and I’m responsible for the design
and production of distance
learning courses.
Critical thinking is the ability
to take a piece of knowledge
and analyse
that piece of knowledge
by its strengths and weaknesses,
and then be able to assess how
far that knowledge
is useful or correct or valid.
Without critical thinking,
we would gain the knowledge
as it stands, but we would never
move on.
We would never explore.
Some students feel
they’re being disrespectful
when they are critical
of the work they’re given.
By pulling apart
strengths and weaknesses
they are showing
their understanding of the subject area.
Good critical thinking
starts by not just believing
what you’re given,
but reading around it.
So a student can really
show that they’ve grasped
the subject area
when they can rephrase
these aspects,
and be critical of them
in the way that they
combine the arguments in
a different way:
that they bring in new sources
to show that they’ve
read additional material.
Sometimes students give us
some sort of discussion
between two sources.
So they say, “Author A
says this; author B says this,”
and they keep going like this.
But what it doesn’t give us
is that it doesn’t show us
that the student has understood those
arguments. So the second step is missing:
the student’s own input
and their analysis
of both arguments.
Many non-native speakers
take the expert opinion
for granted and don’t dare criticize it.
Whereas actually,
with their background, they can
use that prior experience
to criticise, and restructure,
and rethink what they’re given
from their own experience.
Critical thinking impacts
grades hugely, because
the student shows that
they have taken in the knowledge
they’ve been provided with;
that they’ve worked with
the material;
and that they can add to that.
Go the distance.
”
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