52
STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
6.4
STUDY SKILLS
CRITICAL THINKING
1
a
Critical thinking
Choose the best way to complete
this sentence. Compare your answer with a partner.
‘Critical thinking’ means:
a
thinking about very serious or important things.
b
saying that you think a person or thing is bad or wrong.
c
asking questions about what you see, hear or read.
1
b
6.1
Watch the lecture to check your answer.
1
c
6.2
Look at these questions and watch the
first part of the lecture again. Which questions are
examples of critical thinking?
1
How many children are there in your family?
2
Is it true that most people will live until the age of 90
in the future?
3
Why do many people continue to live with their
parents after they leave university?
4
How high is Mount Fuji?
5
How do we know that the gap between rich people
and poor people will increase?
6
What will you do if you don’t pass your next exam?
1
d
6.3
According to the expert, critical thinking
can help you understand reading texts better. Watch
the second part of the lecture again and name three
things you can look for in a text. Make notes on what
she says about each thing.
1
Look for reasons …
2
Look for …
3
Look for …
3
Judging reliability
You should also ask questions
about where information comes from, to know
if it is true or reliable. Which of these sources
do you trust most? Put them in order from 1–5
(1 = the most reliable).
1
a blog
2
a major international news channel
3
a webpage from 2004
4
something your parents tell you
5
a government website
4
a
Considering evidence
Look at these facts. How do
you know they’re true?
1
The population of Germany was nearly 82 million in
2011.
2
People cannot live without water.
4
b
Compare these claims. Which do you believe
more? Why?
1
A mother’s love is important for her children.
2
A mother’s love is important for her children.
Without it, it is difficult for a child to grow up into a
normal, healthy human being. A number of studies
over many years have shown this. These studies took
place in several countries around the world, with
very similar results.
5
a
Developing self-awareness
You should ask
questions about yourself, the reasons why you do
things and the results of your actions. Look at these
examples. Have you ever asked yourself these
questions?
5
b
In Unit 2, you saw how it is possible to ask and
answer questions like the above in a reflective blog.
Look again at page 21. Then think of something you
did recently, or are going to do in the future. Write
three questions like those above, then answer them.
Remi
nder
s
+
–
Why am I doing this?
What do I want to get from this?
What did I learn from that experience?
How can I do that better in the future?
2
You can also think critically about events. Ask one
or two critical-thinking questions about these events.
1
the first Moon landing in 1969
How do we know that someone really stood on the
Moon’s surface?
2
the day in 1990 when Nelson Mandela walked free
3
the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903
