Critical Thinking and Reflection Resource Page
ResourcesThe following resources may be useful to both staff and students.
 The Critical Thinking Model (available in PowerPoint) is ideal as a handout for students and can be printed as a flyer (double sided).
It is a ‘functional-narrative’ model designed to stimulate thinking, questioning and reflection for use with undergraduate and postgraduate students in a range of subject areas. It implies that a basic narrative structure operates in academic discourse, through various kinds of texts across disciplines. The approach is underpinned by the functional logic and social practices within a narrative structure consisting of description, analysis and evaluation (Hilsdon, 2008). The model has a wide variety of applications and can be used to help students and staff through the planning, research and writing stages of a task and can help build structure in written work, oral presentations or even in musical or artistic pieces. One user described it as ‘a clear, concise, easy to digest handout’.
The Critical Thinking Study Guide includes the critical thinking model and provides more detail on its application.
The summary and full versions are both provided here. The summary version of this guide is useful as an introduction to the model and for quick reference. The full version provides more depth and is a useful tool for staff delivering critical thinking as part of a workshop or lecture. These resources have recently been reviewed in response to feedback received from staff and students from a variety of institutions and from a variety of disciplines. To assist in the further development of these resouces the LearnHigher CETL would appreciate feedback from both staff and students. Please click on the links below to go to a quick and easy to complete questionnaire. If you have used the materials with your students we would appreciate it if you could pass the student version on and complete the staff version yourself.
Students from all disciplines find writing at university a challenge. The importance of developing skills for communicating in writing has emerged as a crucial factor in helping students to be successful in their studies. In response to this the LearnHigher and Learning Development team at Plymouth are developing Writing for Assignments E-library (WrAssE), which builds on work already done by the team. WrAssE aims to take some of the mystery out of academic writing by providing authentic examples of student work online. These are accompanied by tutor comments which seek to explain how and why the writing “works”. WrAssE focuses on how teachers see ‘good’ writing functioning by, for example, supporting an argument or defining a term; and on what qualities of writing are seen as ‘good’ in terms of, for example, structure and style. The resource will grow over time to include linked teaching and learning materials for class and online use. For more details on the development of the project please see our WrAssE case study . The pilot resource is now available from www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk/wrasse.  The WrAssE Project
Interesting websites Please note that external websites are not the responsibility of Learnhigher.
National University of Singapore - Critical Thinking and Pedagogy Provides a description of what critical thinking is, and some excellent examples of activities which typically call for the use of critical thinking skills. It splits the process into discipline specific critical thinking and general purpose critical thinking, enabling the reader to distinguish and recognise their own critical thinking abilities and opportunities. Great resource specifically aimed at staff, but may also be useful for students.
University of Greenwich - Critical essay writing guidance notes Excellent resource. Step by step guide to critical essay writing. Breaking down the different elements to get the thought process going. It also links to many of their other resources. Useful for both staff and students
Colorado State University - Guidance notes aimed at students Three useful sets of guidance notes aimed at students.
Developing an argument
Developing a central idea or thesis
Avoiding common errors in logic & reasoning
Critical Thinking Podcast The University of Leeds have produced a podcast on Critical Thinking. This resource can be used by all students who have an interest in learning about critical thinking and may be particularly useful to those who are unable to attend a workshop. The content is well organised and concise (12 minutes long) and the transcript is available to reinforce the audio message.
The Chronicle of Higher Education Less Critical Thinking, More Learned Appreciation, article by Mark Bauerlein In this article Mark argues that although critical thinking is important, we must not forget that it is equally important to impart a body of knowledge to our students.
The Critical Thinking Community An American site which promotes the work of critical thinking authors Richard Paul and Linda Elder. Many of the resources are for sale, but there are some free and useful research papers and texts.
Reflective Writing by Jenny Moon and Pete Watton This pack is designed to inform and support the production of reflective writing for work-based learning or work experience modules. It is an excellent resource full of good examples.
Get ready for university study - Critical thinking This unit gives a concise and fun introduction to critical thinking, with activities and tips from students. It will be of interest to any students new to university-level study, as well as post 16, further education students and others.
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