Critical Thinking (Full AS+A2) A Level

Critical Thinking (Full AS+A2) A Level

AS Critical Thinking

Why choose Critical Thinking?

Critical Thinking develops the ability to make sense of arguments and ideas. People who question what they read in the newspaper and enjoy reading between the lines, by analysing the language used in a logical way, will enjoy this course. As well as being lively and enjoyable in its own right it can help improve study and communication skills. On this basis, Critical Thinking can be a very useful way to support the study of other subjects and improve your performance in other subjects.

Learning about critical thinking provides a framework for you to weigh up all of the information that you are bombarded with every day. This may be very helpful when you are studying other subjects. It helps develop the skill of reading for meaning. Rather than skimming through a newspaper article, a technical report or a difficult chapter in a book, you should become better equipped to take what you have read to pieces. You are given a discipline to see what somebody is really saying and whether you are convinced by it, rather than taking them at face value. By the end of the course you may also be better able to construct an argument yourself.

The course is divided into two units, each of which is divided into several sections. There are a large number of activities to do. The course is skills based rather than content based. In other words, there is not very much to commit to memory. It is more about practising and developing skills. The answers to all the activities are included with the course notes. At various points you will complete one of the assignments and send it to your tutor for marking. Each unit corresponds to a unit as set out in the syllabus and an examination. The lessons also broadly correspond to sections of the units in the syllabus. It is important that you will study the lessons in the right sequence. However you should be aware that Critical Thinking is very much an integrated subject – try and see the links between terms and concepts as you go along.

The units are divided up as follows:

UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL THINKING

Part A – the language of reasoning

3.1.1 What is an argument?

          What is an argument?
          Some basic rules of arguments
          Using common notation as shorthand

3.1.2 The elements of an argument  

          What are argument indicators?
          Counter arguments
          The use of counter claims
          Providing evidence
          Providing examples
          Hypothetical reasoning
          Assumptions

3.1.3 How strong is the evidence in a reason?         

          Evaluating evidence
          How big was the sample?
          Was the sample representative?
          How and when was the evidence collected?
          How is the evidence presented?
          Alternative interpretations of statistics
          How well does a reason support the conclusion?

Part B – Credibility

3.1.4 What is credibility?

3.1.5 Credibility criteria         

          Is the evidence plausible?
          Is the source an eye witness?
          Is there corroboration?
          To what extent are different sources consistent with each other?
          Is there any suggestion of bias?
          Does the source have a vested interest?
          Is the source neutral?
          Can the source be seen as expert?
          Does the source have a positive reputation?

3.1.6 A guide to the unit one exam         

          How the exam works
          What do I need to be able to do?
          How to give a good answer
          Practice makes perfect!

UNIT 2 ASSESSING AND DEVELOPING ARGUMENT

Part A – Further points on components

3.2.1 Some things that are not an argument         

          Explanation
          Description
          Opinion

3.2.2 Intermediate conclusions

3.2.3 Analogies

3.2.4 Principles

3.2.5 Drawing conclusions

Part B – spotting problems with an argument - types of flaw

3.2.6 Inconsistency and contradiction

3.2.7 Types of flaw         

          Wrong actions
          Unwarranted assumption of a causal relationship
          Generalisation
          Restricting the options
          Slippery slope
          Circular argument
          Confusing necessary and sufficient conditions
          Conflation
          Straw person
          Ad hominem flaws
          Arguing from one thing to another

3.2.8 Irrelevant appeals

Part C – Developing your own reasoned argument

Part D – Guide to the unit 2 exam

Recommended textbook and use of the web

Although the course material provides explanations of the whole syllabus you are strongly advised to purchase a copy of OCR Critical Thinking AS by Jo Lally and others. It is published by Heinemann. (ISBN 978-0-435235-89-5). The book provides clear explanations and contains many activities.

At the front of the book is a CD which contains, among other things, the answers to the activities.

There are no websites specific to AS Critical Thinking except criticalthinking.org PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS FOR THE PREVIOUS NOT THE CURRENT SPECIFICATION HOWEVER.

On the critical thinking website you will see a useful links section, though as the creator of the website admits, there isn’t much else out there.

Finally, the OCR website (www.ocr.org.uk) contains full details of the syllabus and sample exam papers with answers.

Studying Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is a broad, contemporary and “real world” subject.

Students probably need to have passed GCSE level English Language to do well on the course. There is no mathematics element but there is a need to have a go at interpreting figures and understanding some basic mathematical concepts such as averages and percentages at a fairly basic level.

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A2 Critical Thinking
The course is divided into two units, each of which is divided into several sections. There are a large number of activities to do. The course is skills based rather than content based. In other words, there is not very much to commit to memory. It is more about practising and developing skills. The answers to all the activities are included with the course notes. At various points you will complete one of the assignments and send it to your tutor for marking.

Each unit corresponds to a unit as set out in the syllabus and an examination. The lessons also broadly correspond to sections of the units in the syllabus. It is important that you will study the lessons in the right sequence. However you should be aware that Critical Thinking is very much an integrated subject – try and see the links between terms and concepts as you go along. The units are divided up as follows:

UNIT 3: ETHICAL REASONING AND DECISION MAKING

3.3.1 Ethical reasoning         

          Conflicting ideas
          Social, political, religious and moral factors
          More on hypothetical reasoning
          Different responses, different criteria

3.3.2 Dilemmas, applying principles and decision making

          The nature of a dilemma
          Constructing arguments

UNIT 4 CRITICAL REASONING

3.4.1 Analysis and evaluation of complex arguments         

          Assumptions
          Valid and invalid arguments
          Syllogisms
          Sustained suppositional reasoning
          Sustained counter-argument
          Relationship between components
          Independent or joint?
          Smaller arguments, counter arguments and explanations
          Not part of an argument?
          Evaluating strength and weakness

3.4.2 Developing your own cogent and complex arguments         

          Studying Critical Thinking
          Critical Thinking is a broad, contemporary and “real world” subject.

Students probably need to have passed GCSE level English Language to do well on the course. There is no mathematics element but there is a need to have a go at interpreting figures and understanding some basic mathematical concepts such as averages and percentages at a fairly basic level.