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Why think critically?
Critical thinking is necessary for every aspect of your study:
- reading
- listening
- note-making
- writing
- presentations
- professional practice
At university in Australia, lecturers expect you to do more than just describe a theory or concept in your assessment tasks. You are expected to show higher level thinking and reasoning: to analyse, evaluate or judge a concept, or apply a concept or theory to a practical situation. You may be asked to compare and contrast theories, to find flaws or gaps in evidence, look for new evidence or reflect on your own learning.
To help with your critical thinking, here are some comments to reflect on:
- You need to be more critical.
- You described the situation rather than analysed it.
- You need to back up what you are saying (evidence).
- You need to show more analysis of the situation.
- You need to question the findings in more detail.
- You need to make your argument stronger.