london’s global university critical and analytical thinking

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LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

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Page 1: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY

Critical and Analytical Thinking

Page 2: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

Critical & Analytical Thinking

•Key part of university study – developed as you study

•BUT, Admissions Tutors will be looking for evidence of these skills in your application and at interview

•Demonstrates wider knowledge and deeper understanding of subject

Page 3: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

• Word ‘critical’ has positive and negative meanings – does not mean just criticise

• Weigh up the arguments for and against

• Look deeper into what is being said and why it is being said

• Question what you read

• Identify strengths and weaknesses

• Evaluate what is being argued – do you agree with it?

What is Critical and Analytical Thinking?

Page 4: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

Barriers to Critical and Analytical Thinking

• Misunderstanding of criticising

• Our reasoning skills are not objective – we are biased ourselves

• Reluctance to criticise experts

• Reluctance to criticise the ‘norm’

• Not reading deeply enough around a subject – surface knowledge

• Wanting to know the right answer

Page 5: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

How to think critically and analytically

•Use your answers to develop your academic argument

• Form a set of questions to help you think more deeply about what you have read

• Apply these questions and similar ones to all of your arguments and essays to encourage you to question why things are the way they are

Page 6: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

Question Bank

Assess your sources•What is the source? (Web, academic journal, newspaper…)•What are the strengths and limitations of this source?

Identify bias•Does the author have a hidden agenda?•What is the purpose of the writing?•Does their writing reflect a political viewpoint?•Who might disagree with the writer?

Evaluate evidence•What evidence/examples does the writer use? •How reliable or useful is the evidence?•Does it support the argument?•Is the evidence up-to-date?•Do they make any assumptions?

Page 7: LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Critical and Analytical Thinking

Consider their argument•What is the main argument?•What statements/evidence in the article strengthen or weaken the argument•Think about the viewpoint in relation to the bigger picture – stand back•Compare the same issue from the point of view of other authors – do their views differ?

Draw conclusions•Understand why authors have arrived at different conclusions•Argue why one viewpoint is preferable to another•All ideas and arguments must be supported by evidence to add credibility•Question your own assumptions and biases as well as those of the author