Research Guides: Critical Thinking Resources: Multidisciplinary Resources

Foundation for Critical Thinking Documents

Critical Thinking Grid (Rubric) and Worksheet
Criteria for Critical Thinking Assignments and Cognitive Skills that Underlie Critical Thinking
"Based on the work of Drs. Paul and Elder and created by Connie Wolfe, Surry Community College"

Exemplars from Univ. of Louisville

Like UHCL, the University of Louisville uses the Foundation for Critical Thinking model for its QEP, which is focused on strengthening undergraduate students' critical thinking skills.

Helping Students Exercise Their Critical Thinking Using the SEE-I
Provides examples and a worksheet for using the SEE-I process (state, elaborate, exemplify, illustrate) to promote critical thinking

Willingham (2007)

Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach?
Willingham, D. T. (2007). American Educator, 31(2), 8-19. In this frequently reprinted article, the author, a professor of cognitive psychology at University of Virginia, argues that critical thinking is not "a set of skills," but a type of thought that is "dependent on domain knowledge and practice." Learning different metacognitive strategies can make critical thinking "more likely," but will be insufficient without the subject content knowledge and practice.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's taxonomy commonly is referenced in discussions of lower to higher order thinking.

Based on Bloom, B. S. (Ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals [Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain]. New York, NY: David McKay.

Revised interactive version (Rex Heer, 2009, Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State Univ.)

Some rights reserved by Dan Meyer

For Learning About & Recognizing Errors in Reasoning

Logical Fallacies
Explains and provides examples of 12 common fallacies of logic or reasoning (slippery slope, hasty generalization, etc.). Online Writing Lab, Purdue University.
Fallacies
Defines and provides examples of 15 common logical fallacies (hasty generalization, missing the point, etc.). Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Fallacies
Essay by Bradley Dowden, California State University, Sacramento, in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Discusses over 190 types of fallacies or errors in reasoning.

Thinking Critically about Information Sources

Evaluating Information Resources
Neumann Library research guide that provides guidance on determining whether different information sources meet Foundation for Critical Thinking model criteria regarding information as an element of thought or reasoning

Find Different Points of View on a Topic

Research databases provided by Neumann Library:

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Current social issue topic overviews, including pro/con viewpoint essays, academic journal and news/magazine articles, images, videos, statistics, and more