Critical Thinking & Reading Skills
This blog is designed to raise awareness of your personal understanding of critical thinking
Take the free online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Sample Test developed by Dr. Paul at the Foundation for Critical Thinking.
The test is designed to focus on the five essential dimensions of critical thinking:
1. The analysis of thought.
2. The assessment of thought.
3. The dispositions of thought.
4. The skills and abilities of thought.
5. The obstacles or barriers to critical thought.
According to the FCT:
“A high score provides evidence of the person having done some critical thinking about critical thinking. It implies that the person is more likely to think critically than someone scoring low on the test. It measures, in other words, the necessary understandings for thinking critically. Of course, the test cannot guarantee that persons with basic critical thinking understandings will use them effectively in their lives. No critical thinking test can.”
Upload a copy of your results.
Reflect on what your results say about your understanding of critical thinking.
How can this knowledge help you help tutees work on their own critical thinking?
I managed to get 10 out of 20 correct on the assessment. Admittedly, the questions made little sense to me. My understanding of critical thinking has always been that one is able to analyze a particular object, reach conclusions, ask questions, and investigate said questions to further their understanding. To me, critical thinking is the ability to engage with something and to come to one’s own conclusions about whatever the object of focus is. I didn’t realize all this other stuff went into it, so my results probably mean I haven’t quite thought much about, well, thinking!
I may not have scored too well on the sample assessment, but I do know from my own experiences that there are ways to phrase questions and ways to help students start thinking critically about what they’re reading. I think the Composition website’s toolbox for critical readings is especially helpful in allowing us different options for getting the students to further their ideas, get a better grasp on the material they’re reading, and improve their critical thinking skills.
What assessment???? Oh no, now I will have to take it myself 😉
Oh, I see it now. But I am too scared to take it.