Critical Thinking Training
OVERVIEW: Critical thinking skills are more important than ever, but at the same time harder. Drawing on extensive experience in teaching and assessing critical thinking skills, we offer engaging workshops to enhance your skills and confidence in critical thinking.
The great critical thinking crisis!
Not only does new technology threaten to erode our thinking skills, but the evidence suggests that those who are able to combine it with good critical thinking skills are at a decisive advantage over those that use it uncritically.
For this reason, we offer specialised trainings and worshops on critical thinking. Unlike many other trainings or workshops you may find, these are delivered by an expert in the field who has co-authored books and articles on critical thinking as well as extensive experience teaching and assessing it.
Workshop options
'Emergency surgery' workshop (2 hours): protect and enhance your critical thinking skills. Why a lot of critical thinking advice is unhelpful. What you can really do to improve your thinking - simple principles made clear and accessible, applied to real world contexts.
Critical Thinking that works
Standard programme = 4 hours
Full course = minimum 6 hours
These provide a more in-depth approach. Learn everything important there is to learn about critical thinking - impress people with your ability to spot a range of flawed arguments, explain what the difference is between evidence and examples, find out how to reveal implicit assumptions that underlie people's thinking. The full course goes into the fullest depth, extends to the hardest skills involved in critical thinking, and allows for further chance to apply and test your learning.
what we cover
Joe draws from over 20 years experience teaching and assessing critical and analytical thinking to give you everything that is useful to know about critical thinking. Our critical thinking courses focus on every aspect of critical and analytical thinking that is of real world benefit. The difference between the two programmes is the depth and detail and also the opportunity for further practice, application and testing to assess your learning.
what you learn
You learn how to
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Quickly analyse information and assess its signifiance
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Test ideas, claims, arguments, theories and models
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Pressure-test thinking to reveal blindspots and assumptions
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Judge evidence: the difference between evidence and examples; the power and also limitations of evidence - the role of principles and values especally in decision-making
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Assess the role of analogies, stories and metaphors
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Identify potential strengths and weaknesses in arguments, claims, evidence and ideas; be able to test these more formally and effectively
practical application
Our whole approach is designed around making critical thinking skills real world compatible - both in terms of facts about people and how they think and operate, and also in terms of the context that they think in. (See here) The skills and strategies we teach people are chosen for having maximum reach and designed to work in real world situations, in real time. (See pedagogy)
Quality assurance
We are confident that this is the best, most effective training on critical thinking you can get! If you are unhappy with the quality of the provision in any way then we will guarantee a refund!
Course content and objectives:
Standard programme and full course
NEW: EMERGENCY CRITICAL THINKING SURGERIES
There is a double crisis in critical thinking right now. Not only is there an urgent need to promote critical thinking, but much of the support and advice is unhelpful - and even misleading. Our emergency workshops look at the common misconceptions around critical thinking and how to correct for these. We show you why advice such as "don't jump to conclusions", "question your assumptions" or "analyse the information before making a decision" is at best unhelpful, and at worst actively misleading.
Drawn from 20 years experience writing and designing thinking skills tests, as well as having co-authored books on critical thinking, we replace the unhelpful advice and common misconceptions with strategies that are actually useful; such as:
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What actually IS good evidence? What's the difference between evidence and examples?
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How do you actually reveal assumptions in your thinking? Which are the ones I should question?
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What constitutes a jump to a conclusion?
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How to test claims and inferences
Our simple strategies, largely jargon-free, show you how you can incorporate critical thinking into your work and life, in ways that make sense and that are not confusing!
"Thanks again for your energy and openness — it made the experience really enjoyable!"
Joanna