Critical Thinking

Academic Overview: Critical Thinking is optional for members of the Lower VIth, with those opting out becoming involved in a curriculum enhancement lecture programme which is delivered in-house by members of Common Room.

Critical Thinking can be defined as a form of reflective reasoning which analyses and evaluates information and arguments by applying a range of intellectual skills in order to reach clear, logical and coherent judgements within a given context.

To this end, in the words of the current OCR specification, the course encourages pupils to: ‘understand the importance of examining knowledge and beliefs critically; recognise, analyse and evaluate their own and others` beliefs and knowledge claims in a variety of contexts; recognise and evaluate assumptions; evaluate reasoning of different kinds, including common and important species of reasoning; make connections and synthesise information and arguments; generate their own arguments and express them clearly.

Such skills are clearly valuable in everyday life, as well as helpful in almost any other area of VIth Form study.
Structure of the Course: Unit One of the AS course is taught for two periods a week to those members of the Lower VIth who have chosen to study it. The lecture programme is an hour every other week and is aimed at inspiring and enhancing interests in a wide range of interests that are not necessarily academically related but nevertheless important to a pupil’s development as an individual.

Unit One is designed to give candidates an introduction to important skills within Critical Thinking, including an understanding of how arguments are constructed. The unit also covers the area of credibility, and recognizes that the plausibility of an argument, or the evidence used to support it, is also influenced by its origin, be that a person or an organisation. Candidates are taught to identify and assess different ‘claims’ in source material, for example by considering the plausibility of the claim and the evidence that supports or undermines the claim.

Unit Two examines these areas in more depth, and those pupils who continue to the Summer examination by taking this unit will emerge with an AS Level qualification which will be of great benefit in preparation for a wide range of university courses and subsequent careers. Significantly, too, university entrance tests are drawing increasingly on those skills covered in the Critical Thinking course.
Examination Results: Our 2008 results were extremely pleasing, with just under half (20/41) achieving an A grade. Of the remaining 21 candidates, nine received a B grade, ten a C grade and just 2 a D grade.

(Click here to go to latest Exam Results table)
Additional Information: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/asa_levelgceforfirstteachingin2008/critical_thinking/index.html

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