Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking

Thinking is not a spectator sport. Research has shown that the skills of critical thinking must be practiced with a wide variety of problems in many different contexts in order to be learned and retained. The exercises, questions, and reviews in this workbook are designed to provide the systematic practice needed to help readers become more critical thinkers. By reading and responding to the questions before reading the accompanying chapter in the text, readers will develop a framework that will help them to comprehend, anticipate, and organize the information in the accompanying chapter. Based on principles of active learning with authentic tasks, all of the exercises were written to be similar to problems and situations readers are likely to encounter in real life -- and they provide numerous examples for both short and extended writing assignments. Problems include topics such as saving money; understanding a research report that appears in a newspaper; recognizing propaganda; reaching reasoned conclusions; avoiding common biases; and deciding when a risk is "too risky." These exercises also work well for cooperative learning projects and are designed to help adult learners develop the skills and the habits of mind essential for life-long learning. Designed to be used in conjunction with Halpern's text, Thought & Knowledge, this workbook could also be used with other texts or as a stand-alone enhancement in courses on thinking skills and cognitive psychology. All exercises along with syllabus suggestions and self assessments are available in the Instructor's Manual.