CRITICAL THINKING AND WESTERN LEARNING

What is critical thinking?

It is difficult to define critical thinking. It is a complex concept. It means different things in different subject areas. Put simply, critical thinking is questioning, and making judgements about, other people’s thinking and your own thinking.

The way you go about questioning, and making judgements about, your own work and the work of others is important. It is not just about criticising work. It is not just about forming an unsupported personal opinion. ‘Unsupported ‘ means no evidence has been provided. It involves applying strict intellectual standards to your work. It involves skills such as evaluating, synthesising and analysing. These skills are sometimes referred to as ‘higher-order’ thinking skills.

Critical thinking is a skill that can be learned with practice. It is a skill that is necessary for success in a Western university. Lecturers expect students to show evidence of critical thinking in their work.

When is critical thinking used?

Critical thinking should be used when:

  • reading texts
  • listening and making notes in lectures
  • participating in tutorials
  • writing assignments

Why is critical thinking important?

  1. Everybody has a personal way of thinking and learning. People make sense of the world by creating their own framework for understanding in their minds. This framework for understanding is based on people’s experiences. This means, for example, that culture can have a significant impact on the way people see things or interpret information. When people believe that their way of seeing things or interpreting information is the only way or the correct way, they can be described as being biased. This means that they cannot see alternative ways of interpreting situations or information. It is important to be aware of how experiences can affect our own and others’ thinking. This means being prepared to suspend or temporarily stop, our own beliefs until we have thoroughly investigated all the evidence. Only then, can we make an informed judgement – one based on critical thinking.
  2. Many people tend to ‘believe’ information if it comes from a source of ‘authority’. That source of ‘authority’, for some people, might be a newspaper, television program, lecturer or textbook. But just because something has been said or written by someone in ‘authority’, does not make it ‘true’, ‘right’ or ‘valid’. The arguments these people are presenting might be flawed or mistaken.People who think criticallydo notautomatically believe everything they hear or read. They are sceptical and questioning. They understand that, while the primary purpose of some texts is to present factual information, other texts set out to persuade or convince others of their point of view. The points of view presented are not always based on appropriate intellectual standards. Students must learn how to identify this, in others’ work and their own work.
  3. “Critical thinking is integral to academia generally because this is the main waythat knowledge is added to a field. While academics in a particular field may agree with the conclusions of a particular piece of research, these conclusions may open up other questions which need to be answered. Only through constantly questioning:
  • what if?
  • how could?
  • what does this mean for…?

is new knowledge added to a field, allowing for the constant evolution of academic disciplines In this way, academic disciplines are constantly evolving.”

(University of Wollongong, 2002)

Some guidelines for learning how to think critically

Each discipline, for example,. History, or Mathematics has its own special requirements for critical thinking. Thinking critically in Mathematics, for example, is a different process to thinking critically in History. In some disciplines, critical thinking involves comparing and contrasting theories. In other disciplines it might involve applying theory to practical situations (University of Wollongong, 2002).You will learn about the special requirements for your discipline area as you complete your university course.

Sometimes lecturers will provide you with a special framework to help structure your critical thinking. For example, a teacher of Literature might teach critical analysis of a novel by using a framework based on narrative, plot, characterisation and metaphor. Students then use this framework for analysing other novels (Meyers, 1986).

There are, however, some general guidelines that you can follow to help you develop critical thinking skills. These are listed below.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I agree with this? Why/why not?
  • Do other authors I have read agree with this?
  • What evidence is used to support what is being said?
  • is there any evidence or is it simply personal opinion?
  • is there evidence of wide reading and research or is the argument based on just a few readings?
  • is the evidence from a respected source such as a well known journal or publisher or is it, for example, from an unknown author on the Internet?
  • is the evidence selectively used? Is only evidence used which supports the personal belief of the writer? Is evidence which contradicts the personal belief of the writer omitted (left out)?
  • Is the evidence or research out of date? Is there more recent research that could be used?
  • Are the ideas presented logically?
  • does the order in which the ideas are presented make sense?
  • are there clear links between the ideas?
  • Are there any contradictions? Is one thing said then that same thing argued against later on?
  • Has language been used in such a way that it deliberately persuades or influences the reader?
  • Are definitions provided?
  • What is(are) the main argument(s) being presented?
  • Have examples been well used to support the main ideas?
  • Are the ideas presented relevant and related to the topic?
  • Are the ideas dealt with in enough depth or are they treated too briefly?
  • What is an alternative way that this topic might have been dealt with?
  • Are there questions that remain unanswered?

An example of critical thinking

Imagine that you have an assignment which requires you to investigate the world’s food shortage.

  • One of the books you read is dated 1990. You find some interesting statistics and graphs that you might be able to include in your assignment. If you are thinking critically, you will say to yourself, “This book was written last decade. These statistics will be out of date now. I must look for a more recent publication.”
  • One of your lecturers talks about government opinions on food shortage. As you listen you realise that the lecturer refers to governments in wealthy countries only. If you are thinking critically, you will ask yourself, “I wonder what the opinion of governments from poorer countries is?”
  • You read a journal article in which the author argues strongly against wealthy countries giving food to poorer countries. You disagree with what the author is saying. If you are thinking critically you will ask yourself, “Why do I disagree with this?” You might, for example, ask, “Am I biased because I have lived all my life in a country which has a policy about sharing food resources?”
  • While proof reading your written assignment you realise that you have not explained some points very clearly. If you are thinking critically, you might say to yourself, “If I include some examples it might help explain my points more clearly.”

Critical thinking is NOT…

  • a summary of a text
  • a description of a text
  • repeating theory learnt in class or in texts
  • your own unsupported personal opinion

(University of Wollongong, 2002)

Practise in critical thinking

If you would like to read more about critical thinking or complete some activities that require critical thinking, visit this address:

HOW CLASSES ARE TAUGHT (Lectures, Tutorials and Online Learning)

In most Western education systems university classes are a combination of lectures, tutorials (sometimes called seminars) and online learning. Some units are taught completely online.

LECTURES

It is quite likely that you have already had some experience with lectures. In this type of class the lecturer usually stands at the front of the room and talks to students who sit in the audience and listen. Sometimes these classes can contain hundreds of students. The lecturer is responsible for preparing and presenting the information. This probably sounds very familiar to you.

However, there are two main differences between the lectures you have most likely experienced in the past and the lectures you can expect to experience while a student enrolled at UTAS. These things are likely to be unfamiliar to you. These two things are:

  • the teaching style of Western lecturers
  • what is expected of you, as a student - before, during and after lectures.

The Teaching Style of Western Lecturers

It is important to understand that not all Western lecturers teach in the same style. All lecturers have their own individual way of teaching. However, some generalisations can be made.

  1. Western lecturers are likely to be more informal in their lecturing style than you have experienced in the past. For example, students are not expected to stand when the lecturer enters the room. Students might refer to lecturers by their first name. Sometimes, lecturers might make a joke during a lecture. This doesn’t mean that students and lecturers lack respect for each other. It is simply a reflection of the more relaxed attitude to ‘authority’ that is often associated with some Western cultures. It may take you some time to get used to this more informal style of lecturing.
  2. Lecturers regularly use up-to-date technology to support their lectures. PowerPoint presentations, movie clips, and Internet access are all commonly used. It is most unlikely that lecturers will stand at the front of the room and read from notes only.
  3. Some Western lecturers teach in an interactive way. This means that they will often ask questions during lectures and will expect students to respond. They might ask students to discuss an issue with the person sitting next to them. They might ask students to solve a problem or complete a task. Students are required to do more than just listen.
  4. Lecturers will usually provide lecture notes before lectures, but when they use an interactive style of teaching (see point 3 above) they cannot always predict what might be discussed in class. This is one reason why it is so important to attend all lectures. What is said and discussed in lectures cannot always be found in printed lecture notes or text books.
  5. Lecturers are likely to challenge students’ thinking during lectures. This means that lecturers will not simply give you information to memorise. They will not tell you what to think – that is your job as a student. They will expect you to think about the information/ideas they are presenting. This is called active learning or active participation. For example, they might present students with two opposing ideas or theories and students are required to make their own decision about which idea or theory they personally support and why. You will find more information about students’ responsibility for their own learning in other sections of this booklet.

What is Expected of You, as a Student - Before, During and After Lectures

If you have read the section above on the ‘Teaching Style of Western Lecturers’, you will already have some idea of what is expected of you, as a student.

  1. You will need to prepare for lectures. This means that before lectures you should read the lecture notes provided by your lecturer. You should also read sections of your text book or books and articles from the library that are related to the lecture topic. As you read this information you should be trying to understand what you are reading. Ask yourself questions like, ‘How is this related to what I already know?’, ‘Can I think of examples from my own life that support this?’, ‘What is the link between this information and the information in the last lecture?’, ‘Do I agree with this idea?’, ‘Do all the authors I’ve read on this topic agree with one another?’, ‘Which parts do I not understand?’ ‘How might I try and find out the answer to those things I still don’t understand?’
  2. During some lectures you will be expected to interact. This means you should try to answer any questions the lecturer asks. You should talk to the person next to you if the lecturer asks you to do this. Think about the answer in your own mind, even if you are not personally asked to provide the answer. Decide whether or not you agree with the answer provided by your classmates. You can probably see that preparing for the lecture (reading and thinking before class) will help you participate during class.

Not all lecturers will ask students to answer questions or talk with the person next to them. However, you should still be trying to actively participate in your own mind. You should try to understand what the lecturer is saying, not just write down what is said. This takes a lot of concentration. One way to help with understanding is to try and relate what the lecturer is saying to your own personal experience.

Part of trying to understand what is being discussed in the lecture, involvestaking your own notes. These notes should add to the notes provided by your lecturer. (See the section in this booklet titled ‘Lecture Notes’).

  1. After the lecture, you should read through your lecture notes again. Try to do this as soon as possible after the lecture. This will help you retain the information and understand it. As you re-read your notes, you may remember some other points that were discussed in the lecture. Write these down. You may re-order the notes so that ideas and concepts are grouped more logically. You may add some examples to help remind you about the meaning of some points.

It can also be useful after lectures to spend time with friends discussing the points raised in class. You might, for example, discuss which points in the lecture you thought were the most important, which points you found confusing and so on. Many of you will already have experience in these types of study group discussions.

TUTORIALS (sometimes called seminars)

What are tutorials?

Most units have tutorials as well as lectures. Many of you will not have experienced tutorials before. A tutorial is a much smaller class than a lecture – usually around 20-25 students, although this varies between units.

Tutorials are designed to support lectures. This means that tutorials provide an opportunity for students to explore the idea and/information presented in the lecture in more detail. For example: students might be given an opportunity to practise a skill that has been discussed in a lecture; they might be given some questions or a case study to discuss; or they might be given a problem to solve in a small group. Tutorials usually have an assessment component.

Why are tutorials important?

Tutorials are the best places for you to strengthen your understanding of lecture content. They are the best places for you to ask questions about the things you still don’t understand. They are also the best places for you to practise, develop and demonstrate to your teacher, your communication skills. Communication skills are one of the Generic Graduate Attributes that staff at UTAS are required to assess.

For more information on Generic Graduate Attributes see the section in this booklet titled ‘Assessment’ or visit the UTAS website at:

How should I behave in a tutorial?

For all the reasons listed above you should actively participate in all tutorial classes. This means you must do more than simply sit and listen. You must go to tutorials expecting to participate. You must go to class expecting to ask and answer questions and complete all tasks enthusiastically. This is a fundamental requirement for success. This may feel awkward for you at first if your past experience of class has been primarily sitting and listening. It may help you to prepar eand practise some questions and comments before class. You can write down questions before the tutorial. These may be questions you wish answered, or questions for discussion. If you wish to make a comment in a tutorial you need to signal this to the tutor or student who is responsible for taking the tutorial. One way you can do this is by raising your hand.

In a tutorial it is considered polite to listen carefully to your classmates, to concentrate and to try and understand what they are saying. You should also make a genuine effort to talk where appropriate. This helps your learning and shows respect for your classmates. Remember also, that discussing and arguing a point of view are important parts of the Western education system; they help develop critical thinking skills as well as oral communication skills. Students are not being disrespectful when they engage in this type of behaviour in tutorials; they are learning.