CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

• Make sure that you understand what critical thinking means. If you are not clear about this term, discuss it with another student, the instructor of this course, or a staff member in the learning center.
• Find ways to express your imagination and curiosity, and practice asking questions. If you have the impulse to raise a question, don’t stifle yourself. College is for self-expression and exploration.
• Challenge your own and others’ assumptions that are not supported by evidence. Practice asking politely, calmly, and not in a rejecting manner for additional information to help you better understand the position the individual may be taking.
• During class lectures, presentations, and discussions, practice thinking about the subjects being discussed from multiple points of view. Start with the view that you would most naturally take toward the matter at hand. Then force yourself to imagine what questions might be raised by someone who doesn’t see the issue the same way you do.
• Draw your own conclusions and explain to others what evidence you considered that led you to these positions. Don’t assume that anyone automatically understands why you reached your conclusions.
• Join study groups or class project teams and work as a team member with other students. When you are a member of a team, volunteer for roles that stretch you. That is how you will really experience significant gains in learning and development.
• Learn to identify false claims in commercials and political arguments. Then look for the same faulty reasoning in people’s comments you hear each day.
• Practice critical thinking not only in your academic work but also in your everyday interactions with friends and family. Your environment both in and out of college will give you lots of opportunities to become a better critical thinker.