Developing your critical thinking - ideas

This is a list of ideas to help you start thinking about how to develop your critical thinking skills and develop your own argument or position.
After reading these, make a short list of ideas of your own to try.
Set up a reading group
Set up a reading group and take it in turns to choose material to inform a critical discussion.
Go online
Start a blog or an online discussion forum with your peers on a topic that interests you. Develop some simple ‘rules’ or guidelines for posts and comments to make sure that you are using critical thinking techniques. 
Attend a public lecture
Attend a public lecture or a seminar by a visiting speaker. Discuss the key points with a friend afterwards and decide whether you agree with the argument presented. 
Propose some alternative points of view, even if you disagree. 
Read a piece of ‘seminal’ research
Find some ‘seminal’ research on a topic you are interested in. Ask yourself why this work has been so influential and what relevance it has for the development of your own views.  
Go for a walk
Take a break and get some exercise.  Sometimes thoughts and ideas will come to you when you have space to think and are not sitting in front of your notes or your laptop.  

Look at presentation 
Think about how a particular issue is presented and debated across various types of media. Do you think the issues are represented fairly? Evaluate the quality of evidence and argument.
Reflect! 
Think about how you have developed your views on a particular issue in relation to your subject. What evidence convinced you? Explain how you came to your conclusions to a friend or family member.
Over to you
What else could you try to help you synthesise, analyse and evaluate?  
End.
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