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Critical Thinking for Young Graduates: Mini-Course DescriptionBased on the Open University's "Thinking Critically" booklet, this is a structured mini-course specifically tailored for young graduates. There are extra case studies at the end.Introduction: Becoming a Critical ThinkerBegin with a real-world scenario where someone made a costly decision based on poor reasoning or unexamined information.Introduce critical thinking as defined by the Open University: actively seeking all sides of an argument, testing the soundness of claims made, and testing the soundness of evidence used to support those claims.Brief overview of Bloom's thinking triangle (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation).Ask students to reflect on a recent decision and identify one way critical thinking could have improved their approach.Lesson 1: Understanding ArgumentsPresent two contradictory headlines about the same topic that both sound convincing at first glance.Explore the four elements of an argument from the text: claims, evidence, warrants, and qualifications.Analyze a flawed argument (like the tutorial example about attendance) to identify weak reasoning.Exercise: Identify the components of a sample argument and evaluate its strength.Lesson 2: Reading CriticallyShow a cleverly edited video clip that changes context completely when the full version is shown.Introduce the three-step process for critical reading: identify the thrust of information, analyze the material, and compare/apply information.Demonstrate critical reading by evaluating a short passage, asking questions about relevance, clarity, and implications.Practice identifying bias and evaluating evidence in a news article or opinion piece.Lesson 3: Evaluating EvidenceShare a convincing "fact" that was widely accepted but later proven false.Detail the criteria for evaluating evidence: comprehensiveness, appropriateness, recency, methodology, and comparison with other sources.Apply these criteria to evaluate evidence in an academic argument.Students assess the quality of evidence in a provided example using a checklist of evidence quality markers.Lesson 4: Taking Critical NotesCompare two students' notes on the same lecture-one disorganized and one structured using critical thinking principles.Present the structured note-taking template from Figure 5 in the booklet.Demonstrate the process of taking critical notes from a short lecture or article.Students practice creating their own critical notes on a provided piece of information using the template.Lesson 5: Writing with a Critical VoiceShow examples of persuasive writing that uses critical thinking versus writing that relies on emotional appeals.Introduce the structuring devices: context and examples, themes, and linking and signposting.Analyze a paragraph that effectively demonstrates critical thinking in writing.Students revise a provided paragraph to incorporate critical thinking elements.Lesson 6: Collaborative Critical ThinkingVideo clip of a productive debate versus an unproductive argument.Outline the principles for using critical thinking in group settings from Section 4 of the booklet.Role-play example of constructive critical feedback and discussion.Students practice formulating a respectful critical response to a provided statement.Conclusion: Becoming an Independent ThinkerSuccess story of someone who used critical thinking to innovate or solve a complex problem.Revisit the core principles of critical thinking and their application across different contexts.Brief demonstration of how these skills transfer to workplace situations.Students create a personal plan for developing their critical thinking skills over the next month with specific actionable steps.

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