Characteristics of Critical Readers They are honest with themselves They resist manipulation They overcome confusion They ask questions They base judgments on evidence They look for connections between subjects They are intellectually independent Ask yourself the following questions as you read: What is the topic of the book or reading? What issues are addressed? What conclusion does the author reach about the issue(s)? What are the author's reasons for his or her statements or belief? Is the author using facts, theory, or faith? Facts can be proven Theory is to be proved and should not be confused with fact Opinions may or may not be based on sound reasoning Faith is not subject to proof by its nature Has the author used neutral words or emotional words? Critical readers look beyond the language to see if the reasons are clear Be aware of why you do, or do not, accept arguments of the author Why is critical thinking important? When Kruchin talks about the development of ideas in writing, she is referring to critical thinking – the ability to think clearly and form a judgment. Writing, she says, shows how a person thinks. Students who have not learned to think critically often have a hard time developing ideas in writing. Schools and employers put a high value on critical thinking skills. The importance of critical thinking shows up on standardized tests, such as the SAT with its "Critical Reading" and "Writing and Language" sections. Such tests measure how well students understand arguments, judge information, and make inferences. These skills are very important for success not only in school, but also in the workplace. Diane F. Halpern is a professor of psychology emerita at Claremont McKenna College in California. She writes that critical thinking is an important skill to develop in life. "Critical thinking is using the skills or strategies that are most likely to lead to a desired outcome. It is the sort of thinking we should be engaging in when deciding what and whom to believe, which of two job offers to accept, or whether vaccinations really do cause autism." Halpern adds that critical thinking is a skill that is important in the modern job market. "Those who care about the future for today’s children understand that the jobs of the future will require the ability to think critically. So let’s be sure that our students are ready for college, careers and citizenship by including deliberate instruction in critical thinking. It is probably the most difficult topic to teach and learn, but it is also the most important." Critical thinking is hard to teach and hard to learn Babi Kruchin of Columbia agrees that critical thinking is hard to teach and difficult to learn. She says that students can overcome grammar and vocabulary problems. Developing an original idea, then supporting it, is what students find difficult. "Sometimes the writer might think 'Oh! I have the topic sentence, I have the supporting details.' But there is no depth of thought … How do you really analyze and interpret and explain all these ideas? "You can take care of the grammar, you can take care of the vocabulary, you can take care of the format, but the depth of development – the critical thinking part of writing – is, I think, the greatest issue that any domestic or international student faces ... "It's not articles, it's not conjunctions – because these are all teachable things, and these are all learnable things. And critical thinking is also teachable, and students are able to learn, but it's harder to teach and to learn." Practical tips: So, if learning critical thinking is difficult, what can you do? Kruchin suggests that students can start improving their writing and critical thinking skills by reading. Students, however, should not read without a goal in mind. Students should be active readers by studying how other writers build their arguments. In other words, they should consider the critical thinking of each author they have read. Kruchin says that students should consider the writing of an author by asking a few simple questions while reading: "How is the content organized here? How is the writer connecting these ideas? Look at the quote that the writer used. What comes after this quote? Does the writer just leave it as is, or analyze it and adds his or her own idea?" The goal of this exercise, Kruchin says, is for students to develop the ability to understand how others think. In addition, it helps students to discover the critical thinking resources that they have inside themselves. "Because writing is thinking, it is a reflection of how somebody thinks. So it is the constant exercise of seeing how other authors think and then training the students to … "I don't think we teach critical thinking. It is almost a way to get the students to see inside and see that yes, they do think critically – we all have opinions, we all have judgments. But how do we voice them in an academic form? "It is an exercise in using the resources that are already exist within the students. I don't believe they are less intelligent; some may not be as well trained in this discourse." What can you do? The next time you are reading a book or an opinion piece in a newspaper, try to ask yourself some of the following questions: What is the argument that the writer is making? What evidence does the writer use? How does the writer present their ideas? How is the writer connecting their ideas? How does the writer evaluate information? Asking these questions will give you a point to start understanding how other people think. It will also help you to think about how you can write better – and practice your critical thinking skills, too. To read critically is to exercise your judgement about what you are reading – that is, not taking anything you read at face value. The benefits of critical reading is given below: 1. To discover author's argument to understand the texts. 2. Helps to organize main ideas from a given topic. 3. Helps to understand more difficult reading assignment and to obtain a better understanding for what was read. 4. Helps to make opinions and assumptions based on what is read. 5. Helps base judgement on evidence. 7 Steps to Improving Your Critical Thinking By Tara Struyk on 29 August 20123 comments 18Save Photo: IDEO Postcards Wise Bread Picks Travel Rewards Credit Cards Cash Back Credit Cards 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Every day, I’m amazed at the amount of information I consume; I listen to the news on my morning run, scan the papers while I’m eating breakfast, check my social media accounts throughout the day, and watch some TV before I go to bed, all while getting constant updates via email and Twitter. That’s pretty overwhelming on its own, but things get really interesting when some of that information is biased, inaccurate, or just plain made up. It makes it hard to know what to believe. But even with all the competing sources and opinions out there, getting the truth — or at least close to it — matters. What you believe affects what you buy, what you do, who you vote for, and even how you feel. In other words, it virtually dictates how you live your life. So how can you sort the wheat from the chaff? Well, one clear way is by learning to think more critically. Critical thinking is as simple as it sounds — it’s just a way of thinking that helps you get a little closer to the best answer. So the next time you have a problem to solve, a decision to make or a claim to evaluate, you can decide whether it’s likely to be true — and if you should do anything about it. Here’s how. (See also: How to Improve Your Memory (and Even Get a Little Smarter)) 1. Don’t Take Anything at Face Value The first step to thinking critically is to learn to evaluate what you hear, what you read, and what you decide to do. So, rather than doing something because it’s what you’ve always done or accepting what you’ve heard as the truth, spend some time just thinking. What’s the problem? What are the possible solutions? What are the pros and cons of each? Of course, you still have to decide what to believe and what to do, but if you really evaluate things, you’re likely to make a better, more reasoned choice. 2. Consider Motive We recently got a call from our cellular service provider about changing our very old, very cheap cell phone plan. They claimed they could give us a new plan that would provide better value. But why, my partner asked, would the company be interested in pursuing us so that we could pay less? Aren’t companies generally interested in making more money? Good question, right? And the reason we were asking it is because we questioned the cellular phone company’s motives. What they said just didn’t make sense. Where information is coming from is a key part of thinking critically about it. Everyone has a motive and a bias. Sometimes, like the cellular phone company, it’s pretty obvious; other times, it’s a lot harder to detect. Just know that where any information comes from should affect how you evaluate it — and whether you decide to act on it. 3. Do Your Research All the information that gets thrown at us on a daily basis can be overwhelming, but if you decide to take matters into your own hands, it can also be a very powerful tool. If you have a problem to solve, a decision to make, or a perspective to evaluate, get onto Google and start reading about it. The more information you have, the better prepared you’ll be to think things through and come up with a reasonable answer to your query. 4. Ask Questions I sometimes find myself shying away from questions. They can make me feel like a bit of a dummy, especially when whoever’s fielding them isn’t receptive. But mostly, I can’t help myself. I just need to know! And once you go down that rabbit hole, you not only learn more, but often discover whole new ways of thinking about things. I think those other perspectives can also help you get closer to thinking through a problem or uncovering what’s what, which brings me to my next point ... 5. Don’t Assume You’re Right I know it’s hard. I struggle with the hard-headed desire to be right as much as the next person. Because being right feels awesome. It’s an ego trip almost everyone aims to take at some time or another. But assuming you’re right will often put you on the wrong track when it comes to thinking critically. Because if you don’t take in other perspectives and points of view, and think them over, and compare them to your own, you really aren’t doing much thinking at all — and certainly not the critical kind. 6. Break It Down Being able to see the big picture is often touted as a great quality, but I’d wager that being able to see that picture for all its components is even better. After all, most problems are too big to solve all at once, but they can be broken down into smaller parts. The smaller the parts, the easier it’ll be to evaluate them individually and arrive at a solution. This is essentially what scientists do; before they can figure out how a bigger system — such as our bodies or an ecosystem — works, they have to understand all the parts of that system, how they work, and how they relate to each other. 7. Keep It Simple In the scientific community, a line of reasoning called Occam’s razor is often used to decide which hypothesis is most likely to be true. This means finding the simplest explanation that fits all facts. This is what you would call the most obvious explanation, and the one that should be preferred, at least until it’s proven wrong. Often, Occam’s razor is just plain common sense. Sure, it’s possible that the high-priced skin cream on TV will make you look 20 years younger — even though you’ve never heard of it, and neither has anyone else. What’s more likely is that the model shown in the ad really is 20 years old. Critical thinking isn’t easy. It involves letting go of what we want to believe and embracing a whole bunch of new information. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also interesting. And when you do your research and finally lay out what you believe to be the facts, you’ll probably be surprised by what you uncover. It might not be what you were expecting, but chances are it’ll be closer to the truth. What is critical thinking? Module: Critical thinking C00. Introduction C01. What is critical thinking? C02. Improve our thinking skills C03. Defining critical thinking C04. Teaching critical thinking C05. Beyond critical thinking C06. The Cognitive Reflection Test C07. Critical thinking assessment C08. Videos and courses on critical thinking C09. Famous quotes Quote of the page Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probably reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford Help us promote critical thinking! Popular pages 1. What is critical thinking? 2. What is logic? 3. Hardest logic puzzle ever 4. Free miniguide 5. What is an argument? 6. Knights and knaves puzzles 7. Logic puzzles 8. What is a good argument? 9. Improving critical thinking 10. Analogical arguments Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following : understand the logical connections between ideas identify, construct and evaluate arguments detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning solve problems systematically identify the relevance and importance of ideas reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of information to inform himself. Critical thinking should not be confused with being argumentative or being critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing fallacies and bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge, improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. We can use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social institutions. Some people believe that critical thinking hinders creativity because it requires following the rules of logic and rationality, but creativity might require breaking rules. This is a misconception. Critical thinking is quite compatible with thinking "out-of-the-box", challenging consensus and pursuing less popular approaches. If anything, critical thinking is an essential part of creativity because we need critical thinking to evaluate and improve our creative ideas. §1. The importance of critical thinking Critical thinking is a domain-general thinking skill. The ability to think clearly and rationally is important whatever we choose to do. If you work in education, research, finance, management or the legal profession, then critical thinking is obviously important. But critical thinking skills are not restricted to a particular subject area. Being able to think well and solve problems systematically is an asset for any career. Critical thinking is very important in the new knowledge economy. The global knowledge economy is driven by information and technology. One has to be able to deal with changes quickly and effectively. The new economy places increasing demands on flexible intellectual skills, and the ability to analyse information and integrate diverse sources of knowledge in solving problems. Good critical thinking promotes such thinking skills, and is very important in the fast-changing workplace. Critical thinking enhances language and presentation skills. Thinking clearly and systematically can improve the way we express our ideas. In learning how to analyse the logical structure of texts, critical thinking also improves comprehension abilities. Critical thinking promotes creativity. To come up with a creative solution to a problem involves not just having new ideas. It must also be the case that the new ideas being generated are useful and relevant to the task at hand. Critical thinking plays a crucial role in evaluating new ideas, selecting the best ones and modifying them if necessary Critical thinking is crucial for self-reflection. In order to live a meaningful life and to structure our lives accordingly, we need to justify and reflect on our values and decisions. Critical thinking provides the tools for this process of self-evaluation. Good critical thinking is the foundation of science and democracy. Science requires the critical use of reason in experimentation and theory confirmation. The proper functioning of a liberal democracy requires citizens who can think critically about social issues to inform their judgments about proper governance and to overcome biases and prejudice. §2. The future of critical thinking In January 2016, the World Economic Forum issued a report "The Future of Jobs". It says: The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes developments in previously disjointed fields such as artificial intelligence and machine-learning, robotics, nanotechnology, 3-D printing, and genetics and biotechnology, will cause widespread disruption not only to business models but also to labour markets over the next five years, with enormous change predicted in the skill sets needed to thrive in the new landscape. The top three skills that supposed to be most relevant are thinking skills related to critical thinking, creativity, and their practical application. These are the cognitive skills that our website focuses on. §3. For teachers The ideas on this page were discussed in a blog post on edutopia. The author uses the critical thinking framework here to apply to K-12 education. Very relevant to school teachers! TIP sheet SKIMMING & SCANNING Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving. Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a research paper. Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support. Skimming to save time Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading. However, it is not always the most appropriate way to read. It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content. But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study reading may be necessary. Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a test. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for example during the preliminary research for a paper. Skimming can tell you enough about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its gross similarity or difference from other sources, to know if you need to read it at all. To skim, prepare yourself to move rapidly through the pages. You will not read every word; you will pay special attention to typographical cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. You will be alert for key words and phrases, the names of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words. In general follow these steps: 1. Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas. 2. Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two. Read the headings of charts and tables. 3. Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last sentence only of each following paragraph. For each paragraph, read only the first few words of each sentence or to locate the main idea. 4. Stop and quickly read the sentences containing keywords indicated in boldface or italics. 5. When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to make sure. Then go on the same way. Resist the temptation to stop to read details you don't need. 6. Read chapter summaries when provided. If you cannot complete all the steps above, compromise: read only the chapter overviews and summaries, for example, or the summaries and all the boldfaced keywords. When you skim, you take a calculated risk that you may miss something. For instance, the main ideas of paragraphs are not always found in the first or last sentences (although in many textbooks they are). Ideas you miss you may pick up in a chapter overview or summary. Good skimmers do not skim everything at the same rate or give equal attention to everything. While skimming is always faster than your normal reading speed, you should slow down in the following situations: When you skim introductory and concluding paragraphs When you skim topic sentences When you find an unfamiliar word When the material is very complicated Scanning for research and study Scanning, too, uses keywords and organizational cues. But while the goal of skimming is a bird's-eye view of the material, the goal of scanning is to locate and swoop down on particular facts. Facts may be buried within long text passages that have relatively little else to do with your topic or claim. Skim this material first to decide if it is likely to contain the facts you need. Don't forget to scan tables of contents, summaries, indexes, headings, and typographical cues. To make sense of lists and tables, skim them first to understand how they are organized: alphabetical, chronological, or most-to-least, for example. If after skimming you decide the material will be useful, go ahead and scan: 1. Know what you're looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases–search terms, if you will. You will be a flesh-and-blood search engine. 2. Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords, do multiple scans. 3. Let your eyes float rapidly down the page until you find the word or phrase you want. 4. When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the surrounding material carefully. Scanning to answer questions If you are scanning for facts to answer a specific question, one step is already done for you: the question itself supplies the keywords. Follow these steps: 1. Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your keywords from the question itself. 2. Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for each question. 3. When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see if it is relevant. 4. Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers this question. Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be surprisingly tiring. You may have to practice at not allowing your attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you know works for you and dive in. Summary Table Skimming Scanning A fast reading method that gives you an idea of what the text is about without having to read it in full A fast reading method that allows you to find specific information in a text Means reading the introduction, the headlines, or the first phrase of a paragraph Means going through an article quickly lookin for a date or a quote Implies not having read the text before Implies previously knowing the information y are looking for Definitions A girl reading a book Skimming is a reading technique that allows readers to get the gist of a text without having to read the whole thing in full. When skimming, people will usually look at chapters or subtitles, and even at the first phrase of a well-written paragraph. The main purpose is to get an idea of what the text is about. Scanning is another method of fast reading, but this one is reserved for people looking through the text to find specific information. For example, when you are writing a paper and you quickly look through a text to double check a date, a number or a fact. It’s the same thing a computer does with the “find” function, but you have to do it yourself. Skimming vs Scanning The difference between skimming and scanning consists of purpose and technique. Purpose Skimming is a reading technique meant to give you an idea of what the full text is about. Scanning is meant to help you find specific information in a text. Techniques Skimming techniques include reading the introduction, the headlines, or the first phrase of the paragraph. On the other hand, scanning means looking over the whole text quickly in search of specific information. You skim a text at first sight and decide on whether to read it in full. However, when it comes to scanning, it is implied that you know at least the information you are looking for. Usage You can spot people scanning a text as they will be more concerned with the form of words and will tend to use their fingers to go through the text and not jump around. A must in case of scanning is that the reader knows what information he is looking for. On the other hand, people can use skimming to decide whether they will read the text in full. You can use this technique in the library to tell whether a book contains the necessary information for a paper, or in a bookshop to see whether a book is worth buying. Difference between Skimming and Scanning • Categorized under Language,Words | Difference between Skimming and Scanning Skimming and scanning are both reading techniques. These reading skills help students, needing to get information from the written word, access the required information more effectively. They use fast reading abilities but in effect are different methods for different purposes. What is skimming? The reader reads an article to get the main ideas and gist of the story. Skimming is used to preview a book quickly to decide if it is worth reading or to cast an eye over an article for the main points. A reader who is skimming can read more text in less time. The text is read with the purpose of finding the main facts. The skill of skimming requires a structure or plan so that not everything is read but the important message is still grasped. The skimmer reads the first few paragraphs in detail to get the general message. Then after that reads the first line of each paragraph, these lines are known as ‘topic sentences.’ The final paragraph is important as it is the conclusion of the article and is read in full as the final message of the article. The act of skimming has other connotations but the overall message relates to taking something off the top of an item or moving over the top of something. Skimming: An act of taking money or profits off the top of an organisation. The act of lifting the cream off the top of the milk or the fat off the top of the liquid. The skimmer only takes the top part of the liquid. Describes the act of throwing a flat stone across the water and watching it bounce off the surface and skims to the other side. Can be an act of fraud when a credit card is intercepted and duplicated so that funds can be skimmed from the account. What is scanning? Scanning is a reading skill that enables the reader to look for a specific piece of information within an item of text. A reader will scan for a particular number in a phone directory for instance or a name on a list. The written articles that are scanned are often written in a particular order or in categories. The scanner has the key words in mind as they scan the list. The term scanning can be used to refer to other actions associated with looking for something in particular. Scanning: Searching the horizon looking for something in the distance. used in the digital world as a machine that scans items to be copied such as documents and certificates. Medical technique to look for injury or disease. There are MRI scans, Magnetic Resonance Image and CT or Computed Tomography scans to produce images of body structures. In the final analysis would these two reading techniques really do justice to reading quality literature? Harold Bloom, a renowned speed reader, is reputed to be able to ‘read’ 1000 pages in an hour. He could devour a novel like Jane Eyre in his lunch break. The average reader would probably have literary indigestion after such a feast of skimming or scanning a classical novel! Read more: Difference between Skimming and Scanning | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/language/differencebetween-skimming-and-scanning/#ixzz6AFWj8CVg Critical Thinking Skills: Definitions and Examples Critical thinking skills allow you to understand and address a situation based on all available facts and information. When using critical thinking skills, you will sort and organize facts, data and other information to define a problem and develop effective solutions. It’s a good idea to reflect on the critical thinking skills you currently possess and what critical thinking skills you may need to develop. You likely already possess several critical thinking skills that you can include on your resume and discuss during interviews. In this article, we’ll discuss what critical thinking is, why it’s important and how you can improve your skills in this area. What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the act of analyzing facts to understand a problem or topic thoroughly. Critical thinking often occurs in order of a few steps from identifying a problem or issue to developing a solution. Here are common steps that occur when using critical thinking for problem solving: Identify a problem or issue Create inferences on why the problem exists and how it can be solved Collect information or data on the issue through research Organize and sort data and findings Develop and execute solutions Analyze what solutions worked or didn’t work Identify ways to improve the solution Part of being a good critical thinker is being objective. That means analyzing the problem without allowing emotions or assumptions to influence how you think about it. Instead, you should only analyze the problem based on the context and facts you are able to collect. Critical thinking skills are essential in every industry at every career level, from entry-level associates to top executives. Good critical thinkers will work both independently and with groups to solve problems. Why are critical thinking skills important? Critical thinking skills are important because they help businesses run smoothly by solving problems, developing solutions and creating new ideas. Many areas of improvement like process inefficiencies, management or finances can be improved by using critical thought. Because of this, employers value and seek out candidates who have demonstrated strong critical thinking skills. For example, if you’re working in human resources and must resolve a conflict between two employees, you will use critical thinking to understand the nature of the conflict and what action should be taken to resolve it. Critical thinking skills list and examples There are several various critical thinking skills you may find valuable to include on your resume. Here are a few examples: 1. Observation Observational skills are the starting point for critical thinking. Employees who are observant can quickly sense and identify a new problem. Those skilled in observation are also capable of understanding why something might be a problem, and may even be able to predict when a problem might occur before it happens based on their experience. 2. Analysis Once a problem has been identified, analysis skills become essential. The ability to analyze the situation includes knowing what facts, data or information about the problem are important. You will also find analysis is an essential skill to eventually solving the problem. 3. Inference Inference is a skill that involves drawing conclusions about the information you collect and may require you to possess technical or industry-specific knowledge or experience. When you infer information about a situation, that means you are developing answers based on limited information. For example, a car mechanic may need to utilize inference skills to determine what is causing a car’s engine to stall at seemingly random times. 4. Communication Communication skills are important when it comes time to explain and discuss issues and their possible solutions with colleagues and other stakeholders. Communication is an important skill to have and improve on for many purposes at work including critical thinking. 5. Problem solving After you’ve identified a problem, analyzed it and discussed possible solutions, the final step is to execute the solution. Problem solving often requires critical thinking to implement the best solution and understand whether or not the solution is working as it relates to the goal. How to improve your critical thinking skills While you might already possess many of the skills above, you might also consider your areas for improvement—especially for specific skills listed on a job description you’re applying for. It’s possible to improve your critical thinking skills through practice and extended educational opportunities. To improve your critical thinking skills, consider taking some of the following steps: Expand your industry-specific or technical skills to help you more easily identify problems Take additional courses in your industry that require critical thinking and analysis Actively volunteer to solve problems for your current employer Seek advice from professionals in your field or desired industry Play solo and cooperative games that require critical thinking skills, such as analysis and inference Asking a friend or colleague to assess your current skill set can also help provide you with an objective view of your strengths. You may find it necessary to practice your critical thinking skills to improve the strength of your resume, or to help with career advancement. What Is Critical Thinking? Critical thinking is the ability to think in an organized and rational manner in order to understand connections between ideas and/or facts. It helps you decide what to believe in. In other words, it’s “thinking about thinking”—identifying, analyzing, and then fixing flaws in the way we think. How to Be a Critical Thinker? To become one takes time, practice, and patience. But something you can start doing today to improve your critical thinking skills is apply the 7 steps of critical thinking to every problem you tackle—either at work or in your everyday life. Plus, there are some critical thinking questions to help you out at each of the steps. Steps of Critical Thinking 1. Identify the problem or question. Be as precise as possible: the narrower the issue, the easier it is to find solutions or answers. 2. Gather data, opinions, and arguments. Try to find several sources that present different ideas and points of view. 3. Analyze and evaluate the data. Are the sources reliable? Are their conclusions data-backed or just argumentative? Is there enough information or data to support given hypotheses? 4. Identify assumptions. Are you sure the sources you found are unbiased? Are you sure you weren’t biased in your search for answers? 5. Establish significance. What piece of information is most important? Is the sample size sufficient? Are all opinions and arguments even relevant to the problem you’re trying to solve? 6. Make a decision/reach a conclusion. Identify various conclusions that are possible and decide which (if any) of them are sufficiently supported. Weigh strengths and limitations of all possible options. 7. Present or communicate. Once you’ve reached a conclusion, present it to all stakeholders. Let’s go back to our coffee example and examine it critically, point-by-point. 1. The problem in question was: “is drinking coffee good for you?” This approach is way to broad. First of all, what does “good” even mean? Secondly, we don’t know if we’re talking about long- or short-term effects of drinking coffee. It’s also possible that drinking coffee might benefit some aspects of your health while being detrimental to others. So, let’s narrow down the problem to: “is drinking coffee good for your heart?” 2. Listed above, there are only two pieces of research on the impact of drinking coffee on your heart. The first one suggests that drinking coffee “could account for premature deaths in the region of 14% for coronary heart disease and 20% for stroke.” According to the second one, “moderate coffee consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of the Coronary Artery Disease.” We’ve made two other major mistakes in reasoning: first of all, two sources only are not enough. Secondly, we haven’t taken into account that heart is a very complex organ: just like it is the case with the rest of our body, coffee might be good for some of its functions while bad for others. 3. Both articles cited have appeared in prestigious, peer-reviewed journals. But— The first one has been based on literature review only; no original studies. The second one, although conducted in a large (25.000 participants) sample of men and women, includes only Korean population—people whose hearts can be affected by other factors such as diet or climate. 4. While the two sources don’t appear biased, we were. We based our initial Google searches on assumptions: “reasons not to drink coffee” (assuming: coffee is bad for our health) and “reasons to drink coffee” (assuming: coffee is worth drinking). Google’s search algorithms made sure we found articles in line with our assumptions. So... 5. Considering all of the above, we can positively state that the information we gathered was not significant for solving the initially stated problem. 6. The only conclusion that can be reached is: according to the data we gathered, drinking coffee might or might not be good for our hearts, depending on many factors and variables we failed to take into account. 7. Even if the conclusion is “the question cannot be answered at this point,” it’s still worth presenting and communicating. It’s good to know what the limitations of our knowledge on a given topic are. The point is— It’s really hard to be sure of something. And critical thinking skills are necessary for us to accept the flaws in our reasoning and gaps in our knowledge, and take advantage of them! Why Are Critical Thinking Skills Important? When you think critically, you’ll constantly challenge what seems given. Say, in your job, even if something appears to be functioning properly, critical thinking will help you try and identify new, better solutions. Critical thinking skills are the cornerstone of self-development and improvement. That’s why they’re so critical to have in today’s job market. Just think about this— A recent report by the AACU revealed that 93% of employers value critical thinking over the candidate’s undergraduate degree. So— Let’s go through how you can showcase your critical thinking skills to boost your chances of landing a better job! And if you want to learn more about other job-winning skills, we've got you covered! Check out our dedicated guides: Communication Skills for Your Resume & Workplace Success Management Skills You Must Have (Not Just For Managers) Technical Skills for Resume & Daily Job Computer Skills Employers Want in 2019 Soft Skills vs Hard Skills for a Job: What Employers Look for What are the differences between skimming and scanning skills? By Toan Ngo September 5, 2018 8199 0 We all understand that there’s so much going on in the world. When we slightly step backwards or move a little bit slower, we may be left behind. No matter what kind of reading materials you’re approaching, whether it’s a newspaper in your hands or a kind of digital posts, you’ll probably save a lot of time when using skimming and scanning skills. Although these two techniques of reading have always been being practiced by many people, some still find it quite difficult to tell them apart. So what are those kinds of techniques? Are there many differences between skimming and scanning? This article will point out the differences between skimming and scanning, when and how to use them effectively. Stay patient! Basic differences between Skimming and Scanning 1. Let’s imagine to better understand Although skimming and scanning are techniques for fast reading that help you read well in a shorter time, the differences between skimming and scanning may take a couple of minutes to be explained. However, understanding it is an interesting experience, don’t be discouraged. Image by Pexcels via Pixabay Now let’s try to imagine reading as attending a buffet party. There’re so many dishes nicely displayed. Skimming is when you take a look around and tell yourself “ok, this party’s worth my next couple of hours ”. Then, it’s time for you to do the scanning job, selecting what to put on your dish because of the fact that you can’t have them all. 2. Short definitions for skimming and scanning Sometimes, of course, giving definitions will truly do us a favor. Take a good look at two short paragraphs below to better understand skimming and scanning. Skimming is a process of reading to get an overall view or get an impression of the content. This is when you pick out the main ideas or messages. Scanning, on the other hand, requires you to look for a particular word or phrase. You can totally ignore unnecessary ones. If you’re reading, you must be having or about to have questions to be answered, just wisely choose what to read and quickly get what may benefit. When to use Scanning and when to use Skimming The differences between skimming and scanning are crystal clear. Skimming helps you tell what the general information is, while scanning helps you position a particular piece of information. In fact, you have to understand your purposes of reading in order to apply a proper technique. You have to be the most flexible reader you can become. The variability of the situations requires you to be adaptable. Keep reading if you don’t know when to use these two different techniques. 1. When to use skimming Skimming has always been one of the most selected ways when it comes to FAST READING. Before putting any effort into studying a document, practising skimming can be a good hand in previewing. You can use skimming before entering a new chapter of your textbook or a long article. To be simply said, most people refer to use skimming when they need to save time. Time-saving has always been one of the top priorities of today society. Reading every word can prevent us from increasing our reading speed. There’re many situations that spending long hours of laborious reading can’t do anything well. Suppose you have to read an academic text and write an essay about its topic, skimming can’t do all the job as there is too much information. This skill would help when you’re trying to find out if something is a waste of time or similar to something else you’ve already known. Using skimming is an ideal strategy when there are only a few days left and you’re about to take an examination. In short, you save your time by skimming. 2. When to use scanning As convenient as it seems, skimming can’t guarantee you all the important points. Usually, you need scanning when you find a friend’s phone number in a telephone book or last night football’s scores in the newspaper. Or when you’re in a new restaurant knowing they have your favourite dish but not sure the price is reasonable, you also need to scan along the menu to see it with the price. Scanning significantly proves its value when researching and studying. These two kinds of activity can’t be successful if they depend on only your general knowledge. You may also need scanning to locate the correct answer for given questions. You are likely to scan when you have no intention of getting a general idea. Obviously, if you have no doubt of your purposes for reading and other unrelated information is far from support, now take scanning into your consideration. Scanning is perfect when it comes to looking for something more particular rather than an overview idea in your mind. 3. Skimming and Scanning are close friends Despite all the differences between skimming and scanning, those two friends seem to be best together. They have been taught in almost every class of reading methods. This is because of the fact that practising either of them can show great results. However, the combination of skimming and scanning is even much greater. It’s like an insurance for your fast reading: you read quicker but you don’t miss out anything important. Why and how can these techniques do such an amazing job? Skimming takes a role of covering the whole reading material to assure you get what’s beneficial and leave out the useless ones. Scanning plays a part in taking out the most precious facts you need. It’s a responsible way of fast reading that no one could deny. How to use both skills in your reading 1. Effective reading with skimming When learning to skim, get yourself ready to move your eyes quickly through the pages. Skimming is not about placing your eyes wherever your attention is drawn to. Effective work of skimming does not require you to do that. You know that you don’t read every word but carefully pay attention to what forms the structure of that reading material. So what exactly are we talking about? Headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, bold text, italic text… These are just some of them, though. Now here are some steps you should take if you do skimming: Look at the table of contents if there is. It’s a fast way to figure out what’s going on. Image by Pexcels via Pixabay The main headings are of the most essential, so don’t forget to read them. Remember that tables and charts have headings, too (e.g., U.S population by age and gender, Healthcare cost from 2010 to 2017 and Risks of environmental impacts). Some may miss the headings of tables and charts as a habit, so keep in mind they are there for some good reasons. After reading the first sentences, scroll your eyes down to the last ones of each paragraph. These sentences can be the topic sentences which hold the main idea. This should not take you too much time as there’re only a few important words to follow. However, don’t hesitate to stop if you think something needs to be read entirely. Make sure you leave the paragraph and move to the next after carefully skimming. Attentively read the keywords. They can be nouns, dates, events, names, numbers,… These very single words or phrases that give details are worth considering. Questions about these kinds of information usually show up in the IELTS test. Along with your skimming process, underline or highlight important words and phrases. It’s good to use a marker or pencil (if you think you might want to erase the lines after that). This is also a preparation for scanning. Image by PDPics via Pixabay Remember it’s you who decide what rate of speed you want to skim. Of course, it’s not necessarily equal in every part. The situations may vary, it could be a slow-down when you skim through an unfamiliar word, for example. Sometimes, there are sentences that need more than one glance. As far as what we have agreed in the previous section, you only scan when you know what to scan. There are some facts you want to find out. So what are the facts that you need? If you have questions and are looking for the specific answer, there are probably some keywords in the question. 2. Effective reading with scanning You can now leave out all the rest of the text as you’re in search of some specific question-related information. In case there’re not any given keywords, establish them. Choose a few words or phrases to search. It’s your choice to look for one or more keywords at a time. Let’s see if you can practice these suggestions below: Use a finger of your hand to scan, which is a helpful way to stay focused. A calmness of mind together with the strong physical image of your finger pointing along the lines will provide you with confidence. You’re also sure of what you’ve scanned and what’s left to be scanned. Image by Free-Photos via Pixabay Repeat silently in your mind the keywords while scanning. You may think you’re sure of what you need, but keeping on telling yourself the wanted word or phrase can never be anything of disadvantages. Whether it’s a phone number, a person’s name, a location, a country… keep saying quietly that’s the destination. When you come across a keyword while scanning, stop and carefully read the surrounding text. If there’s anything serving your purposes, note them down to review later and see if this information needs noticing. The chances we find needed sentences and then lose them can happen without a warning. If we do not prepare for surprises, we’ll be surprisingly slower than planning. 3. Frequent practice is the key Although knowing the differences between skimming and scanning is undeniably useful, the habit of reading every word may make some of us uncomfortable to change. To finally master the techniques of skimming and scanning, you have to spend your time practising again and again. It’s the act of allowing yourself to skip all the texts but the ones that best match your purposes. Whenever you’re in your best mindset, you’re ready to speed up your reading process. How important Scanning and Skimming are in the IELTS test? One of the most challenging things students have to face in the IELTS test is time management. You need to deliver an appropriate amount of time for each question. You must optimize every minute to get the best possible result. We can clearly see that skimming and scanning are necessary skills to secure your success in IELTS reading. Skimming is inevitable if you are in the early stage of an IELTS reading test. The limited time does not allow you to read all the writing. If you try to do so, there’s a chance that you’ll run out of your time. As long as you skim carefully, the pleasant result will come as a large quantity of information within a short period of time. Moreover, you’ll even have a couple more minutes to check if the answers are correct. With a clear purpose – a particular keyword, all you need to do is scanning through the reading material until anything catches your eyes and pause to look for important information or data. As you can see, skimming can’t contribute much at this state of reading like it does earlier. This is the time of details and more details. When you’ve located the keywords in the passage, slow down find your answer in the surrounding text area. In a word, practising both skimming and scanning intentionally is a survival strategy in the IELTS test Conclusion This discussion about the differences between skimming and scanning may be too long to digest, it’s still essential for your understanding of the two techniques. Becoming familiar with doing skimming and scanning has been helping a lot of people, including the writer of this article. I know we are people who love to read and save our time for important matters. We all hope that we are able to speed up our rate of reading. Just start your first day practising, if this is the first time you know about these techniques. Keep on if you’ve been doing them so well so far. If you have other questions for this topic, please let us know by leaving them in the comment section below. We also love to know your own tips for these two techniques. Here in eJOY, we offer many more useful tips for the IELTS examinees. Please subscribe or leave us your email so we can send you free and interesting materials. What is Reasoning? Reasoning is what we do when we take information that we are given, compare it to what we already know, and then come up with a conclusion. Simple, huh? While much of our ability to reason is innate, these skills can be taught and improved upon. Reasoning skills often happen subconsciously and within seconds. However, sometimes we need to think things through to reach a conclusion when we are presented with a tough question or situation. Reasoning skills are essential to day-to-day life: we use them to make choices among possible options, to distinguish between positive and negative situations, to decide how to approach a problem and resolve it, and much more. As we consider some more specific examples, keep in mind this equation, which may help you to understand how it all works: Given Information + Knowledge = Reasoned Conclusion Inductive Reasoning vs. Deductive Reasoning Inductive reasoning is different from deductive reasoning, where you start with a generalization or theory, and then test it by applying it to specific incidents. For example, in grade school, our teachers may have taught the difference to us as "going from big to small" when using deductive reasoning and "going from small to big" when using inductive reasoning. Scientists may use deductive reasoning to test a hypothesis in a lab, whereas many law enforcement, military, or corporate leaders must be able to use inductive reasoning by taking quick sweep of a situation and making a vital, but time-sensitive decision. Inductive reasoning allows individuals to accurately “see the signs” of something bigger at play. Examples of Inductive Reasoning In practice, inductive reasoning often appears invisible. You might not be aware that you’re taking in information, recognizing a potential pattern, and then acting on your hypothesis. But, if you’re a good problem solver, chances are that these examples will feel familiar: 1. A teacher notices that his students learned more when hands-on activities were incorporated into lessons, and then decides to regularly include a hands-on component in his future lessons. 2. An architect discerns a pattern of cost overages for plumbing materials in jobs and opts to increase the estimate for plumbing costs in subsequent proposals. 3. A stockbroker observes that Intuit stock increased in value four years in a row during tax season and recommends clients buy it in March. 4. A recruiter conducts a study of recent hires who have achieved success and stayed on with the organization. She finds that they graduated from three local colleges, so she decides to focus recruiting efforts on those schools. 5. A salesperson presents testimonials of current customers to suggest to prospective clients that her products are high quality and worth the purchase. 6. A defense attorney reviews the strategy employed by lawyers in similar cases and finds an approach that has consistently led to acquittals. She then applies this approach to her own case. 7. A production manager examines cases of injuries on the line and discerns that many injuries occurred towards the end of long shifts. The manager proposes moving from 10-hour to 8-hour shifts based on this observation. 8. A bartender becomes aware that customers give her higher tips when she shares personal information, so she intentionally starts to divulge personal information when it feels appropriate to do so. 9. An activities leader at an assisted living facility notices that residents light up when young people visit. She decides to develop a volunteer initiative with a local high school, connecting students with residents who need cheering up. 10. A market researcher designs a focus group to assess consumer responses to new packaging for a snack product. She discovers that participants repeatedly gravitate towards a label stating “15 grams of protein." The researcher recommends increasing the size and differentiating the color of that wording. Types of Inductive Reasoning Skills The following are some of the skills that individuals with strong inductive reasoning abilities have. Attention to Detail No one can draw conclusions on details without first noticing them. That’s why paying attention is crucial to inductive reasoning. If you are trying to develop better inductive reasoning, begin by first noticing more about the things around you. Be mindful of your five primary senses: the things that you hear, feel, smell, taste, and see. Observation Active Listening Note-taking Critical Thinking Asking Questions Mindfulness Recognizing Patterns Those that have strong inductive reasoning quickly notice patterns. They can see how certain objects or events lining up in a certain way can result in a common outcome. Teachers working with students with different personalities and intellectual abilities must practice inductive reasoning when figuring out which approach best helps each student. Financial analysts use inductive reasoning to examine data and draw conclusions. Data Analysis Mathematics Observation Adaptability Language Skills Troubleshooting Making Projections Closely related to recognizing patterns is then being able to predict (or intuit) what the near future will hold by taking certain steps now. Leaders must be able to know that certain decisions will lead to more group cooperation and greater success. Among the most common demands for inductive reasoning is being able to build financial projections for a startup, insurance company, investing, accounting firm, or for an executive of a medium-to-large firm. Leadership DecisionMaking Integration Creating Pro Forma Statements Risk Management Memory Often, you will notice a few details and then recognize them again months or years later. Your inductive reasoning is often directly connected to your ability to recall past events and the details leading up to those events. For those that worry that their memory might fail them, they may learn to take notes (by hand, smartphone, or audio recording device) so that they can reference them later on. Organization Curiosity Mnemonic Skills Research Reflection Tactics Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Different than raw intellect (known as IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to perceive emotions motivating social moments that otherwise might be mysterious to those lacking EQ. People with high levels of EQ are frequently more understanding of others and better able to “get to the heart” of issues between two or more people. Communication Skills Collaboration Skills Empathy Mentoring Reading Body Language Showing Your Inductive Reasoning Skills at an Interview Job interviews provide an ideal opportunity to show employers that you have inductive reasoning skills. Before the interview, review your past roles and identify situations in which you have applied inductive reasoning. Specifically, think of times when inductive reasoning resulted in positive outcomes, where you independently applied knowledge learned on the job in order to adapt quickly to your role. When highlighting your inductive reasoning during an interview, use the STAR interview response technique. This is an acronym that stands for: Situation Task Action Result First, describe the situation: Where you were working? What project were you working on? Then describe the task: What was your responsibility? What problem did you have to solve? What observations did you make? Next, explain the action you took: What solution did you implement? How did you translate your observations into a solution or action? Finally, explain the result: How did your action help the problem, or help the company more broadly?. This technique will clearly show the interviewer that you have inductive reasoning skills that can add value to the company.
