This presentation will give you some tips to develop your critical thinking skills..

3. AGENDA:
o Introduction
o Warm up
o Key concepts analisis.
o Is the any connection
between studying and
thinking?
o Practice

4. The following quiz consists of
four questions to determine if
you are a critical thinker.
The quiz claims that questions
are NOT that difficult.

5. How do you put a giraffe into a
refrigerator?
Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and
close the door.
This question tests whether you tend to do
simple things in an overly complicated way.

6. Open the refrigerator, take OUT the giraffe, put
in the elephant and close the door. This tests
your ability to think through the repercussions of
your previous actions.

7. The Lion King is hosting an animal
conference. All the animals attend....
except one. Which animal does not attend?
The Elephant. The elephant is in
the refrigerator. You just put him
in there. This tests your memory.

8. You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not
been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Lion
King’s Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from
your mistakes.

9. These Questions are Not Critical Thinking.
They are tricks.
What does real world knowledge tell you
about giraffes and refrigerators?
 do you know about the difference
between “a” refrigerator and “the”
refrigerator?
What Shouldn’t the Lion King’s Meeting
question, being a fiction, rely on our
knowledge fables and allegory?
LET US NOT BE FOOLED BY
FALSE CRITICAL THINKING.

10.  Thinking about thinking
 Searching
 Making associations (former knowledge)
 Explaining
 Analyzing - Looking for options
 Problem solving
 Thinking “outside the box” & thinking about
 something from many angles

11. EXAMPLES OF NON-CRITICAL THINKING:
 “I never heard of that before so it must
not be true.”
 “I don’t believe it, therefore it isn’t
true.”
 “That’s not my opinion, so it can’t be
right.”

12. BUYING A BICYCLE
 Do I like how it looks?
 Can I afford it?
 How well made is it?
 Should I buy one new or used?
 Should I buy one, three, ten, or 15 speeds?
 How does it make me feel when I ride it?
 How does this one compare to another
model?
 Should I trust the person selling it ?

14.  Restraining emotion (allows objectivity)
 Looking at things differently (thinking
beyond the obvious)
 Analyzing information (break it down!)
 Asking questions (promotes knowledge, helps
solve problems)
 Problem solving (identify it, narrow it, look
for and develop alternatives)
 Fact vs. opinion (can it be proven?)
 Seeking truth (where is it?)

15. STUDYING involves
THINKING (lots of it!)!
***Allow yourself to ENJOY
the process of thinking and
learning

16. ENVIRONMENT
INFORMATION
 EXPECTATIONS (OF SELF, TEACHER,
CLASS)
MEMORY – your brain is like a funnel
of information….you must learn how
to organize and filter it!

17.  Short term memory, a.k.a. working memory:
holds a limited amount of info
 Long term memory: holds lots of info, like a
flash drive; takes effort to store info into
long term memory; consists of info you’ve
been hearing over and over.
 Must review info within 36 to 48 hours of
hearing/learning it in order to store it into
long term memories, review class
notes/materials within this amount of time.

18.  VCR3
Visualize
Concentrate
Relate (make associations/
critically think)
Repeat
Review

19. Helpers:
Proper sleep
Proper diet
Physical Exercise
Mental Exercise
Positivity
Environment
Study breaks
Repetition/visualiz
ation
Hindrances:
Distractions
Alcohol
Drugs
Stress
Close-mindedness
Inability to
distinguish
important facts from
unimportant facts

20. “TO KNOW IT IS TO MEMORIZE
IT!”
“TO LEARN IT IS TO KNOW IT!”
(When you know it, you
can study it and
remember it!)

21.  SQ3R: Scan, Question, Read (& annotate),
Recite, Review.
 Works best with scanning and reading
textbooks.

22.  Works best to study lecture notes
and textbook notes:
Examples of mnemonics:
Jingles/rhymes
Sentences
Words
Storylines
Acronyms

23.  Sentences: create a
sentence with the first
letter of each word of
list of things you need
to remember…e.g.think
about the planets…
My Very Elderly Mother
Just Sat Up Nights.
Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune
 Jingles/Rhymes: think
of commercials,
songs…use information
you need to study and
apply to the beat of
your song – ABCs
 Words – think of
remembering the great
Lakes: HOMES = Huron,
Ontario, Michigan, Erie,
Superior
 Acronyms: First letter
of each word and form
a word:
FANBOYS – For, And, Nor,
But, Or Yet, So

24.  Cooperative Learning is collaborative and
group learning…
 A study group has the following:
5-7 people
People who take notes
People who ask questions
People who will work diligently
People who are doing well in the class

25.  Develop “rules” for the group & pick
a leader
 Ask questions
 Compare & share
notes/ideas/understandings
 Drill and test each other
 Make predictions together
 Brainstorm
 If someone in the group is
NOT following the rules of the group,
they must go!

26. Don’t blame your teacher
Read quickly (remember SQ3R): Headings,
highlighted
info, introduction, conclusion, first & last sentence
of each paragraph
Make connections (think critically)
Use study guides, old tests & quizzes
VISUALIZE IT
REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT!!!
Choose info wisely – cramming means choosing
what you think is most important – YOU CANNOT
REMEMBER EVERYTHING WHEN YOU
PROCRASTINATE!

27. Learn it, don’t try to memorize – it’s
impossible!
Focus on the prize
Think about what YOU want out of
your class
Don’t wait….review every day &
when it is time for the test, you will
not have to study, you will simply re-
review!
THINK as you study…it will help you
better understand & remember

32.  Fact or Opinion? FACT OR OPINION?
A fact is something true or supported by reasons based on truths. An opinion is what we
believe and based on what we feel or impressions. Opinions are often not based on
facts.
Circle F for fact or O for Opinion for these statements:
1. Brazil is bigger than Paraguay F 0
2. French is more beautiful than Arabic F 0
3. Washing your hands regularly will help you get sick less. F 0
4. Indonesia is composed of islands. F 0
5. Moldova is poorer than the Ukraine F 0
6. Teachers thinks students are lazy. F 0

33.  Compare students today with the time when your great
grandparents were children. What is the same? What is different?
Why?

34.  Remember the Critical Thinking example
given of the decision process in “buying a
bicycle?”
1.In groups, think of another real-world
practical decision like this that anyone might
need to make. What kind of questions would
you ask yourself?

35. Questions? Comments?
What can you add to this
presentation?
 Study tactics that work for you?
Maria Erminia Flores López. B.A
mariaeflores08@gmail.com

36. Critical Thinking is Simply the Process of
Making Informed Decisions.
 That is, making decisions based on facts
and criteria (what counts), not feelings
and opinions.

37. STUDY STRATEGIES AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS.
http://www.yorku.ca/yulearn/universityskills/Presentation_CriticalThinking
2.pdf.