Guide to Critical Thinking: Learn to Use Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills are a common requirement in job descriptions, but what exactly does that mean?

Critical thinking is the ability to examine information rationally and make a reasoned judgment based on your analysis. Critical thinkers refuse to accept subject matter at face value and are aware of their own cognitive biases, which allows them to approach objective conclusions. Higher-order thinking skills like critical thinking enable you to learn actively, rather than passively absorbing information as it's presented to you.

The greatest benefit of critical thinking is simply that it helps you make more informed decisions in your everyday life. Strong critical thinking abilities are especially important in both secondary and higher education environments; critical reading and thinking skills allow high school and college students to engage in learning at the highest level.

Critical thinking is also an important skill in your professional life. Employers value workers who tackle problems logically and view situations from different perspectives in order to come up with the best solution. If you're in a job interview and can demonstrate to your potential employer that you have a proven track record of thinking critically, there’s a better chance you’ll get hired.

There are many important elements involved in thinking critically. To become a better critical thinker, familiarize yourself with these key concepts.

1. 1. Open-mindedness: Critical thinkers must work to have unbiased thought processes and remain open to more than one point of view. This openness to challenging information is a foundation for critical thinking.
2. 2. Analysis: Analyze information to determine its reliability and to understand it well enough to draw further conclusions. This is one of the most important aspects of critical thinking.
3. 3. Interpretation: Take time to interpret your analysis, synthesizing, and deciphering the meaning of relevant information.
4. 4. Problem-solving: Once you analyze and interpret a problem, you can come up with one or more possible solutions.
5. 5. Decision-making: By making a decisive decision, you come to a conclusion based on the data you have interpreted.
6. 6. Effective communication: You must be able to convincingly explain your conclusions (and the thought process behind them) to others.
7. 7. Self-improvement: Good critical thinkers develop positive habits of mind by reflecting on their own personal critical thinking process and looking for ways to improve it.

The development of critical thinking skills takes time, but there are some particular ways to speed up the process. As a starting point, follow these steps for teaching critical thinking.

1. 1. Pinpoint the issue. Whether it's a problem that needs solving or a question that needs an answer, begin the critical thinking process by identifying the issue at hand.
2. 2. Collect information. Accumulate as much research and data on the issue as possible. Make sure to seek out sources that challenge your own beliefs.
3. 3. Examine and scrutinize. Check that your sources of information are reliable, determine their biases, and ensure any opinions are backed up by hard evidence.
4. 4. Decide what's relevant. Figure out which arguments are actually relevant to your issue, and flag the most consequential pieces of information.
5. 5. Self-evaluate. Ask yourself, "Was I biased when seeking information?"
6. 6. Draw conclusions. Decide on one or more possible conclusions. Evaluate the soundness of your conclusions and flag any flaws.
7. 7. Explain your conclusions. Clearly communicate your conclusions to the relevant parties.

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