Page 120 - Keys To Community College Success

thinking skills in terms of the seven styles this inventory evaluates (insightful, open-
minded, timely, analytical, inquisitive, systematic, and truth seeking).
When you need to solve a problem or make a decision, combining all three think-
ing skills gives you the greatest chance of achieving your goal. This chapter will explore
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analytical, creative, and practical thinking each individually, ultimately showing how
they work together to help you to solve problems and make decisions effectively. Ask-
ing questions opens the door to each thinking skill, and in each section you will find
examples of the kinds of questions that drive that skill. Begin by exploring analytical
thinking skills.

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR
4 analytical thinking skills?
CHAPTER Analytical thinking is the process of gathering information, breaking it into parts,

examining and evaluating those parts, and making connections for the purposes of
gaining understanding, solving a problem, or making a decision.
Through the analytical process, you look for how pieces of information relate to
one another, setting aside any pieces that are unclear, unrelated, unimportant, or biased.
You may also form new questions that change your direction. Be open to them and to
where they may lead you.

Gather Information

Information is the raw material for thinking, so to start the thinking process you must
first gather your raw materials. This requires analyzing how much information you
need, how much time you should spend gathering it, and whether it is relevant. Say, for
instance, that you have to write a paper on one aspect of the media (TV, radio, Internet)
and its influence on a particular group. Here’s how analyzing can help you gather
information for that paper:
■ Reviewing the assignment terms, you note two important items: The paper
should be approximately 10 pages and describe at least three significant points
of influence.
■ At the library and online, you find thousands of articles in this topic area.
Analyzing your reaction to them and how many articles focus on certain aspects

Step 1 Gather information.

Break information into two parts—main ideas and
Step 2
supporting evidence.

Step 3 Examine and evaluate those two parts.

Step 4 Make connections.

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