AIESHA OLIVER INT 322-90 Spring Semester 2013

CRITICAL THINKING..

THINKING TELLS US…. What there is? What is happening? What our problems are? What our options are? What threatens us? What is important? What is unimportant? Who our friends are? Who our enemies are? What our “history” is? Who we are? Who loves us?

Thinking Determines…. What we learn How we learn What we think is important to learn What effort we should expend What we think is true What we think is false How things should be viewed Whether our learning is of high or low quality Whether our learning is deep or superficial

DEFINING CRITICAL THINKING Commonly called “problem solving” Not being content with the first solution to a problem, but thinking more deeply about it. Knowing, understanding, analyzing, synthesizing, applying and evaluating the idea or problem Looking for what is implied in a question rather than what is stated Applying the rules of logic to problem solving Not letting reason be clouded by emotion

Critical Thinking (Denise Snowden-Langley, 2013) is the examination of how specific analytical concepts are employed in reading, writing, and speech acts, exhibiting an application of methods of analysis that develop critical thinking skills and flexible orientation towards reading and writing.

FOUR ASPECTS OF CRITICAL THINKING……. ABSTRACT THINKING: Thinking past what your senses tell you. CREATIVE THINKING: Thinking “out of the box”! SYSTEMATIC THINKING: Organizing your thoughts into logical steps. COMMUNICATIVE THINKING: Being precise and giving your ideas to others.

CRITICAL THINKERS…. Acknowledge personal limitations See problems as exciting challenges Have understanding as a goal Use evidence to make judgments Are interested in others judgments Are interested in others ideas Are skeptical of extreme views Think before acting Avoid emotionalism Keep an open mind

UNCRITICAL THINKERS…. Pretend to know more than they do. Get annoyed by problems. Are impatient. Judge on first impressions and intuition. Focus on their own opinions. Look only for ideas like their own. Are guided by feelings rather than thoughts. Claim that thinking gives them a headache.

Is a Self-Directed Process By Which We Take Deliberate Steps Critical Thinking Is a Self-Directed Process By Which We Take Deliberate Steps To Think at the Highest Level of Quality.

WHAT DOES CRITICAL THINKING INVOLVE?

Conceptualizing Applying Analyzing Synthesizing Evaluating Conceptualizing: Developing a “mind picture”. Applying: Putting Conceptual info to use. Analyzing: Closely examining, tearing apart or breaking down to really look at. Synthesizing: Pulling things together in a well-organized logical way. Evaluating: Making decisions about; reviewing; assessing, etc.

Why is Critical Thinking Important? TIME PERMITTING, WORK THROUGH ACTIVITIES IN YOUR BOOKLET. BE SURE TO THINK CRITICALLY!

Why Is Critical Thinking Important? Critical thinking helps us develop: Intellectual Humility Intellectual Autonomy Intellectual Integrity Intellectual Courage Intellectual Perseverance Confidence in Reason Intellectual Empathy Fairmindedness . . . traits important to the development of a multi-cultural world view and the diminishing of irrational thought! . . . it underlies the basic elements of communication . . . it plays an important part in social change. . . . . . it is a path to freedom from half- truths and deceptions

A well cultivated critical thinker . . . Raising vital questions formulating questions clearly and precisely Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;

Gather information Analyze and assess it Evaluate it --gathering information, then --assessing it and determining what it means and what it is worth Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively,

Draw conclusions Find solutions Use relevant criteria to test them --drawing conclusions from the information presented --finding possible, plausible solutions and testing them with relevant criteria Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;

Keep an open mind…….

Networking with others and maintaining open lines of communication with them and others. Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

A CULTIVATED CRITICAL THINKER Develop a sense of observation and curiosity Become interested in finding new solutions Share ideas Ask pertinent questions Assess statements and arguments Seek understanding and information

The Critical Thinking Community (n. d. ) Retrieved fromhttp://www Defining Critical Thinking (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 REFERENCES

THE END….. Aiesha Oliver