Once you start asking questions, you’ll usually discover a number of different possible answers. Don’t select one answer too quickly. To be a critical thinker, you need to be fair and open-minded, even if you don’t agree with certain ideas at first. Give them all a fair hearing; your goal is to find the truth or the best action, not to confirm what you already believe.

Often, you will recognize contradictory points of view held by people you know personally. You might also discover them in what you read, watch, or listen to for pleasure. Reading assignments might introduce conflicting arguments and theories about a subject on purpose, or you might come across differences of opinion as you do research for a project.

In class discussions, your instructors might present more than one valid point of view. For instance, not everyone agrees about bilingual education. Your instructor might want you to think about which types of students would or would not benefit from bilingual teaching and provide very specific reasons for your point of view. Instructors themselves can disagree with the experts and sometimes identify problems or mistakes in commonly accepted theories. Instructors also sometimes support your personal views and ask you to explain how your own life experiences help you relate to what you are reading or learning in class.

The more ideas you consider, the better your own thinking will become. Eventually, you will discover that you can change your mind, and that a willingness to do so shows that you are a reasonable, educated person.