CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally and understand  the reasonable links between ideas. At universities, critical thinking is an important skill enabling students to learn efficiently. Instructors expect their students to adopt this approach However, critical thinking is different from regular or everyday thinking. A person thinks critically by following these three steps, namely, analyzing, evaluating and developing a position.

First of all, critical thinking starts with analyzing. Careful thinkers focus on complexities and they try to see different sides of an issue . People compare and contrast to explain similarities and differences. In addition, they categorize information and identify it by breaking it into parts. Therefore, the process of analyzing is not a quick and passive activity.

Secondly, the following step of critical thinking is evaluating. The evaluation  process enables people to see the value of information and whether it is good or bad. People eliminate most useful and reliable information by using this method. Moreover, confirming relevance and considering arguments are the key parts of evaluation. By dint of these, critical thinking allows people to protect themselves from manipulation and bias.

Thirdly, the last step is developing a solution or position to think critically. Asking basic questions helps people to find simple solutions. Critical thinkers formulate the question, gather and apply the information, consider implications and finally explore other points of view. This process allows a person to explain why he or she is agrees or disagrees. Furthermore, being aware of personal prejudices and influences enables people to make the best decision.

To sum up, critical thinking is a purposeful, reasoned and well directed activity which increases the probability of a desirable outcome. It involves solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods and making decisions.  It is necessary for  college students but everybody can use it in daily life.