Critical Thinking
and Context
Two of the topics we have all probably heard with no end in sight: Critical Thinking and Context. These two topics go hand in hand; without understanding the context, how can you apply your skills and critically think? Context isn't only the way your text is presented, it's also the history of the writing. Part of this historical aspect that impacts context comes from time period, influences upon the author and social attributes. Who would've thought that all this time, context was that simple to define! Througout my experience, I have come to understand critical thinking as not only being able to interpret what's at hand, but also being able to formulate reasonable ideas from the information presented. Sure, you can restate someone else's ideas through summary over and over until you run out of paper, but what's the point of that? Critical thinking is supposed to establish new ideas or add to the creation of pre-existing ones. Now that we've simplified the two things in writing that have caused you trouble all these years, here's my question to you: Can you apply these ways of thinking to your next read?
"Education is not the learning of facts,
but the training of the mind to think."
-Albert Einstein
On the first day of class, Mrs. Cook pulled up the Student Learning Outcomes sheet and asked the class to write down our thoughts regarding each topic. Here I discussed what I previously thought of each.
Throughout the past three months that have passed, I've came to the conclusion that critical thinking and understanding context isn't hard; it's keeping your mind open to beliefs, attitudes, and differing viewpoints that's hard. If you keep a closed mind that's fluid to only your thoughts, you can only conclude what isn't working, leaving out what is working. In Steven Pinker's writing, The Sense of Style, he stated, "But the starting point for becoming a good writer is to be a good reader" (12). Pinker reminds us that while UWRT 1102 may indeed be a writing intensive course, before we can achieve anything of the writing nature, reading succesfully comes first.
Despite the fact that in our system of education, critical thinking and context have been covered since the fourth grade, why is there such a problem with it? I've decided that over the years of education, memorization has played a bigger role than understanding. It's true, memorizing for the most part has been easier and when the comprehension and application is asked, there's a block in the road. Unfortunately, not every person learns the same way but we all have the potential to learn. Can you apply your skills and critically think with regards to context... or are you still stuck in the middle of the road?
Class Notes 8/27
Context
-I usually consider context as only setting, place and time
-I understand what is written but take into consideration why it is I interpret it that way
-Apply this to academic writing
-Examine sentences and combine rhetorical skills and knowledge of conventions to pull out meanings/settings/hidden info or ideas
-I have always made context harder to understand than it really needed to be
-I complicated what was presented because I tried to find the “hidden meaning” too much
Critical Reading
-The idea of critical reading was hammered into my mind throughout highschool AP courses and
-I’m burnt out from hearing the term on repeat
-Being able to connect to a deeper meaning and interpret ideas
-Evaluate multiple sources and have the capacity to connect multiple readings/ideas
-I still struggle with focusing on interpretation while comprehending the subject material and that’s something I would like to improve on
-Building my own ideas is difficult for me and I would like to improve my critical thinking skills in order to do this
My Perspective
Highly important and easier than you think, both critical reading and context are two characteristics of writing that cannot be skipped. Without either, misinterpretation occurs and your writing contributions turn into simple copies of pre-existing works. Context means more than just a setting and time; it encompasses layers of history and influences upon a writer with varying degrees. How can you have a full understanding if you can't speak knowledgeably on why the work was written? Or further, would your ideas be valid if you only know half of the context? Once you understand the importance of context, you can then start to evolve.
Critical reading is something that has been hammered into our minds but do we really understand it? No, is my guess for the majority of those out there. Through the combination of inquiry and reflection, critical thinking becomes easier as you understand the concept of questioning and absorbing information. The purpose of these tactics is to create new and original ideas so that one day, someone else can reference your work. Critical thinking is not limited to literature; it's a factor in almost every aspect of life. My suggestion to you is, challenge yourself to question what you know, what you're learning and then, how can you add to the discussion.