CritiCal thinking SkillS SuCCeSS IN 20 MINUTES A DAY 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 1 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM Other titles Of interest frOm learningexpress Biology Success in 20 Minutes a Day Chemistry Success in 20 Minutes a Day Earth Science Success in 20 Minutes a Day Grammar Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 2nd Edition Physics Success in 20 Minutes a Day Practical Math Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 4th Edition Reasoning Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition Statistics Success in 20 Minutes a Day Trigonometry Success in 20 Minutes a Day Vocabulary and Spelling Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 5th Edition Writing Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 4th Edition 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 2 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM C ritiCal th inking Sk illS SuC CeSS IN 20 MINUTES A DAY 2nd Edition ® ne w Y o r k 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 3 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM Copyright © 2010 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Starkey, Lauren B., 1962– Critical thinking skills success / Lauren Starkey.—2nd ed. p. cm. Rev. ed. of: Critical thinking skills success in 20 minutes a day / Lauren Starkey. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Critical thinking—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Starkey, Lauren B., 1962- Critical thinking skills success in 20 minutes a day. II. LearningExpress (Organization) LB1590.3.S73 2010 160—dc22 2009033340 Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Second Edition ISBN 978-1-57685-726-7 For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at: 2 Rector Street 26th Floor New York, NY 10006 Or visit us at: www.learnatest.com 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 4 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM Contents introduCtion How to Use this Book vii PreteSt 1 leSSon 1 Recognizing a Problem 11 leSSon 2 Defining a Problem 17 leSSon 3 Focused Observation 23 leSSon 4 Brainstorming with Graphic Organizers 29 leSSon 5 Setting Goals 43 leSSon 6 Troubleshooting 51 leSSon 7 Finding Resources 57 leSSon 8 Evaluating Facts 63 leSSon 9 Persuasion Techniques 71 leSSon 10 The Numbers Game 79 leSSon 11 Checking Your Emotions 85 leSSon 12 Deductive Reasoning 91 leSSon 13 Errors in Deductive Reasoning 97 leSSon 14 Inductive Reasoning 103 leSSon 15 Errors in Inductive Reasoning 109 leSSon 16 Distracting Techniques 115 leSSon 17 Making Judgment Calls 121 leSSon 18 Explanation or Argument? 129 v 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 5 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM –ContentS– leSSon 19 Critical Thinking for Exams 135 leSSon 20 Putting It All Together 149 PoStteSt 155 gloSSarY 165 vi 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 6 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM how to uSe thiS Book C ritical Thinking Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day is all about helping you think about the way you think. That’s called metacognition, translated as “knowing about knowing” and meaning “to have knowledge of your own thoughts and the things that influence your thinking.” Sound complicated? It’s not, especially when you learn how lesson by lesson, just 20 minutes at a time. Critical thinkers approach a complicated situation with awareness of their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions, and how to direct them rationally. In addition, critical thinkers are willing to explore, question, and search for solutions to problems. All those skills add up to greater success at school, on the job, and at home. Colleges, uni- versities, and many employers have identified critical thinking as a measure of how well someone will do in school or in the workplace. So, college entrance exams include critical-thinking sections, and many employers, including the government, administer exams, like the California or Cornell Critical Thinking Tests, to job applicants. Generally, critical thinking involves both problem solving and reasoning, terms often used interchangeably. More specifically, critical thinking includes the ability to: ■■ make observations. ■■ listen attentively to others. ■■ recognize and define problems. ■■ be curious, ask relevant questions, and use multiple resources to find facts. ■■ challenge and examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions. ■■ assess the validity of statements and arguments. ■■ know the difference between logical and illogical arguments. ■■ make wise decisions and judgments. ■■ find valid solutions. vii 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 7 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM –how to uSe thiS Book– Each lesson in this book explains a specific critical- ■■ Lessons 12 and 13 explain deductive reasoning, thinking skill, and then lets you practice using that one of two kinds of logic. You’ll practice spot- skill. Here’s exactly what you’ll find: ting the difference between valid and invalid deduction, which can lead to illogical ideas. ■■ Lessons 1 and 2 explain how to recognize and ■■ Lessons 14 and 15 are about inductive reasoning, define problems. You’ll practice prioritizing the other kind of logic. You’ll discover how to problems and spotting an actual problem ver- make a valid inductive argument, and how induc- sus its symptoms and/or consequences. tion is misused to create illogical conclusions. ■■ Lesson 3 deals with how to be a better observer ■■ Lesson 16 covers how people intentionally mis- of situations around you. This will help you use logical arguments to distract you from a make logical inferences, a key critical-thinking real problem. You’ll practice seeking out such skill that you’ll practice using. distractions. ■■ Lessons 4 and 5 explore how graphic organizers ■■ Lesson 17 deals with judgment calls, those diffi- can help you organize ideas and set goals. You cult decisions you have to make when there’s no will practice using these visual tools to lead clear-cut right or wrong answer. Practicing how from problems to solutions. to calculate risks and consequences can help ■■ Lesson 6 covers troubleshooting, the ability to you make solid judgment calls. spot difficulties that could interfere with your ■■ Lesson 18 explains how important it is to know problem-solving goals. You’ll practice removing the difference between an explanation and an setbacks before they happen to keep you on argument. You’ll practice telling them apart. track for success. ■■ Lesson 19 covers the kinds of critical-thinking ■■ Lessons 7 and 8 explain where and how to find questions used on exams for school admissions information to help you make wise decisions. and employment. You’ll practice answering You’ll discover how to evaluate facts and figures some questions like those you will find on tests. to assure that they’re accurate. This is especially ■■ Lesson 20 reviews all that you’ve read. This important when using websites, which may have gives you a valuable quick-reference tool to use biased, misleading, or incorrect information. as a refresher anytime. ■■ Lesson 9 covers the art of persuasion. You’ll learn how to recognize persuasion when it is You may already be good at implementing some being used on you—and how to use it effec- critical-thinking skills, but need help with others. So tively yourself! before you start, take the pretest that follows to find ■■ Lesson 10 is about statistics and how they’re out how much you already know and what you need often manipulated. You’ll see what makes a to work on. At the end of the book, there’s a posttest to survey valid and how to spot one that’s invalid. assess how much your skills have improved. For now, ■■ Lesson 11 looks at the effect of emotions on let’s get started with that pretest. Good luck! critical thinking. Knowing how to keep your emotional responses in check is important to clear thinking. viii 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 8 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM additional online PraCtiCe w hether you need help building basic skills or preparing for an exam, visit the LearningExpress Practice Center! On this site, you can access additional practice materials. Using the code below, you’ll be able to log in and answer additional critical-thinking practice questions. This online practice will also provide you with: • Immediate scoring • Detailed answer explanations • Personalized recommendations for further practice and study Log in to the LearningExpress Practice Center by using this URL: www.learnatest.com/practice This is your Access Code: 7267 Follow the steps online to redeem your access code. After you’ve used your access code to register with the site, you will be prompted to create a username and password. For easy reference, record them here: Username: ______________________ Password:________________________ With your username and password, you can log in and answer these practice questions as many times as you like. If you have any questions or problems, please contact LearningExpress customer service at 1-800-295-9556 ext. 2, or e-mail us at [email protected]. ix 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 9 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM 6754 CritThinkSkills(fin).indd 10 2/15/10 11:29:31 AM