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The Critical Thinking Process

A Willingness to Reconsider

Thinking, reading, and writing are interrelated disciplines and in combination constitute critical thinking.

A critical thinker does not take anything at face value. Instead, he or she weighs every idea in the balance, compares and contrasts those ideas, and looks at them in new and interesting ways, often reaching new and unexpected conclusions.

Key to understanding critical thinking are the ways in which thinking, reading and writing processes contribute to the discovery of knowledge.

Critical Thinking Process

1. Purpose

2. Analyze

3. Synthesize

4. Infer

5. Evaluate

- Decide what you want to accomplish

- Take apart / dissect / examine all angles

- Combine and reconsider what you know

- Draw new conclusions based on new information

- Reassess what you believe

ReadingAccessing Thought

Reading Critically

1. Read for literal meaning

2. Read for interpretation

3. Read to evaluate

- Internal evaluation

- External evaluation

Reading Process

1. Preview

2. Read

3. Review

• Re-read• Summarize• Annotate

The Writing Process

A Literacy 12-Step Program

The Writing Process1. Choosing and narrowing a topic.2. Identifying your audience.3. Engaging in pre-writing exercises.4. Conducting research.5. Planning and Organizing.6. Outlining.7. Composing/Drafting.8. Reviewing.9. Revising and Rewriting.10. Editing.11. Proofreading.12. Publishing.

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Girl Reading, by Mary McEvoy

Center for Academic Excellence

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