Unleashing the Power of Critical Thinking

Unleashing the Power of Critical Thinking

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand the concept of critical thinking and identify reasons and conclusions in the language of reasoning.

What do you already know about critical thinking and the language of reasoning?

Introduction

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, analyzing and evaluating arguments and evidence. Let's explore how to identify reasons and conclusions in the language of reasoning.

Reasons and Conclusions

Reasons are statements or evidence given to support a particular claim or argument. Conclusions are statements that follow from the reasons provided.

Identifying Reasons

To identify reasons, look for statements that provide evidence, support, or justification for a claim or argument.

Identifying Conclusions

Conclusions are statements that logically follow from the reasons provided. They are the main claim or outcome of an argument.

Language of Reasoning

The language of reasoning includes words and phrases that indicate reasons and conclusions. Examples of reasoning indicators are 'because,' 'since,' 'therefore,' 'thus,' etc.

Analyzing Arguments

Analyzing arguments involves evaluating the strength of reasons and the logical coherence of conclusions. Look for sound reasoning and avoid fallacies.

Practice Activity

Engage in a group activity where students analyze arguments, identify reasons and conclusions, and discuss the strength of the reasoning presented.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.