Critical Thinking at University

School for Work Based Education

Glasgow Caledonian University

Exercise 1
As an introduction to critical thinking, take a look at the pictures below. Which pictures do you
think depict a situation where someone is thinking critically?
(A)

Which one is better for my

holiday in Greece?

(B)

Johns injury is really bad.

Lets discuss the strategy for
the second half without him.

(C)

I wonder how this works?

(D)

This is completely wrong!

You should have sent that
email yesterday!

In our daily lives we are confronted with situations where:

we need to make a decision based on certain criteria like picture (A), where someone needs
to find the best t-shirt for a holiday in a warm country.
we need to find a new or alternative course of action based on what happened previously
like picture (B), where a new game strategy needs to be implemented because one of the
main players was injured.
we need to analyse a situation to find out how something functions, like the trainee
mechanics in picture (C).

All of the situation in pictures (A), (B) and (C) involve some element of critical thinking. The only
picture not displaying an element of critical thinking is the last picture, (D). Here someone is giving
negative, derogatory feedback to a work colleague.

To summarise
In general, critical thinking is about:

solving a problem or issue,

making a decision,
evaluating something,
analysing something,

Critical thinking is NOT about being negative!

Critical thinking at university

Some of the general hallmarks of critical thinking also apply to how it is used in an academic context,
especially in terms of analysing and evaluating something.
To put it plainly:
At university, thinking critically means not taking what you read or hear at face value but trying to be
sceptical. It means when you tackle an assignment you need to look at issues from different points
of view and give a balanced view of the subject matter.

How is critical thinking done at university?

One of the most common remarks that students receive for an assignment is that they are too
descriptive and not critical enough. This often poses a challenge because what is the difference
between being descriptive and being critical? The difference is:

Being descriptive = reporting (in your own words) what is being said or observed.

e.g. This is a red apple.

Being critical = making a judgement about what is being said or observed and supporting it with
evidence.

e.g. Most people perceive this apple to be red because of certain pigments in the outer layer of its
skin (Farmer, 1987). However, depending on the lighting conditions and colour sensitivity of the
individual looking at the apple, the perception of the colour may change (Tracker, 2006). Therefore,
it is not straightforward to determine the colour of the apple because it depends on a number of
factors.

How does one become a critical writer?

The easy answer is: by asking more questions. The more difficult answer is: by asking more questions
and trying to answer them. The most basic questions start with:
What? Who? When? Where? How? Why?

Exercise 21
You have got 1 minute: Try to think of as many
questions as you can that involve this apple using all of
the question words What? Who? When? Where? How?
Why? at least once!

Some possible questions can be found at the end of this document. However, these will most likely be
different from yours as there are no right or wrong questions here.

Questions?

You have probably written a list of questions, some of which might be quite basic and easy to
answer; some might be more difficult to answer and require reading up on certain topics.
Importantly, by asking the questions and endeavouring to answer them you have started looking
beneath the surface (e.g. the questions starting with What?) and explored in more detail (e.g. most
importantly questions starting with Why?) what might be involved in something often seemingly
simple. However, in academic practice it is not quite as simple as this.

Exercise 3
Look at the statement below. What questions can you think off that would show you are thinking
critically about what is being said?

Adult learners can be taught how to become more effective critical thinkers by studying the
elements of critical thinking necessary to succeed in each course they take. (Clark & Chumley,
2016, p. 60)

Questions?

Usually, questions fall into certain categories that help us to develop a critical and balanced piece of
writing. Have a look at the table below and see where your questions fit in.
For example:
Category of question
Clarification

Example
What are the elements of critical thinking? What do the authors
mean by more effective? How are the adults being taught
specifically?
Own example:

Probing assumptions

What could be an opposing assumption or an alternative to

teaching critical thinking this way? How could successfully
teaching critical thinking this way be verified or disproved?
Own example:

Reason and evidence

What would an example of this be? Why could this approach be

successful? Why could it not work?
Own example:

Viewpoints and perspective

What are the strengths and weaknesses of teaching critical

thinking this way? How is this approach similar to and different
from others? What has not been mentioned and why?
Own example:

Implications and
consequences

What are the consequences or implications to teaching critical

thinking this way, e.g. for the learners and for the teachers?
Own example:

Questioning the statement

What is the point of this statement? Why would the authors write
it this way? What are they trying to achieve?
Own example:

These and other questions will be useful to encourage you to think critically. But remember, to write
a piece that displays critical thinking you need to strike a balance between description and critique.
That is, staying with the example above, to justify why teaching adults critical thinking in a certain
way is successful you need to describe how the teaching is done to begin with.

While studying you will encounter different types of assignments, e.g. essay, report, reflective piece
etc. The table below gives an indication of how description and critical thinking could be included.
For more information and guidance please contact your module lecturer or academic development
tutors.

Assignment
type
Essay

Possible
Description
Describe reading
Describe practice

Report

Describe
situation/issue
Describe reading
Describe practice

Critical
review,
Literature
review
or
Dissertation
(extended lit
review)

Describe
readings:

Reflective
essay

Describe
situation/event
Describe
thoughts
and
feelings

Project

Describe
topic
and
its
importance
Describe
other
researchers
findings
Describe
your
method

research/theory/
guidelines etc
Describe practice

Possible critical thinking moves

Compare and contrast theories/guidelines/policies
etc.
Provide examples illustrating theoretical points
Evaluate readings (discuss strengths and weaknesses)
Make links to practice
Analyse issues
Compare and contrast services
Evaluate readings
Apply theory
Make links to practice
Argue for recommendations
Design and explain search strategy
Identify themes
Evaluate readings (discuss strengths and weaknesses)
Identify areas that need more research
Compare and contrast studies/authors work
Make links to practice
Explain how your research fits with literature (if part
of a bigger project)
Analyse feelings and thoughts: Explain why you felt
and thought as you did
Evaluate the situation explain what was positive
and/or negative about it
Identify lessons learned
Link theory/research that applies to the situation
Identify action plan
Literature review (see above)
Methodology
compare methodologies
argue that chosen methodology is most
appropriate
Findings
analyse findings
Discussion
draw conclusions about findings
point out implications for patients/clients,
for practice, for organisations
links findings and implications to literature
Recommendations
identify appropriate recommendations arising from
discussion

Taken from: Learning Development Centre, School of Health and Life Sciences, GCU. n.d. Critical
Thinking Guide. p. 4.
References
Clark, R. and Chumley, K., 2016. Enhancing Student's Critical Thinking Skills Throughout the
Curriculum Through the Use of" Applied Critical Thinking".

Learning Development Centre, School of Health and Life Sciences, GCU. n.d. Critical Thinking Guide.

Possible questions for exercise 2

What type of apple is it? Who grew it? When was it harvested? Where did the apple grow? How long
did the apple take to grow? How did it get to the shop? How much does it weigh? Why is it red? How
much did it cost? How does it taste? Why does it taste sweet? What can I do with it? Is it safe to eat?