Understanding Critical Thinking and Knowledge Transfer

• The text is a compilation of study notes on communication skills, intended for students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in the school of general Studies.
• The book is dedicated to all who genuinely seek knowledge.

Chapter 1: Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking is essential for overcoming challenges in today's evolving world, especially for teaching and learning in tertiary institutions
• Engaging in critical thinking is important to ensure effectiveness and productivity in various situations
• Critical thinking is a disciplined, self-controlled approach that brings forth well-organized thought related to a specific field or type of thinking
• According to Doğanay and Ünal, critical thinking stems from "reasoning," with roots in the Latin word "ratio," signifying balance
• Critical thinking involves making balanced decisions after considering past experiences, information, and thoughts
• Critical thinking can be summarized as making a judgment after reasoning on a problem or a state. This includes information gathering, determining assumptions and evidence, discussing evidence, and synthesizing data
• Necessary to evaluate information sources, cross-check information, and determine premises and prejudices to think critically
• Critical thinkers are self-aware of their thinking processes and consider those of others, valuing independent and original thought
• People should engage in critical thinking for significant reasons, including adapting new ideas for problem-solving
• Educational activities play a vital role in shaping minds and building mental strength
• Individuals must assess information and states with skills to overcome passivity and adapt to new situations
• Individuals should examine information, consider possibilities of change, and avoid accepting everything as fact
• "Thinking" encompasses reasoning, meditation, remembering, imagining, worrying, evaluating, and more
• Thinking involves both intentional mental behaviors geared toward reducing internal and external disturbances
• Thinking is a process of symbolic mediation, which fills the gap between a stimulant event and an individual's behavior by processing surrounding information
• Philosophical approach addresses the norms of effective thinking and the essential mental skills for an objective worldview
• Psychological approach focuses on experimental studies grounded in thought, learning differences, and problem-solving
• Low-level thinking involves routine implementation of information, while high-level thinking requires students to manipulate information to solve problems
• Critical thinking is needed for various thinking skills such as evaluating ideas, creative thinking, decision making, and problem-solving
• Bittner and Tobin state that critical thinking is multi-dimensional and they compare critical thinking to an umbrella, encompassing other kinds of thinking, depending on the context
• Skinner (1976) notes concepts like "scientific method," "scientific thinking," "reflective thinking," and "productive thinking" share a similar meaning with "critical thinking."
• Critical thinking cannot be equated with other types of thinking, but all types require criticism

Qualities of Teaching Critical Thinking

• Teaching critical thinking can be achieved easily, but requires active participation
• Important to cultivate positive attitudes toward critical thinking
• Teaching depends on student activeness, intentionality, and good design
• Suitable for all subjects but should be chosen carefully for each
• Should include out-of-school contents, research, study, collaborative learning, group discussion, and problem-solving activities

Strategies of Critical Thinking

• Thirty-five critical thinking strategies exist across affective (mental habits) and cognitive (macro and micro skills) dimensions
• Critical thinking skills encompass reliability assessment, causal explanation, prediction, generalization, analogical reasoning, and conditional reasoning
• Skills can be integrated into lessons or used alongside specific content matter
• Paul (1984) views critical thinking as macro mental skills, while Facione (1990) sees them as cognitive skills like interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. Ennis (1991) identifies the skills below:
• Clearing Up skills include focusing questions and analyzing discussions
• Supporting skills involve reliability and observation judgment
• Inference skills mean making inferences and thinking deductively
• Significant qualities include: evaluating prejudice, differentiating sources, and inferences
• Scholars address problem-solving and inferring skills

Chapter 2: Prerequisite Structures and General Approaches to Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking is a systematic evaluation and analysis of information and ideas to form judgment or decision in communication
• Critical thinking training should start at early ages, and it structures one's habits
• Paul classifies critical thinking into skills and habits -Skills encompass cognitive abilities such as analyzing, evaluating, and building arguments -Habits involve consistent application of skills like intellectual curiosity and questioning
• Attitudes include readiness for reasoning, desire to struggle, and free-mindedness:
• Readiness involves people perceiving the requirement to make sense of their experience
• Desire involves developing the habit of evaluating thoughts with contrasting ones
• Free-mindedness involves taking evidence-based decisions and being open to others' perspectives
• Educators agree on the importance of developing critical thinking skills within education systems
• Four approaches to teaching critical thinking: subject-based educational, integrating-to-the-subject, general, and blended learning
• The Subject-based educational approach teaches critical thinking alongside the content
• Integrating-to-the-Subject approach integrates content and thinking principles but not explicitly

Chapter 3: Reading and Reading Skills

• Reading critically helps one make good choices, evaluate information and understand key points and vocabulary, making it a valuable language activity
• Reading is defined as a mental, cognitive process that involves decoding symbols to arrive at meaning from written symbols and linguistic messages
• Benefits accrue from reading by providing access to information, learning, new things, expanding vocabulary, improving memory and more
• Able to read, one needs to:
• Identify words by sight, understand their meaning, and connect words and meanings for fluency
• The Simple View of Reading focuses on accurate, fluent reading and comprehension
• To read effectively it requires integration of systematic instruction of visual, auditory, and cognitive skills.
• Reading comprehension strategies include skimming (main ideas) and scanning (specific facts).
• Reading can also be extensive (leisure) or intensive (detailed)
• Extensive reading enhances language competence and knowledge
• Extensive reading increases reading speed and pleasure and relaxation
• Intensive reading improves analytical and vocabulary skills
• A positive effect on vocabulary development and grammatical knowledge and understanding
• Critical reading is active analyzing, interpreting

Effective Reading

• Effective reading requires integrating skills, systematic instruction, and diverse techniques
• To improve, it requires: minimize waste of time; deal with early difficulties
• Should plan, identify problem areas, and deliver well with careful instruction and intervention.

Chapter 4: Reading Readiness

• Reading is formally taught in classroom settings, involving information from books and sources
• Reader tries to understand the material; hence, a basic activity
• Reading readiness is when a learner is prepared psychologically for learning immediately from writing or printing
• Learning becomes easier with early training
• Activities/skills are followed to help one acquire the habit of reading with concentration:
• Paying attention, identifying materials, good modeling, recognizing and associating written characters, good pronunciation, and appropriate posture and places
• Bad reading habits include using the wrong physical techniques, excessive vocalization, rigid reading styles, and lack of motivation
• Barriers include difficulty, limited vocabularies, memory deficits, and boredom
• These Barriers are classified as; language, cognitive, physical, learning style, emotional, and cultural

Chapter 5: Teaching Listening Skills

• Listens with sensitivity which is crucial for building rapport and trust
• Empathy and emotional intelligence is displayed along with support
• Attitudes is a speaker's disposition toward the subject or the audience
• Biases, skepticism, subjective views are revealed which also shape communcatio
• Critical thinking entails the systematic evaluation and analysis of information and ideas to form a judgment
• Listeners should endeavour to interpret ideas and not just words

Listening For

• Implied information is to infer meanings
• Listening with the intent of the purpose to find the text or the speaker's overall intention
• The speaker’s intent will determine the content and content of the speech
• Recognize Speaker’s Attitude or Feelings for examples through: the speaker’s choices of words, tone, and context
• There can be also be; verbal and non-verbal cues
• The listener recognizes linguistic markers

Methods to Increase Understanding

• Use Contextual Inferences (Pay attention to surrounding words)
• Recognize Relationships between ideas, opinions, feelings, attitudes and Implied Information
• Ensure Effective communication

Chapter 6: Listening to Understand Connections Between Ideas

• Effective listening involves being attuned to the speaker's tone of voice, body language, and the context of the conversation
• Involves decoding explicit content and subtler layer of meaning
• Ideas, opinions, feelings, or attitudes include:
• Main point or message cognitive engagement and the ability to process and organize information
• Personal beliefs or judgments expressed by speaker
• Emotional undertones that accompanies spoken words
• Speaker’s disposition or stance toward the subject or they audience

Chapter 7: Enhancing Writing Through Effective Writing Practices and Text Purpose

• Effective writing and understanding the purpose of a text are essential for communication in academic and professional settings
• Effective writing requires considering audience needs and adapting style, tone, content for clarity and engagement
• Understanding text purpose encompasses it being: informational, argumentative, or discursive
• Effective writers organize thoughts, craft language, and engage audiences
• Writers should analyze information, construct arguments, and synthesize ideas
• Writing documents insights, discoveries, and ideas
• Proficient writing skills guarantee success in both academic and professional endeavors

Effective Writing

• Emphasise that effective writing is foundational to effective communication in academic, professional, and digital environments
• Academic and creative writing is Scholarly works versus literary forms artistic imagination
• Official, business or professional (adapted to organizations)
• Technical (specific areas with detail)
• Journalistic (fact with style and a purpose to engage a specific audience)
• Persuasive
• Clear-organized; Precise-avoid vagueness/ wordy; Mastered-grammar is correct

Tips For Good Writing

• Strong Research-cite reputable sources; Originality-new ideas; Organize (structure-to have fluidity); Adapt-to the target audience

Potential Writting Pitalls

• Avoid: Ambiguity, Vagueness, incorrect grammer and punctuation, confusing phrasing, Plagiarism and/or the appearance of having unintentionally plagarized because of poor structure
• Successful revisers show engagement with the work by reviewing, seeking feedback, and improving content and coherence Adapt and change for the specific delivery platform

Chapter 8: GRAMMAR STRUCTURES

• Understanding correct linguistic structures and word order is a prerequisite for confident language use
• Grammatical structure is the arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence
• These sentences are: simple (independent clause); compound (two simple sentences); and complex (main/independent) and at least 1 dependent clause
• The most intricate, the compound-complex structure (both compound and complex)
• "Vocabulary" describes words for effective communication
• This contains: knowledge of words, how to use them (grammar), semantic relationships and syntax/arrangement
• Successful writing depends on understanding word meanings, including varying for context or usage

Writting Best Practice Observations

• Avoid misused/incomprehensible words and spelling errors
• Use proper punctuation to indicate intonation, pause, stop, emphasize; select relevant information
• Be sure to; adapt conjunctions, compare items; contrast those items; clarify points
• Strive to meet organized standards with: coherent text; appropriate linking
• Strive to meet organized standards with: appropriate linking; logical or clear order
• Write a Thesis Statement for a paper; create support items
• The writer may need to summarize the points

Paragraph Writing

• Each idea is organized for cohesive and effective discourse.
• In a large or smaller piece or work, paragraph writing helps convey the message of specific topic/theme
• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence, followed by supporting sentences, and conclude appropriately
• Each sentence should work with the other for clarity and meaning
• Do not over-embellish each point in the article.

Verb usage

• Important tool to writing includes knowing to use a verb indicates in a sentence
• Know your subjects: past, present and future and tenses
• Simple, perfect, continuous
• In addition know your conditional usage: zero; first; second or thirds levels of conditional

Chapter 9: Speaking as Communication Skills

• Speaking allows effective communication and is essential for proficiency and is part of your linguistic competence
• It helps with the expression, intonation of vocabulary, and grammar
• Speaking often has practices in Speaking:
• Imitative: repeats word or sentence
• Intensive: beyond to direct it respond
• Responsive: to students/tutors
• Interactive: a direct response to questions with a view of getting understanding the message from the speakers
• Encourage in class, Answer questions which justify the opinions you are expressing.

Delivery Style Notes

• All can be done with: News; Political campaigns
• Have a way to be the speaker; range of familiar Topics:
• What a Speech Is- Is a projected conversation with structure, purpose and style
• Classifications are all according to their Different functions

Common Speaking Styles

• Informative -This can be by using: people, Processes, ideas that are useful, lectures
• Persuasive with the view to making others like you, with ethical codes, advertisements
• Speeches that may give you happiness, amuse, awards, ceremonies, etc.
• Specialized: response to different events
• For the sake of clarity should have a purpose to: "To secure others to the affirmation of people"
• Be ready to affirm a leadership role To be able to speak, you Need:
• To be clear, concise, address audience; give great Examples; be familiar to people at every day level To have a set of familiar Topics

Explore the essence of critical thinking, its role in navigating change, and its cultivation through education. Learn about immediate and far transfer, the importance of questioning information, and fostering creative ideas. Discover how teachers can nurture critical thinking to enable real-world application of knowledge.