Critical Thinking Cheat Sheet: Capstone - Putting It All Together
The Critical Thinking Process Framework
Step | Key Actions | Questions to Ask |
1. Clarify the Issue | Define the exact question or problem | What exactly am I trying to determine? What’s the core issue? What questions need answering first? |
2. Gather & Evaluate Information | Collect and assess relevant evidence | What evidence is available? How reliable are the sources? What biases might affect this information? |
3. Identify Assumptions & Perspectives | Uncover hidden beliefs and alternative viewpoints | What assumptions am I making? What alternative perspectives exist? How might my background influence my thinking? |
4. Analyze Arguments & Reasoning | Examine logical structure and strength | What are the key claims? What evidence supports them? Are there logical fallacies? How strong is the evidence-conclusion connection? |
5. Consider Implications & Alternatives | Explore consequences and other possibilities | What would follow if I accept this conclusion? What alternatives exist? What are potential consequences? |
6. Form & Communicate Conclusions | Develop and express well-reasoned judgments | What conclusion is best supported? How certain can I be? How can I explain my reasoning clearly? |
Integrating Critical Thinking Skills
Skill | When to Apply | Key Techniques |
Recognising Assumptions | When forming initial opinions, when feeling very certain | Look for gap words, work backwards from conclusions, consider opposites |
Evaluating Evidence | When encountering claims, statistics, research findings | Apply CRAAP test, check for cherry-picking, distinguish correlation from causation |
Spotting Logical Fallacies | When analyzing arguments, during debates, in media | Identify specific fallacy types, focus on argument structure not just content |
The Art of Questioning | Throughout the critical thinking process | Use Socratic questioning sequence, match question types to specific purposes |
Understanding Cognitive Biases | When making judgments, especially under uncertainty | Slow down thinking, consider opposites, seek diverse perspectives |
Analyzing Arguments | When evaluating complex positions or forming your own | Identify premises and conclusions, assess validity/soundness or strength/cogency |
Digital Age Critical Thinking | When consuming online information | Apply SIFT method, use verification tools, practice balanced consumption |
Emotional Intelligence | When topics trigger strong feelings | Name emotions, create distance, separate identity from ideas |
Applying Critical Thinking to Different Domains
Domain | Special Considerations | Useful Approaches |
Health & Science | Technical terminology, statistical literacy needed | Focus on study design, sample size, peer review status |
Politics & Policy | Value differences often underlie factual disagreements | Identify underlying values, separate empirical from normative claims |
Media & News | Competing narratives, time pressures | Triangulate sources, check publishing incentives |
Personal Decisions | Emotional investment, confirmation bias | Create decision matrices, seek outside perspective |
Professional Context | Organizational biases, power dynamics | Document reasoning, use structured decision processes |
Measuring Your Critical Thinking Progress
- Increasing comfort with uncertainty and nuance
- Greater awareness of your own thinking processes
- More frequent revision of views based on new evidence
- Improved ability to understand perspectives you disagree with
- Better recognition of patterns in arguments and reasoning
The Ethical Dimension of Critical Thinking
- Intellectual Humility: Recognizing knowledge limits
- Intellectual Courage: Considering unpopular ideas when evidence warrants
- Intellectual Empathy: Making genuine effort to understand others’ viewpoints
- Intellectual Autonomy: Taking responsibility for your own beliefs
- Intellectual Integrity: Holding yourself to the same standards you expect from others
Remember
Critical thinking isn’t a destination but a journey. The goal isn’t to have all the answers, but to ask better questions; not to be certain about everything, but to be thoughtful about what matters; not to win arguments, but to find truth.