Critical Thinking: Building the Basics (Study Skills/Critical Thinking) [Paperback]

Timothy L. Walter (Author), Glenn M. Knudsvig (Author), Donald E. P. Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534599761 | ISBN-13: 978-0534599768 | Publication Date: March 18, 2002 | Edition: 2

This text is a guide to critical thinking and composition courses. It covers just the basics of critical thinking using an acronym called TCDR (Topic, Class, Description, Relevance). The text grounds the student in the basics of the technique and uses exercises to drive lessons home. It also shows students how to use critical thinking across the curriculum. In addition, the new Part Three covers critical thinking in relation to using new computer technology. This book can be used as a main text or a supplement.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Timothy L. Walter received his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Michigan. He is Dean of Academic and Student Services at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He has served as Director of the Academic Center for Excellence at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Vice President for Student Development at the University of Tulsa, Program Director of the Reading and Learning Skills Center at the University of Michigan, and a faculty member in the Division of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Walter has co-authored several highly successful texts including STUDENT SUCCESS: HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FRIENDS (8th ed.), STUDENT SUCCESS STRATEGIES, THE ADULT LEARNERS GUIDE TO COLLEGE SUCCESS (2nd ed.), and THE STUDENT STUDY GUIDE FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR by James V. McConnell (8th ed.).

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 2 edition (March 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534599761
• ISBN-13: 978-0534599768
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When they say the basics, they mean it!, September 25, 2001

By 

William A. Adams (Bainbridge Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Critical Thinking: Building the Basics (Paperback)

This book teaches improved reading comprehension, and the ability to answer exam questions based on that. Identification of the higher-order category to which a topic belongs is a critical metacognitive skill. The book teaches and exercises basic metacognition very well without ever naming it. Identification of the relevance of a topic is fuzzy business however. It requires and assumes that the student is actually motivated to build a knowledge schema, which alas, is not usually the case.Standard generic motives are assumed (e.g., people want food, comfort and happiness) to ground "relevance." After "Part I" the first 42 pages, the rest of the book is mind-numbing repetition. Evaluation is never addressed: it is assumed that the material presented should just be accepted as given. That may be okay for beginners.This would be an excellent exercise book for high school students or even bright junior-high students. For college level it would be remedial, in my opinion.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Critical Thinking Made Accessible, May 16, 2000

By 

Marquita L. Byrd - See all my reviews

This review is from: Critical Thinking: Building the Basics (Paperback)

This book is short, but has high impact on the students. I used it in my college level Critical Thinking course. The greatest feature of the book is that it uses samples from actual text books across the university curriculum. The simple technique of identifying topic, class, relevance and description of a body of information provides an excellent framework for a beginning critical thinker. I used the text in a 12 day /complete semester course and had some excellent teaching-learning moments in the classroom working with the material.

An excellent buy.