How to think, write & reflect critically

291 Pages·2012·6.741 MB·English

by  Weyers, Jonathon, McMillan, Kathleen A.

HOW TO
IMPROVE YOUR
CRITICAL
THINKING
& REFLECTIVE
SKILLS
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HOW TO
IMPROVE YOUR
CRITICAL
THINKING
& REFLECTIVE
SKILLS
KATHLEEN McMILLAN &
JONATHAN WEYERS
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Pearson Education Limited
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow
Essex CM20 2JE
England
and Associated Companies throughout the world
Visit us on the World Wide Web at:
www.pearson.com/uk
First published 2013
© Pearson Education Limited 2013
The rights of Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers to be identified as authors
of this Work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior
written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying
in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd,
Saffron House, 6−10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN 978-0-273-77332-0
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12
Typeset in 9.5/13 pt Helvetica Neue Pro Roman by 3
Printed in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset
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SMARTER STUDY SKILLS
Instant answers to your most pressing
university skills problems and queries
Are there any secrets to successful study?
The simple answer is ‘yes’ – there are some essential skills, tips
and techniques that can help you to improve your performance and
success in all areas of your university studies.
These handy, easy-to-use guides to the most common areas where
most students need help, contain accessible, straightforward
practical tips and instant solutions that provide you with the tools and
techniques that will enable you to improve your performance and get
better results – and better grades!
Each book in the series allows you to assess and address a particular
set of skills and strategies, in crucial areas of your studies. Each
book then delivers practical, no-nonsense tips, techniques and
strategies that will enable you to significantly improve your abilities and
performance in time to make a difference.
The books in the series are:
● How to Write Essays and Assignments
● How to Write Dissertations and Project Reports
● How to Argue
● How to Improve Your Maths Skills
● How to Use Statistics
● How to Succeed in Exams and Assessments
● How to Cite, Reference and Avoid Plagiarism at University
● How to Improve Your Critical Thinking and Reflective Skills
For complete handbooks covering all of these study skills and more:
● The Study Skills Book
● Study Skills for International Students
Get smart, get a head start!
v
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CONTENTS
Preface and acknowledgements ix
How to use this book xi
INTRODUCTION
1 Key concepts and processes – how thinking, reflection and
creativity involve important skills 3
KEY APPROACHES TO THINKING
2 Critical thinking – how to develop a logical approach to
analysis and problem-solving 17
3 Reflective thinking – how to evaluate your feelings in
academic contexts 30
4 Creative thinking – how to generate innovative and original
ideas 43
CRITICAL THINKING IN PRACTICE
5 Arriving at a viewpoint – how to sift fact and opinion to
arrive at a position on a topic 55
6 Supporting or opposing an argument – how to express
your point of view through discussion and debate 64
7 Interpreting and manipulating data – how to approach
graphs, tables, formulae and basic statistics 76
8 Decision-making and work-planning – how to make
choices, plan ahead and prioritise 91
9 Group effort and collaboration – how to enhance your
contribution to teamwork 104
EVALUATING THE IDEAS OF OTHERS
10 Evaluating information sources – how to filter and select
reliable material 119
11 Effective academic reading – how to read efficiently and
with understanding 129
Contents vii
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12 Note-making from texts – how to create effective notes for
later reference 142
13 Plagiarism and copyright infringement – how to avoid being
accused of ‘stealing’ the ideas and work of others 154
14 Citing and listing references – how to refer appropriately to
the work of others 164
PUTTING YOUR THINKING INTO WORDS
15 Tackling a writing assignment – how to respond to the
specified task 187
16 Academic writing style – how to adopt appropriate language
conventions 197
17 General writing structures – how to select and shape your
content appropriately 210
18 Writing about reflection – how to structure and report your
thoughts 224
19 Editing and presenting your assignment – how to review
your own work and follow academic style conventions 235
FORWARD THINKING
20 Exploiting feedback – how to learn from what lecturers think
of your work 247
21 Preparing for employment – how to transfer your thinking
skills to a career 254
References and further reading 267
Glossary of key terms 270
viii Contents
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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are pleased that you have chosen How to Improve Your Critical
Thinking and Reflective Skills and hope that it will provide you with
a deeper understanding of the thought processes used in university
learning. We have included a range of tips and suggestions to help
you to develop relevant skills. These cover methodical thinking, when
a logical approach is required; reflective thinking, when self-analysis is
expected; and creative thinking, when you need to be innovative. We
have tried to make the book as practical and jargon-free as possible,
and have avoided a theoretical treatment of logic or behaviour. The
book takes you through the full process of applying thought. It will
help you to analyse the ideas of others and put your own notions into
words. We also show you how to make the most of feedback from staff
and how to let potential employers know about your thinking skills. We
hope this book will meet your needs – regardless of your experience
and background.
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to many people who have
influenced us and contributed to the development and production of
this book. Numerous students over the years have helped us to test
our ideas, especially those whose written work we have commented
upon, supervised and assessed. We are grateful to the following
colleagues and friends who have helped us directly or indirectly:
Margaret Adamson, Michael Allardice, the late John Berridge, Stuart
Cross, Margaret Forest, Andy Jackson, Bill Kirton, Eric Monaghan,
Neil Paterson, Jane Prior, Fiona O’Donnell, Dorothy Smith, Gordon
Spark, Amanda Whitehead, David Walker and David Wishart. Also, we
acknowledge those at other universities who have helped frame our
thoughts, particularly our good friends Rob Reed, Nicki Hedge and
Esther Daborn. We owe a special debt to the senior colleagues who
encouraged various projects that contributed to this book, and who
allowed us the freedom to pursue this avenue of scholarship, especially
Robin Adamson, Chris Carter, Ian Francis, Rod Herbert and David
Swinfen. At Pearson Education, we have had excellent advice and
support from Steve Temblett, Rob Cottee and Philippa Fiszzon. Finally,
we would like to say thanks to our long-suffering but nevertheless
Preface and acknowledgements ix
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