How do I engage in critical thinking?

5b

5b

How do I engage in critical thinking?

To engage in 

CRITICAL THINKING

, you become fully aware of an idea or an

action, reflect on it, and ultimately react to it. Actually, you already engage in
this process numerous times every day. For example, you’re thinking criti-
cally when you meet someone new and decide whether you like the person;
when you read a book and form an opinion of it based on reasonable analy-
sis; or when you interview for a job and then evaluate its requirements and
your ability to fulfill them.

Box 5-1 describes the general process of critical thinking in academic set-

tings. This same process applies as well to reading critically (5c and 5d) and
writing critically (5f).

The steps in the critical thinking process are somewhat fluid, just as are

the steps in the 

WRITING PROCESS

. Expect sometimes to combine steps,

reverse their order, and return to parts of the process you thought you had
completed. As you do so, remember that synthesis and evaluation are two
different mental activities: Synthesis calls for making connections; evaluation
calls for making judgments.

B OX   5 - 1

S U M M A R Y

Steps in the critical thinking process

1. Summarize. Extract and restate the material’s main message or central

point. Use only what you see on the page. Add nothing.

2. Analyze. Examine the material by breaking it into its component parts.

By seeing each part of the whole as a distinct unit, you discover how
the parts interrelate. Consider the line of reasoning as shown by the

EVIDENCE

offered and logic used (5g). Read “between the lines” to

draw 

INFERENCES

(5c.2), gaining information that’s implied but not

stated. When reading or listening, notice how the reading or speaking
style and the choice of words work together to create a 

TONE

(

1

c.4).

3. Synthesize. Pull together what you’ve summarized and analyzed by

connecting it to your own experiences, such as reading, talking with
others, watching television and films, using the Internet, and so on. In
this way, you create a new whole that reflects your newly acquired
knowledge and insights combined with your prior knowledge.

4. Evaluate. Judge the quality of the material now that you’ve become

informed through the activities of 

SUMMARY

, 

ANALYSIS

, and

SYNTHESIS

.

Resist the very common urge to evaluate before you summarize,
analyze, and synthesize.

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