This document outlines Elder Paul's model for critical thinking. It defines critical thinking and lists some of its benefits. It then describes 5 standards for critical thinking: clarity, accuracy, relevance, logicalness, and fairness. For each standard, it provides questions to consider to improve one's critical thinking. It also outlines 8 elements of reasoning: purpose, question, assumptions, information, inferences, concepts, point of view, and implications. For each element, it again provides example questions to improve critical thinking and reasoning.

1. Elder Paul Critical Thinking
Model

2. What is Critical Thinking?

3. What Keeps us from Thinking
Critically?

4. Benefits of Critical Thinking
• The quality of our life and of what we
produce, make, or build depends precisely on
the quality of our thought.
• Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and
in the quality of our life.

5. Critical Thinking Standards
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Clarity
Accuracy
Relevance
Logical
Fair

6. Clarity
We are confused when we are not clear. We are clear
when we understand what we are saying, what we are
hearing, or what we are reading.
Questions you can ask when you want to be clear:
 Could you say that in other words?
 Could you explain what you mean?
 Could you give me an example?

7. Be Accurate
When we say what is true or correct we are accurate.
When we aren’t sure whether something is true, we check
to see if it is.
Questions you can ask to make sure you are accurate:
 How could we find out if this is really true?
 How can we check this?
 How can we test this idea to see if it is true?
 How do you know what you are saying is true?

8. Be Logical
Thinking is logical when everything fits together.
You can ask these questions you can ask when you are not sure
whether something is logical:
 This doesn’t make sense to me. Can you show me how it all
fits together?
 The sentence in this paragraph doesn’t seem to belong
together. How can I rewrite it so that the sentences all fit
together better?
 What you are saying doesn’t sound logical. How did you come
to your conclusions? Explain why this makes sense to you?

9. Be Relevant
Something is relevant when it relates directly to the
problem you are trying to solve, the question you are trying
to answer, and whatever you are talking about or writing
about.
You can ask when you are not sure whether something is
relevant:
 How does what you say relate to the problem being
addressed?
 How does the information relate to the question we are
asking?

10. Focus on the Significant
Something is significant when it focuses on what is
important and not what is trivial.
You can ask when you are not sure whether
something is significant:
 Which of these facts are most important?
 Is this the most important problem to consider?
 Is this the central idea to focus on?

11. The Elements of Reasoning
1. All reasoning has a purpose.
2. All reasoning is an attempt to figure
something out, to settle some question or
solve some problem.
3. All reasoning is based on assumptions.
4. All reasoning is done from some point of
view.

12. The Elements of Reasoning
5. All reasoning is based upon information and
evidence.
6. All reasoning is expressed through, and
shaped, by concepts and ideas.
7. All reasoning contains inferences,
interpretations, and conclusions.
8. All reasoning leads somewhere, or has
implications and conclusions.

13. Think About the Purpose
Your purpose is your goal, or what you are trying
to make happen.
Questions you can ask to target purpose:
1. What is the purpose of this assignment?
2. What is my purpose in doing what I am
doing?
3. What is my teacher’s purpose?

14. State the Question
The question lays out the problem and guides
our thinking.
Questions you can ask about the question:
1. What question am I trying to answer?
2. What is the question we are trying to answer
in this activity?
3. Should I be asking a different question?

15. Check Your Assumptions
Assumptions are beliefs you take for granted.
Usually you don’t question them, but you
should.
Questions you can ask about your assumptions:
1. What am I taking for granted?
2. Am I assuming something that I shouldn’t?
3. What assumption is leading me to this
conclusion?

16. Gather the Information
The information is the facts, evidence or
experiences you use to figure things out.
Questions you can ask about information:
1. What information do I have to answer this
question?
2. What information do I need to answer this
question?

17. Watch Your Inferences
Inferences are conclusions you come to. It’s
what the mind does in figuring things out.
Questions you can ask about information:
1. What conclusions am I coming to?
2. Are there other conclusions that I should
consider?

18. Clarify Your Concepts
Concepts are ideas you use in thinking to
understand what is going on.
Questions you can ask to clarify concepts:
1. What is the main idea?
2. What idea am I using in my thinking? Is this
idea causing problems for me or for others?

19. Understand Your Point of View
Point of view is what you are looking at and the
way you are seeing it.
Questions you can ask about point of view:
1. How am I looking at this situation?
2. What am I looking at? And how am I seeing
it?
3. Is there another reasonable way to look at
the situation? Or is my view the only
reasonable view?

20. Think Through the Implications
Implications are the things that might happen if
you decide to do something. Consequences are
the things that do happen when you act.
Questions you can ask about implications:
1. If I decide to do “X”, what things might
happen?
2. If I decide not to do “X”, what things might
happen?