Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing

Critical thinking, Thoughtful Writing is a revised version of a book originally entitled Informative Writing. I chose the first title because I felt that writing courses for a dangerously long time had, in the service of style and organization, given short shrift to thoughtful content (well-selected facts and careful inferences). Teachers and students who used Informative Writing appreciated its emphasis on substance, but they found most original and useful "Facts, Inferences, and Theses" (Chapter3), which teaches students to build a thesis through their inferences; "Persuasion" (now Chapter 6), which teaches the practical thinking skills of argument; "Research through Careful Reading" (now Chapter12), which teaches students how to draw inferences as they read, and the Draft Review Worksheets (now Chapter14) which teach students to be self-critical as they revise. Critical thinking, Thoughtful Writing, therefore, better describes the originality and strengths of the book. In changing the title I am not suggesting that well-selected information is any less important. Selecting evidence well is one of the most crucial of the many thoughtful processes that constitute writing. If students can become thoughtful in that area as in many others, their writing course will once again be seen by them, as it deserves to be seen, as the core of their curriculum and as the central preparation for their professional lives.