Six Steps of Critical Thinking

Abstract

These "Six Steps" of argument analysis and evaluation are developed from Michael Scriven's five steps (in Reasoning [McGraw-Hili, 1976]), by making his step for evaluation of evidence and inferences into two steps. Teaching with this document as a summary inevitably led to revisions over the years, most recently after its use this Spring. I also owe a dept to Larry Wright 's Practical Reasonmg (HBl, 1989) for his concept of 'rival' arguments, as compared to 'counter' argu- ments.The chief motive for developing thi s approach has been economy of time. I wanted to make it possible to teach a coherent approach to argument analysis and synthesis which fits into one semester (fifteen weeks). I do not include work on fallacies because of two redundancies which that would entail-[ I] that required texts in English composition already include sections on fallacies, and [2] that no actually fallacious argument could survive this analysis anyway (what I take to be Scriven's view on this issue).This approach to critical thinking can be taught in several ways-by pulling it all together with one shared argument which the entire class will analyze and evaluate at the latter part of the semester, or by having each person choose her or hi s own argument, or (if time and pacing allow) one of each. It could also be done by having each person construct a pre-assigned issue by using these steps, or by each choosing an issue and constructing from there.I start all semesters with a " Day I" pre-test, using a short paragraph and asking a few questions about it; the same document can be used as part of the final exam in order to provide empirical evidence of learning.This approach to teaching critical thinking relies heavily on homework which is discussed in the next class, and also benefits from a revised version of the Frank WilliamsfRon Messerich " Learning Logic" diskettes which my students use at times convenient to them but in a sequence conformable to our progress through the semester. Lecture and textbook treatments are minized, necessarily in order to make time and space for homework. The final project, an argument analysis, as mentioned above, can be developed by keeping a file of those newspaper columns, editorials, and other suitable-length opinion pieces which experience shows can work fruitfully and from which students might select one suitable to their own interests, © Informal Logic