Module One
INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL THINKING
Introduction
This module should be read in conjunction with the Programme of Study.
The Programme of Study lists the topics that are in the module and gives you the relevant page references to your course book. This module aims to give you more direction as you work through the various topics. It will aim to highlight the most important items in the topic, as well as areas that need particular care. It will also point you towards the resources you should be using.
Remember to double-check the syllabus to make sure you cover all the items that you need to.
Support
- Before you begin the course, you should read through the CAIE Learner Guide. This is a very important document, produced by Cambridge, which goes over the key elements of the subject and what exactly is tested in the exams. It also contains hints and tips for studying and revision.
- We recommend that you print this out now and keep a copy in your folder so you can refer to it as you work through the course.
Please note that this document covers both AS and AL Thinking Skills, but you will only need the AS information for this course.
PRINT OUT & READ – Learner Guide (CAIE) Download PRINT OUT & READ – Learner Guide (CAIE)
- Pay particular attention to the following sections (for AS Papers 1 and 2 only):
- Details of assessment and paper content – pages 6 to 7;
- Assessment objectives – page 9;
- Command words – page 10;
- Example candidate response and examiner commentary – pages 11 to 18.
- You will also find specimen papers and mark schemes in General Resources if you would like to look at them now.
Module Overview
We begin the course with Paper 2: Critical Thinking. The material for this exam is covered by Chapters 13 to 27 in the textbook.
This module introduces the idea of ‘thinking skills’ and the initial basics of assessing claims, assertions and statements in order to establish their validity.
Within the textbook, you will find a number of questions and activities. We recommend that you complete all of these to be sure you have adequately practised the skills gained on the course.
You will come across a number of YouTube videos in the course. These will often be part of larger series. Some of the videos in these series will not be directly relevant to the course so they are not included in this course. You may still want to watch them out of interest, however, as they will help you explore thinking skills as a general topic which will always be of benefit to you.
Topics
Topic One (1.1): Introduction to Critical Thinking
Topic Two (1.2): Claims, Assertions and Statements
Topic Three (1.3): Assessing Claims