Chapter 3. Critical Thinking Processes

Thinking Critically about Your Own Writing: Self-Reflection

The word reflection may bring to mind the quiet contemplation of a poet or philosopher, and it may seem to have little to do with the process of learning new academic skills or applying them successfully. However, reflecting on your writing and writing processes—that is, thinking through the difficulties, questions, and successes that arise as you draft and revise papers—can help you become a more active learner, one who is deeply engaged in figuring out your academic strengths and weaknesses and in determining how to turn those weaknesses into strengths. In short, self-reflection and active learning can help you make lasting improvements in your writing skills. Additionally, with time and practice, you’ll become more comfortable applying those skills in any writing situation, both in college and beyond.

Critical Thinking Skill	Sample College Writing Assignments
Analysis: breaking into parts and elements based on a principle	Describe the immediate causes of the 2008 stock market crash. (Analyze by using the principle of immediate causes to identify and explain the reasons for the 2008 crash.) Trace the stages through which a bill becomes federal law. Explain and illustrate the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Define romanticism, identifying and illustrating its major characteristics.
Synthesis: combining parts and elements to form new wholes	Discuss the following statement: High-minded opposition to slavery was only one cause, and not a very important one, of the animosity between North and South that in 1861 escalated into civil war. (Synthesize by combining the causes or elements of the North-South animosity, going beyond the opposition to slavery, to form a new whole: your conclusion that accounts for the escalation into civil war.) Imagine that you are a trial lawyer in 1921, charged with defending Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder. Argue for their acquittal on whatever grounds you can justify.
Evaluation: judging according to standards or criteria	Present and evaluate the most widely accepted theories that account for the disappearance of the dinosaurs. (Evaluate, based on standards such as scientific merit, the credibility of each theory.) Defend or challenge the idea that houses and public buildings should be constructed to last no longer than twenty years. Contrast the models of the solar system advanced by Copernicus and by Kepler, showing how the latter improved on the former.

Table 3.2: Using Critical Thinking for College Assignments

Details on Self-Reflection

Self-reflection involves metacognition, with meta meaning “beyond” and cognition referring to the process of thinking, learning, or understanding. In the context of writing, metacognition means thinking about your own thinking—and about your writing process. In essence, metacognition (and, therefore, self-reflection) is a kind of self-assessment. Throughout the process of producing a piece of writing you ask yourself questions like the following:

BEFORE WRITING

What do I think is the purpose or reason for this writing assignment? How might this type of writing be relevant beyond this particular assignment or class?
Am I clear on the requirements of this assignment? If not, what questions might I pose to my instructor?
Am I having a hard time starting the assignment? What seems to be getting in my way?

DURING WRITING

Which aspects of completing this assignment are coming fairly easy to me? Which aspects are more challenging, and why?
Which parts of the writing process am I enjoying most? Which parts are less enjoyable, and why?

AFTER WRITING

What strategies did I use to draft this paper? Which ones were most successful? Which ones were least successful? Why?
What was the most valuable thing I learned from this writing assignment? (Think of what you learned not only from your instructor or from this book but also from your own writing process.) What do I wish I had known earlier in the process of completing the assignment?
Does the feedback that I received from my instructor (or peers) make sense to me? Does this feedback align with any of the concerns I’d expressed in my earlier reflections? Does any of it contradict or complicate those reflections?
Do I have any remaining questions for my instructor or peers?
What grade would I give myself on this piece of writing, and why?
What would I like to do better in the next draft of this paper or in the next writing assignment?

The syllabus for your writing class (or for other classes) might specify desired learning outcomes. And within the syllabus, or in a separate document, a so-called rubric may list (and possibly give examples of) criteria for successful papers. If your instructor has provided learning outcomes or rubrics, you might use these documents for self-reflection.

For example, let’s say that in an economics course, the rubric for research papers makes this statement:

Successful papers will give a new insight into the topic—an insight not provided in lectures, class discussions, or readings.

In the process of generating ideas, then, the writer might repeatedly ask, “Can I draw fresh conclusions from the evidence I’ve gathered? Would additional research be helpful?” And when it’s time to draft a thesis stating the paper’s main point, the writer might ask, “Is this truly an original insight? Do I need to spend more time gathering evidence or thinking through the evidence that I’ve already collected?”

Again, the central aim of self-reflection should be to learn more about what is working well in your writing process and about what needs more effort and attention. Building this kind of self-awareness is an important first step in improving your writing skills and in helping you transfer them more readily to other writing situations, whether in other college courses or in the workplace.

You might record your self-reflections in a designated notebook or journal, or in a digital file. Or you might post your reflections to a blog. Unless your instructor specifies a format for this type of writing, choose the one that is most comfortable and convenient for you.

Learning by Doing Reflecting on Your College Career

Learning by Doing Reflecting on Your College Career

Consider what Keith Hjortshoj says in his book The Transition to College Writing: “Students who get the most out of college usually take the most active responsibility for determining what, how, and why they should learn.”¹ Reflect on your own motivation for going to college. Why are you here? How should you adapt your own study habits (or lack thereof) to adjust to college life? How will the work in this course benefit you in later courses and beyond college? How can your classmates help you succeed? What do you think you need to do to become invested in your classwork and your learning?

Contexts for Self-Reflection

For details on self-reflection and self-assessment in portfolio keeping, see Keeping a Portfolio in Ch. 24.

Your instructor might assign self-reflective writing at various points in the course. For example, you might be asked to respond to a “midterm reflection” prompt like the one shown on page 41. Also, if you are required to keep a writing portfolio for your course, you might be asked to complete a series of self-reflections as part of that process. Any ongoing evaluation of your thinking and writing processes will certainly help you write the introduction or cover letter that is usually required at the time you submit a final portfolio. These documents are a form of self-assessment in which you discuss your best or most challenging papers, detail your writing and revision process, and so on.

Whether or not self-reflection is assigned, it is a worthwhile activity, something that you should aim to do at least once a week. Learning by Doing prompts that call for reflection appear throughout this book, and Parts Two and Three include a final Reviewing and Reflecting activity. Even if your instructor does not assign these activities, consider completing at least some of them. The more you practice self-reflection, the more helpful the process will be.

A final word: in addition to building your thinking and writing skills, self-reflection can help you get more out of peer review. In particular, it will allow you to ask peers more specific questions about your writing, encouraging more helpful responses. Consider the differences between the following sets of questions, and the likely benefits of the more specific ones.

VAGUE QUESTIONSFOR PEER REVIEWERS	Did you like my paper or not? What did you think of my paper?
SPECIFIC QUESTIONSFOR PEER REVIEWERS	I struggled with the organization of the support paragraphs. Does the order of them make sense to you? If not, why not?
	I’m not sure that my argument responds adequately to opposing views. Can you think of any counterarguments that I haven’t addressed?

Learning by Doing Reflecting on the Syllabus

Learning by Doing Reflecting on the Syllabus

Working with a classmate or small group, look over the syllabus for this course, paying special attention to the stated goals, which may be called “outcomes” or “objectives.” Write a short reflection about the syllabus. How does it differ from others you may have received in college or high school? Do the goals raise any questions for you? Which ones do you think might be the most challenging and why? Examine your syllabus further. If assignments are listed, do any look particularly difficult? What skills do you currently have that would help you tackle them?