提高你的写作水平之学习批判性思维

Improve Your Writing by Studying Critical Thinking 提高你的写作水平之学习批判性思维

In the Education Tips series, education experts offer suggestions about how you can improve your English skills. This week, Babi Kruchin, a lecturer at the American Language Program at Columbia University in New York City, talks about writing and critical thinking.

For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

Developing ideas in writing is the greatest problem that students face, says Babi Kruchin.

She serves as a lecturer in the American Language Program at Columbia University in New York City.

Students, she says, can learn language rules, vocabulary words, and even how to structure essays. Learning how to develop ideas in writing is what proves most difficult for them.

Why is critical thinking important?

When Kruchin talks about the development of ideas in writing, she is referring to critical thinking – the ability to think clearly and form a judgment¹.

Writing, she says, shows how a person thinks. Students who have not learned to think critically often have a hard time developing ideas in writing.

Schools and employers put a high value on critical thinking skills. The importance of critical thinking shows up on standardized² tests, such as the SAT with its "Critical Reading" and "Writing and Language" sections.

Such tests measure how well students understand arguments, judge information, and make inferences. These skills are very important for success not only in school, but also in the workplace.

Diane F. Halpern is a professor of psychology⁴ emerita at Claremont McKenna College in California. She writes that critical thinking is an important skill to develop in life.

"Critical thinking is using the skills or strategies that are most likely to lead to a desired outcome. It is the sort of thinking we should be engaging in when deciding what and whom to believe, which of two job offers to accept, or whether vaccinations⁵ really do cause autism."

Halpern adds that critical thinking is a skill that is important in the modern job market.

"Those who care about the future for today’s children understand that the jobs of the future will require the ability to think critically. So let’s be sure that our students are ready for college, careers and citizenship⁶ by including deliberate instruction in critical thinking. It is probably the most difficult topic to teach and learn, but it is also the most important."

Critical thinking is hard to teach and hard to learn

Babi Kruchin of Columbia agrees that critical thinking is hard to teach and difficult to learn. She says that students can overcome grammar and vocabulary problems. Developing an original idea, then supporting it, is what students find difficult.

"Sometimes the writer might think 'Oh! I have the topic sentence, I have the supporting details.' But there is no depth of thought … How do you really analyze⁷ and interpret and explain all these ideas?

"You can take care of the grammar, you can take care of the vocabulary, you can take care of the format³, but the depth of development – the critical thinking part of writing – is, I think, the greatest issue that any domestic or international student faces ...

"It's not articles, it's not conjunctions – because these are all teachable things, and these are all learnable things. And critical thinking is also teachable, and students are able to learn, but it's harder to teach and to learn."

Practical tips:

So, if learning critical thinking is difficult, what can you do?

Kruchin suggests that students can start improving their writing and critical thinking skills by reading.

Students, however, should not read without a goal in mind. Students should be active readers by studying how other writers build their arguments. In other words, they should consider the critical thinking of each author they have read.

Kruchin says that students should consider the writing of an author by asking a few simple questions while reading:

"How is the content organized here? How is the writer connecting these ideas? Look at the quote that the writer used. What comes after this quote? Does the writer just leave it as is, or analyze it and adds his or her own idea?"

The goal of this exercise, Kruchin says, is for students to develop the ability to understand how others think. In addition, it helps students to discover the critical thinking resources that they have inside themselves.

"Because writing is thinking, it is a reflection of how somebody thinks. So it is the constant exercise of seeing how other authors think and then training the students to …

"I don't think we teach critical thinking. It is almost a way to get the students to see inside and see that yes, they do think critically – we all have opinions, we all have judgments⁸. But how do we voice them in an academic form?

"It is an exercise in using the resources that are already exist within the students. I don't believe they are less intelligent; some may not be as well trained in this discourse⁹."

What can you do?

The next time you are reading a book or an opinion piece in a newspaper, try to ask yourself some of the following questions:

What is the argument that the writer is making?

What evidence does the writer use?

How does the writer present their ideas?

How is the writer connecting their ideas?

How does the writer evaluate information?

Asking these questions will give you a point to start understanding how other people think. It will also help you to think about how you can write better – and practice your critical thinking skills, too.

Words in This Story

refer – v. to have a direct connection or relationship to (something)

critical thinking – n. actively¹⁰ turning a thought or information over in one's head and following its path to the end and decision; the objective analysis and evaluation¹¹ of an issue in order to form a judgment.

objective – adj. based on facts rather than feelings or opinions

analysis – n. a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other

evaluation – n. a judgment about the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way

inference – n. the act or process of reaching a conclusion about something from known facts or evidence

analyze – v. to learn the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination

resource – n. an ability to deal with and find solutions for problems

1 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

2 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

3 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

4 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

5 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

8 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

9 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

10 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

11 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。