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Lesson 2 ObjectivesIdentify influences on ones thinking processesExamine ones own beliefs and compare them to the perspectives of othersExamine the process of developing informed beliefs

Critical Thinking

Lesson 2Thinking Actively When you think critically, you actively use your intelligence, knowledge, and abilities to deal effectively with lifes situations. Similarly, when you write thoughtfully, you:become involved in the subject you are writing about and discover ideas that you were unaware of until you started writing. express your own perspectives instead of imitating the ideas of others. follow through as you revise and edit in order to produce your best effort. take responsibility for your work. Thinking IndependentlyThink about how you might answer the following questions: Is the earth flat? Is the soul immortal? Should marijuana be legalized? Should music lyrics and videos be censored? Thinking IndependentlyYour views on the questions on the previous slide and on many other issues probably had their beginnings in what you heard from the people around you as you were growing up, including parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, religious leaders, instructors, books, and the media. You absorbed most of what you learned passively, without even being aware of doing so.

Thinking IndependentlyNow, when you think through important ideas, use this standard when making a decision: Are there good reasons or evidence that support this thinking?

If there are, you can actively decide to adopt the ideas.

If not, you can modify or reject them. Thinking IndependentlyHow do you know when you have examined and adopted beliefs yourself instead of simply borrowing them from others? One indication that you have thought through your beliefs is being able to explain why you hold them, giving the reasons that led you to your conclusions.

Viewing Situations from Different PerspectivesCritical thinkers listen to other views and new ideas and examine them carefully because No one person has all the answersYour beliefs represent just one perspectiveThere may be other equally important viewpoints that you need to consider

Viewing Situations from Different PerspectivesBeing willing and able to consider multiple perspectives affects how you approach a writing project:Audience and perspective: Focusing on your audience includes being able to see things from their point of view. Purpose and Perspective: Being open to new ideas and different viewpoints means being flexible enough to modify your ideas in light of new information.

To grow as a thinker, you have to be willing to modify your beliefs when evidence suggests that you should.Supporting Diverse Perspectives with Reasons and Evidence When you are thinking critically, you can offer sound reasons for your views. As a thoughtful writer, you cannot simply take a position on an issue or make a claim; you have to back up your views and reinforce them with information that you feel supports your position. If you want to know all sides of an issue, you have to be able to give supporting reasons and evidence not just for your own views but also for the views of others.

Writing Project: An Experience That Influenced a BeliefIn this Lesson youll write an essay about an experience that had an important influence on a belief you hold.

The following slides give you an overview of key points for completing this assignment. (See the text for more detailed guidelines.)

Writing Project: An Experience That Influenced a BeliefThe Writing SituationPurpose: Along with presenting significant insights about the texts and their subject, you will better understand how to use the thinking patterns of comparison and contrast.

Audience: Keep in mind that your audience may not have read the texts you are writing about. Include enough evidence from the texts to demonstrate your points. You may also want to include a summary of each text that gives the reader enough information to understand what you are writing about.Subject: Remember that you must use texts that have something essential in common. It helps a great deal to pick texts that genuinely interest you, either because of their subject matter or because of their style.Writer: Neither your personal opinions nor your experiences are the focus of this project. You must be objective and thoughtful as you establish the significance of your analysis.Writing Project: An Experience That Influenced a BeliefThe Writing Process Generating Ideas: Make a list of the ideas in each text.Make a list of what you notice about each text. After you have made these lists, begin to look for bases or points of likeness or difference. Defining a Focus: Write a thesis statement that will clearly inform your audience that you are going to explore similarities, differences, or both. Organizing Ideas: The major decision you will have to make is whether to use block or point-by-point organization or some combination of the two (see next slide).Drafting: If you are using point-by-point organization, remember to begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence indicating that this point will be discussed for both (or all) texts. Then provide the audience with as much information as is needed to help them see what you mean. Revising, Editing, and Proofreading: Use the Step-by-Step method on pages 169171 to revise and polish your essay.

Writing Project: An Experience That Influenced a BeliefGuidelines for Using Comparisons in Writing Early and accurately, introduce the things to be compared and contrasted. This means identifying what the texts are and naming the titles and authors. Develop a thesis that states that you will examine likenesses and differences. Organize the comparison or contrast in the way that will be easiest for the audience to follow. There are three ways to organize a comparison and contrast: Block: Present all the material about the first subject, and then present all the material about the second.Point-by-point: Give information about one of the things being compared and contrasted, and then give information about the other.A combination of the two: Combine these two patterns when there are some items of similarity or difference that you can present in blocks, followed by points that you want to address separately. Bring up the same bases or points of comparison or contrast for each subject, and in the same order. Assist the audience by using words, phrases, or sentences that show relationships and shifts. State the significance of your comparison and contrast at the place in the essay where it will be most effective.