Guide to Critical Thinking

Everyday Logic: Thinking Critically About Your Studies
You will likely find that there are multiple opportunities to apply and develop critical thinking 
skills in your life, but one of the most obvious opportunities at this juncture should be in your 
academic career. As you move forward in your studies, the decisions you make about partici-
pation and study habits will affect your ability to succeed, so it is important that you approach 
them thoughtfully, carefully, and even critically. The goal of this feature box is to provide some 
insight into how good thinkers approach their studies and to offer some concrete methods for 
developing your own vision of academic success.
How have you approached school and education throughout your life? From a theoretical 
standpoint, all students know that the goal of college is to leave with skills that will allow them 
to pursue certain careers or, at the very least, help them survive and pursue their conception 
of a good life. Recall how interested you were in the world around you as a child or perhaps 
how excited you became when you acquired a new skill or discovered a new interest. These 
feelings and experiences are the essence of learning. Unfortunately, many people’s experience 
in formal education is not one of wonder and enjoyment, but one of boredom and tedium. The 
experience of the young child who found wonder and joy in discovering new things is often 
crushed in formal educational experiences.
So what can we do? How can we learn to love learning again and improve our thinking and 
study skills to make the most of our education? First you must identify and address your weak-
nesses and bad habits. Do you aim only to pass a class, cramming for tests or doing the bare 
minimum on assignments, instead of steadily studying, reading, and taking notes for retention 
and understanding? Do you tune out when you think material is boring? Do you avoid asking 
questions because you are afraid of looking foolish or because it is easier to just accept ideas 
at face value? Do you allow certain activities to interfere with your studies?
It is impossible to change all of our bad habits instantaneously, but starting with just one or 
two can make a great difference. Here are some methods you can use to begin the journey 
toward becoming a better student and thinker:
• Avoid trying to multitask while studying, and perhaps even consider “fasting” from any 
media that tend to distract you or occupy inordinate amounts of your time. Tell oth-
ers to turn off the TV, Xbox, computer, and so forth when they see you zoning out while 
engaging in these activities.
• Keep a journal and record urges that you have to fall into bad habits as well as goals 
you have for your intellectual and academic future. Make note of your triumphs over 
those negative urges. Review the journal regularly and reflect on how you are changing 
through what you are learning.