Issues 95: June 2011
Critical Thinking

Editorial

Skepticism and Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is an essential part of everyday life, but sometimes it throws up answers that might be uncomfortable.

Thinking about Thinking
Unless we stop and think about thinking, critical thinking can be elusive.

Scrutinising Science in the Media
Journalists need to be as critical of science as scientists are.

Understand the Numbers
Understand the numbers? Don’t count on it.

Health News in the Media: A Dose of Critical Thinking Is the Best Treatment
Health information is everywhere – in newspapers, television, magazines and online, but not all reporting is good quality. A few simple questions can help people take a more critical view of this information and make better choices about treatments and health behaviours.

Homeopathy: Have Consumers Wised Up?
One in two Australian adults are turning to the internet to self-diagnose medical conditions, and two in three are investigating their medicines on the web. Health information on the internet is not regulated, so how do you determine what is right and what is not?

The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science
How our brains fool us on climate, creationism and the vaccine-autism link.

Reason to Think
Peter Ellerton looks at deduction, induction and critical thinking, and asks why we aren’t teaching it.

Visualising the Critical Thinking Process
What is the nature of critical thinking and how is it done? Argument mapping is a tool that can guide and instruct our thinking and be an empowering gift from educators to students.

Assessment of Academic Reasoning Skills
In academic contexts, reasoning skills can be classified in different ways for testing purposes.

Problem-Based Learning in Secondary Science
Problem-based learning is a strategy arising from the failure of some traditional learning methods to teach students to apply their knowledge elsewhere.

Critical Thinking about Weird Things: Teaching “Skepticism, Science and the Paranormal” at University
Critical thinking does not transfer easily from one area of thought to another. One teacher decided to approach critical thinking in a particular context – paranormal claims. The effect upon thinking is often devastating.

The True Believers
Are we pre-programmed to believe in weird and wonderful things that lack any significant scientific basis, and are some of us more likely to believe than others?