السلام عليكم !
This is an extract from the book "SMART THINKING SKILLS" it is very important for every student who wants to write creative essays
General questions
How can I think through complex ideas so that I have a good understanding
of them?
Ask questions, do not be satisfied with easy answers, and do not make assumptions
about what things mean.
What do I need to do to be convincing in my reports, essays, and presentations?
Make sure you have a good analytical structure and have a strong argument or
explanation.
How do I make my reasoning easy to follow for people reading or listening
to my arguments and explanations?
Make sure that you properly indicate the reasoned links you are making, signalling
the analytical structure to your audience.
Why, and how, should I use footnotes or other references in my work?
They provide references to authority, which strengthen the substance of your
reasoning.
What should be the goal of my reasoning?
Reasoning has many purposes, each of which will affect the precise way that you
argue or explain.
When writing or presenting, how do I deal with ideas with which I do not
agree?
Make sure you use reasoning to show explicitly why an idea is wrong, thereby
preventing criticism of your work.
How do I make sure that I understand the interpretive frameworks that
are central to all knowledge?
In your thinking, you need to distinguish between 'facts' and the way that they can
be understood as relating to other 'facts'; in your writing, make sure that you use
framing premises.
What are the two key components of a good argument or explanation?
You need premises (reasons, evidence) to support your conclusion (a clear statement
of what you are arguing for or explaining).
How can I distinguish between my ideas and what I am saying about
others' ideas in my essays and presentations?
Clearly distinguish between when you are arguing directly and when you are
arguing indirectly.
What is wrong with giving just one reason for my conclusion?
Your arguments will not have enough breadth and will not address all the issues
that your audience is expecting you to consider.
How can I be more effective in doing research and reading before I write?
Ask questions, and understand the relationship between your sources and your own
essay, presentation, or report.
How can I assess someone else's reasoning to see if they have presented
a good argument or explanation?
You can 'cast' their work into claims and a structure diagram.
How do I use analogies?
By comparing items and drawing conclusions based on their similarities.
How do I avoid making assumptions in my essays, presentations, and
reports?
Do not take the truth of a claim—or its relationship with other claims—for
granted; stop and think about what your audiences expect you to do and what they
already know.
How can I begin to understand the audiences of my arguments and
explanations?
Regard your audiences as having certain expectations about what you should say to
them and how you should say it, as well as certain background knowledge that
directly affects your reasoning
What is casting?
Casting is a process of recovering the analytical structure from another author's
narrative.
How do I write about causes and effects?
Reasoning from cause requires you to use premises that state the cause(s) of an
effect that is expressed in the conclusion.
What do I need to know about claims in order to use them effectively in
planning my reports, essays, and presentations?
You must attend to their key properties and express them precisely.
How do I plan complex argument structures?
A complex argument structure is just a series of overlapping, intertwined simple
arguments.
Why is context so important in reasoning effectively?
No argument or explanation (text) is ever written or read in isolation: background
(or context)—which includes the expectations, assumptions, and implied
concepts of both author and audience—always affects the text
How do I go about using definitions in my work?
Make sure that your definitions are clear and are integrated in the main structure
of your reasoning.
How do I make sure that my essays and presentations go into enough
depth to be convincing?
Make sure that you expand the reasons for your conclusion so that they are comprehensive
and form a chain of dependent premises.
How are knowledge and reasoning connected?
They are two aspects of the same whole: knowledge is expressed and learnt as
reasoning; reasoning utilises and relies on knowledge.
How would I define reasoning, and what can it do for me?
Reasoning is about the relationships between ideas and events; using it helps you
to think smart and communicate effectively.
How can I make sure that I am being relevant?
Make sure that your premises really do say something that supports your conclusion
and that your audience understands this connection.
What do I need to know if I want to use specific cases and general rules
in my arguments?
You need to understand the way in which general conclusions can flow from
specific cases and how general rules provide the framework for establishing specific
conclusions.
How can I improve the structure and logic of my essays, reports, and
presentations?
Use the analytical structure format to plan your work before you begin writing.
Why is the truth (or falsity) of claims so important?
All arguments and explanations are designed to establish the truth of one claim on
the basis of other true claims.
