to perform routine actions well, but also to make non-standard decisions, find new ways and approaches to solving problems. People who know how to competently conduct a discussion and prove their point of view are highly valued. Critical thinking helps to evaluate work tasks from different angles and helps to avoid errors associated with inaccurate or insufficient information.

Everyday life

A person every day has to make decisions independently, sometimes on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate information. These decisions concern not only study or work, but also health, life, personal relationships. Critical thinking allows you to choose the best course of action, avoid serious mistakes or quickly find a way to correct them.

How to develop critical thinking

Expand your knowledge base

It is impossible to think critically without a sufficient amount of knowledge about the world around us. The more knowledge, the easier it is to compare and analyze. Before critically assessing the problem, it must be considered from all sides, to see the situation in the context of other events, to follow its development over time.

Continually update your knowledge in a variety of areas:

– read fiction and popular science literature;

–  watch documentaries and lectures in open access on educational portals, YouTube channels of specialists in various fields, open lecture halls;

– observe people and their behavior – this will help to understand the reason for their actions and develop a strategy for interaction in different situations;

– talk to people, ask for their opinion and experience – this will allow you to develop or clarify your position on any issue.

You can upgrade your critical thinking skills at Foxford’s free online olympiad.

‍

Learn to ask questions

Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge is the basis of critical thinking, and in order to satisfy this thirst, it is necessary to be able to correctly formulate questions. Practice asking questions on a variety of topics.

For example, set yourself the task of coming up with fifty questions about your favorite movie, book, painting, phenomenon or event in the world around you, subject or specific topic of the school curriculum. When studying any issue, be interested in all aspects, consider the problem from different angles and clarify the details by asking questions.

Read and analyze texts

Critical thinking develops through the constant analysis of information from books and the Internet. Parse each read text, for example, according to the following scheme:

What is the purpose of the text, what audience does the author address, what idea does he want to convey.

What problem is described in the text, is there a single way to solve it, or are there different options.

What is the author’s point of view on the problem, what arguments are used, do they relate to the formulated problem directly or only indirectly.

How the author builds his reasoning: does each fact prove or proposes to take it for granted. As a rule, it is in generalizations – “Everyone knows that …” – that false information is hidden. With their help, you can manipulate the reader and form a distorted attitude to the problem.

Where in the text are the facts, and where is their interpretation. Practice separating one from the other by reading articles online about current events.

Is there any hidden meaning in the text, subtext, and if so, how does it change the general meaning of the text.

‍

Analyzing the text, be sure to formulate your own attitude to the problem, built on facts, arguments and logical reasoning.

Turn to alternative sources of information

Critical thinking necessarily involves getting to know different, sometimes opposing, opinions about a problem. Studying the issue, refer to different sources, compare the information received, evaluate it for consistency, completeness, reliability, and identify inconsistencies.

Reliable information is that which is obtained from verified official sources and is confirmed by specific facts. Articles on the Internet must contain a link to the source.

‍

Come up with options

Thinking critically means seeing different options for the development of a situation depending on various factors and being able to isolate the most optimal, convenient and effective from these options.

– Learn to predict the consequences of your actions in any life situation. When making a decision, write down on paper all the likely consequences, evaluate each of them, think about how to minimize the risk of failure or possible negative consequences.

Think of difficult situations and make a list of possible solutions to problems.

– Analyze the actions of characters in books or films that affect the development of the plot.

– Come up with alternative scenarios that change the character’s life for better or worse.

Analyze errors

We believe that those who do nothing make no mistakes. A mistake is not a reason for self-deprecation, but a way to figure out how to act smarter, better and more efficiently next time. Take a constructive approach to the analysis of each error: find it, evaluate the reasons that led to it, come up with options for how it could have been avoided.

Special exercises and techniques

Chess

Playing chess develops logical thinking, teaches you to see cause-and-effect relationships and predict the development of events. It is useful not only to play chess, but also to solve chess problems.

Rebuses, puzzles and logic games

Solving puzzles and puzzles develops attention and logic, improves the speed of thinking, teaches you to notice small details, to separate the main from the secondary. The most affordable one is suitable – Sudoku, Rubik’s Cube and Fifteen.

Board games that develop logic and imagination

“Yes, no.” The host thinks of a word or situation, and the players must guess it by asking questions. The facilitator can only answer yes or no.

“Activity”. The task of the players is to explain any word or phrase using descriptions, explanations, pictures, gestures, sounds, and so on. When describing a word, it is forbidden to use single-root concepts.

“Codenames: Code Names”. Players are divided into two teams, cards with 25 random words are laid out in front of them, combined according to certain criteria. Each word corresponds to a secret agent of the other team, a civilian or a murderer. The captain gives the players a hint – one word and the number of cards united by this word (sign). Players must, with the help of a hint, isolate a card with a word meaning secret agent. The goal of the game is to quickly guess all the agents of the other team.

Techniques for the development of non-standard thinking

“Going beyond”. Imagine that you need to solve a problem with an unlimited number of resources and possibilities. Come up with solutions taking into account this condition, and then transfer them to a situation where resources are limited, and think about which of the options are fully or partially applicable in this case.

“Mode of application”. Take any object, like a hairbrush or a ballpoint pen, and try to come up with 100 different ways to use it.

“Random Word” Formulate a problem and try to associate it with any randomly selected word from a randomly opened book.

About the author:

Jacqueline Noris is a writer, psychologist and photographer. At the moment, she studies the types of thinking in writing and publishes articles on the payforessay service. Coach and mentor for applicants.