Introduction

Critical thinking is the ability to understand information, examine the relationships between different pieces of information, and make certain inferences on the basis of this process. While there are many different types of analysis that can be used, they all rely on the application of critical thinking within a specified framework.

The activities found here are meant to help students to become better critical thinkers. The primary method of mastering critical thinking skills is by recognizing, deconstructing, analyzing, presenting, and refuting arguments.

Supporting a Claim

One activity that can serve as an icebreaker and a good logic warm-up is an exercise in which students are asked to put forth a simple claim on a specific topic, for which they, then, need to articulate two to three reasons. To make the activity more engaging and interactive, you can turn it into an “argument-counterargument” activity in which students are asked to present their claims and reasons to a partner, who will then have to articulate one reason why they agree or disagree with their partner.

Here is an example of how such an activity might be used in a class.

Activity Process

Step 1

Should dog owners be required to obtain a license for their pet dogs? Phrase your answer as a complete sentence that begins with “Dog owners should/should not…” Articulate two to three distinct reasons that support your claim. Write each reason as a complete sentence or short paragraph. You have 7 minutes to complete this step.

Step 2

Pass your claim and reasons (argument) to your partner. Read your partner’s argument carefully and decide whether you agree with it or not. Articulate one reason why you agree or disagree. Phrase your response as a complete sentence that begins with “I agree/disagree with my partner’s argument because…” Turn in your work once done. You have 4 minutes to complete this step.

Step 3

Three examples will be selected at random and read to the class. The class will discuss the arguments as well as the responses.

Completing an Argument

One skills central to critical thinking is recognizing different parts of an argument (written or verbal) and being able to reconstruct it. To practice this skill, students can be presented with a task of finding reasons (premises) in a passage for a stated conclusion. Students will have to read the passage, decide what information there is relevant to the conclusion and what is not, and write the premises based on the relevant information in the passage. This activity can also be carried out collaborative by students working in teams.

Activity Process

Read the document “Women in the Home,” a leaflet published in 1910 by the National American Woman Suffrage Association headquartered in New York. Reconstruct the argument advanced in this short reading by supplying the premises (reasons) to support the conclusion stated below. Make sure that you include only the most relevant information in the premises and that each premise is stated as a complete sentence. Also, do not add any information to the premises that is not provided in the reading in some form.

Conclusion: Women should be granted the right to vote.

Understanding & Evaluating Arguments

This sample low-stakes assignment was adapted from one of the larger assignments used in the Stop, Question, Frisk, and the Law course developed by Fritz Umbach. In this assignment, students examine an excerpt from a primary source used in a real legal case, reconstruct the main argument presented in the excerpt, explain and evaluate that argument.

Assignment Purpose

The main purpose of this assignment is two-fold:

1. To engage with a primary text in an attempt to reconstruct and evaluate the argument advanced there;
2. To practice critical thinking skills.

Course Learning Outcomes addressed by this assignment:

1. Discover, gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources, intellectual perspectives, and approaches.
2. Organize and synthesize information and ideas into a coherently structured, thesis-driven, evidence-based argument in oral and written form.

Understanding & Evaluating Argument Activity in PDF