CRITICAL THINKING
What do we mean by critical thinking?
How does critical thinking differ between disciplines?
How does critical thinking apply to academic reading?
How does critical thinking apply to academic writing?
How can I add quality to my writing?
Critical thinking as a generic skill for life
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CRITICAL THINKING?
When you are thinking critically, you are not just thinking passively and accepting everything you see and hear. You are thinking actively. You are asking questions about what you see and hear, evaluating, categorising, and finding relationships.

Some critical thinking activities are listed below:

SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN CRITICAL THINKING
Interpreting according to a framework

Relating theory to practice

Making a claim and supporting it

Using appropriate evidence

Making links between ideas

Asking questions

Evaluating

Predicting

Describing

Analysing

Synthesising

Categorising

Establishing cause and effect

Comparing and contrasting

Identifying problems and solutions

Critical thinking is the essence of tertiary learning. As a university student, you will be expected to apply mental actions such as these to all your academic reading, writing, listening and discussing.

HOW DOES CRITICAL THINKING DIFFER BETWEEN DISCIPLINES?
Different disciplines are characterised by particular approaches to critical thinking, and a lage part of studying those disciplines means learning to think like an exponent of that discipline. So, for example, if you are studying geology, you will have to learn to think like a geologist. Geologists typically:

categorise rocks and land formations explain how they evolved predict what can be found in similar circumstances.
You need to work out what are the typical ways of thinking in your discipline. Talk to your lecturer or tutor about it;