CS 113 Welcome to Week 6/Unit 6 Academic Strategies for Business Professionals

Agenda Unit 6 Week 6 Reading Critical Thinking and Critical Reading Strategies Critical Thinking Debate Library Research Internet Research Discussion Board Seminar Case Study Conclusion

What does critical thinking mean in your own words? Let’s Discuss…

Reading What is critical thinking? Critical thinkers: distinguish between fact and opinion; ask questions; make detailed observations; uncover assumptions and define their terms; and make assertions based on sound logic and solid evidence.

Reading Cont’d Critical thinking is best understood as the ability of thinkers to take charge of their own thinking. This requires that they develop sound criteria and standards for analyzing and assessing their own thinking and routinely use those criteria and standards to improve its quality.

Reading Cont’d Let’s Discuss: What books can we find factual information?

Reading Cont’d Let’s Discuss: What books might we look for that are of opinion?

Attributes to Critical Thinking asks pertinent questions  assesses statements and arguments  is able to admit a lack of understanding or information  has a sense of curiosity  is interested in finding new solutions  is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts 

Attributes to Critical Thinking Cont’d listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback  sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment  suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered  looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs  is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found  looks for proof  examines problems closely is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant

Applying the Attributes Let’s Discuss…. How might we utilize these attributes?

Critical Reading Strategies Mastering these strategies will help you handle difficult material with confidence. Annotating: Fundamental to each of these strategies is annotating directly on the page: underlining key words, phrases, or sentences; writing comments or questions in the margins; bracketing important sections of the text; constructing ideas with lines or arrows; numbering related points in sequence; and making note of anything that strikes you as interesting, important, or questionable.

Critical Reading Strategies Cont’d Previewing: Learning about a text before really reading it. Previewing enables readers to get a sense of what the text is about and how it is organized before reading it closely. Contextualizing: Placing a text in its historical, biographical, and cultural contexts. When you read a text, you read it through the lens of your own experience.

Critical Reading Strategies Cont’d Questioning to understand and remember: Asking questions about the content. As students, you are accustomed to teachers asking you questions about your reading. Each question should focus on a main idea, not on illustrations or details, and each should be expressed in your own words, not just copied from parts of the paragraph.

Critical Reading Strategies Cont’d Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values: Examining your personal responses. The reading that you do for this class might challenge your attitudes, your unconsciously held beliefs, or your positions on current issues. Outlining and summarizing: Identifying the main ideas and restating them in your own words.

Critical Reading Strategies Cont’d Summarizing begins with outlining, but instead of merely listing the main ideas, a summary recomposes them to form a new text. Whereas outlining depends on a close analysis of each paragraph, summarizing also requires creative synthesis. Putting ideas together again -- in your own words and in a condensed form -- shows how reading critically can lead to deeper understanding of any text. 

Critical Reading Strategies Cont’d Evaluating an argument means testing the logic of a text as well as its credibility and emotional impact. All writers make assertions that want you to accept as true. Comparing and contrasting related readings Exploring likenesses and differences between texts to understand them better.

Critical Thinking Being able to distinguish between a statement of fact, an opinion or an inference is an important skill to critical thinking. It involves knowing what can be proven directly, what is a legitimate implication derived from the facts, and what is fair to conclude from the historical record.  

Critical Thinking Cont’d FACT: reports information that can be directly observed or can be verified or checked for accuracy.  OPINION: expresses an evaluation based on a personal judgment or belief which may or may not be verifiable.  INFERENCE: a logical conclusion or a legitimate implication based on factual information. 

Critical Thinking Cont’d Let’s discuss one at a time: What would be a good example of a fact? What would be a good example of an opinion? What would be a good example of inference?

Summary of Critical Thinking Determine the facts of a new situation or subject without prejudice Place these facts and information in a pattern so that you can understand them Accept or reject the source values and conclusions based upon your experience, judgment, and beliefs

Library Research Be sure to access the Library Research link and participate in the orientation. This information is imperative to your assignment.

Why? Plagiarism can be avoided if cited Internet Research In researching the internet there are so many search engines to find any information you so desire to learn about. If you utilize this method, be sure to copy the URL in your browser tool bar if you use this for your assignment. Why? Plagiarism can be avoided if cited properly!

Assignment Details Make sure you looked at the Website Evaluation document in the "Internet Research" resource before beginning this project. Keep in mind that it is not appropriate to use a blog (web log, or online diary), a Wiki (a reference created by users) or a message board for the reasons explained in the "Reading."

Assignment Details Cont’d Be sure to download the template (It can be found in under the docsharing tab at the top of your screen). Do not forget to create it in a Word document and upload into the dropbox. Assignment is due no later than Tuesday at midnight.

Discussion Board Forum You are becoming a critic of your own thinking! Be sure to post 7-10 sentences (approx. 100 words) no later than Friday evening by midnight. Respond to 2 of your classmates. The posts should be on three different days.

Case Study

Case Study Group Exercise You have 10 minutes to brainstorm with your group and will use the PM to do so. Discuss possible answers to the case study questions. Each team will have a chair assigned to present their groups’ answers I will assign the teams so listen closely. There is no right or wrong answers. This activity is for you to interact with your classmates and learn from each other.

GO! 10 Minutes to Brainstorm using your PM! Ready, Set …. GO! 10 Minutes to Brainstorm using your PM!

Mark Mark has always wanted a career in marketing, and after being out of school for a few years, is happy to be back learning great things. Now in his second term, he really likes his course-work and is getting good grades. He thinks, though, that his next term might be too hard for him because friends said the next set of courses will be “more advanced.” Mark guesses that he might need a tutor but doesn’t feel he knows any marketing professionals to turn to for help. Generally, Mark doesn’t panic, but he is getting worried and as this fear overwhelms him, his current quarter grades are starting to slip.

Seminar Case Study What assumptions does Mark make?   On what does Mark base his assumptions?   Are there inferences, conjectures, opinions, and values present in this scenario? If Mark does need help with his marketing classes, where can he turn to for help? What can Mark do to regain his confidence this quarter and begin his next quarter with a positive attitude? How do you use critical thinking in every day life? Provide specific examples.

Conclusion Now is the time to ask questions or clarify a concern about any of the material covered, homework, or discussion board activities!