4.3 Training Critical Thinking Skills
All three tutorials consist of explanations, assignments and model answers. Critical thinking requires effort, much training and independent thinking; resist the temptation to quickly click on the model answer and, when doing the exercises, first try to formulate your own answer.
The assignments are accompanied by general examples that can be understood by everyone. Do not concern yourself with the content of the examples and the claims presented in them, but focus on the proper ordering of information, understanding the principles and applying the rules with respect to the relationships between claims.
You can approach your training in critical thinking skills from two angles: you can go through the three tutorials in Rationale step-by-step, or you can train yourself in each critical skill one by one. If you opt for the former approach, it is good to know that a great many concepts that are used in these tutorials can be found in this book. They are worked out and explained in Chapter 2, Topics Critical Thinking with Rationale and again briefly in Chapter 3, Definitions. You will get familiar with these concepts by consulting this book regularly.
If you want to train yourself in the critical thinking skills one by one, consult the schedule below that concludes this chapter. There you can find exercises from the various tutorials for each critical thinking skill that you can make in Rationale. You will also be told where you can find the supporting theory, both in this book (referred to as Book CT) and in Rationale, complemented by two links that take you to applications of Rationale.
Exercises | Background Material | |
Grouping | - Tut. CT: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Critical Thinking > Set 1 - Tut. AM: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Argument Mapping > no 6 (you better do this tutorial after you have worked through the skills of reasoning and analyzing. This is because no 6 is about the grouping of arguments within a complex argument). | - Book CT: 1,2.1 - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Grouping - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Help > Grouping |
Reasoning | - Tut. CT: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Critical Thinking > Set 2,7 - Tut. AM: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Argument Mapping > ‘Before you start’. - Tut. RK: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Reasoning for Knowledge > Reasoning | - Book CT: 2.2 - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Reasoning - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Basis Boxes |
Structuring | - Tut. CT: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Critical Thinking > Set 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 (the last one once you have practiced all the other skills). - Tut. AM: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Argument Mapping > no 1 | - Book CT: 2.3 - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Essay Planning - ‘Essay Writing with Rationale’* - Scientific Writing Course ** |
Analyzing | - Tut. CT: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Critical Thinking > Set 10 - Tut. AM: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Argument Mapping > no 2 - 6 - Tut. RK: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Reasoning for Knowledge > all parts except for Fallacies | - Book CT: 2.4 - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Advanced Reasoning |
Evaluating | - Tut. CT: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Critical Thinking > Set 8, 9, 11 - Tut. RK: Rationale > Explore > Exercising: Tutorials > Reasoning for Knowledge > Fallacies | - Book CT: 2.5, 3 - Rationale > Explore > Working with Rationale > Rationale Guide > Evaluating |
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDPahgPEg1Y
** http://communication.ncbs.res.in/ScienceWriting2/
