1. 1 Week 5 Critical Thinking

2. 2 Critical Thinking Assessment Done in class Takes about 2 weeks to get scores, sent to New York Journaling also due

3. 3 Drop Box Compose this journal in Word first Copy and paste to journal Upload the same file to the drop box Part of our assessment & accreditation You will see a score come from this writing assessment in about 2 weeks—look in the database

4. 4 Scientific Inquiry Critical thinking is like reading and writing, it is a skill that is gradually developed Defined: thinking about your thinking

5. 5 Definitions Continued Critical thinking involves asking questions Looking at a situations from different perspectives Looking at assumptions you have Is a skill

6. 6 Value of Critical Thinking More likely to reach career and personal goals Produce your own knowledge rather than read the works of others Increases your value as an employee and citizen Increases creativity

7. 7 Critical Thinking in Nursing Critical thinking helps you form important questions It also helps you form preliminary hypotheses or possible answers to specific situations Helps you test out your ideas and evaluate their effectiveness

8. 8 Critical Thinking Often talked about, much like words: “quality”, “organic”, “natural” Critical thinking is scientific thinking Nursing process is small component of critical thinking Problem solving is a component of critical thinking Critical thinking is an active process— work!

9. 9 Thinktrix --- how you think RECALL: Facts, sequence and description In your journal you are asked to recall a specific event SIMILARITY: analogy, likeness and comparison How would you handle this situation now?

10. 10 THINKTRIX continued DIFFERENCE: what’s different in a situation to what you know—how does it compare to other events? CAUSE AND EFFECT: identify reasons, consequence and predict how a specific event may end up

11. 11 EXAMPLE to PRINCIPLE Inductive reasoning Generalization—grouped facts to fit about an event Classification –groups of facts that are similar become building blocks of knowledge—for example study skills can be classified—those that help reading, those that help writing

12. 12 PRINCIPLE TO EXAMPLE Deductive reasoning— how is this different than inductive reasoning Categorization—how is this different than classification? Substantiation—what are the supporting arguments for a specific statement?

13. 13 Inductive Reasoning I've noticed every time I study for a test, I do better. (specific) I am going to be sure and study for the next test I assume I will do well on the next test

14. 14 Deductive Reasoning Students who study for tests do better on them. (General) So I will study for the next test and do well.

15. 15 Problem Solving Methods Observe—state the issue clearly Assess and Analyze-- what else needs to be known? Brainstorm – generating ideas—without judgment of ideas Plan—come up with an idea or hypothesis about a topic

16. 16 Problem Solving Methods Implement– start to work on the plan you developed Evaluate—is your plan working? Refine– Using cycles of refinement— change your plan Don't be afraid to change the plan!

17. 17 Decision Making Set a goal Establish needs- who needs what? Look at options—very important, there are often many possible solutions to a problem Decide on a plan and go for it! Evaluate the results

18. 18 Rest as necessary—this takes work!

19. 19 Perspectives Your perspective will change as you go through school Life events also change your perspective Its easier to talk about looking at the perspective of others, it takes practice to see and respond to situations using the perspective of others

20. 20 Creativity When planning – include plan A, plan B and plan C Ask questions Look at situations with new eyes— ”beginner’s mind” Use failure to help you see new solutions to familiar situations

21. 21 Creative Methods Brainstorming Generate as many ideas as possible Don’t judge any—just list them Focus on quantity not quality May start with small problems and then try bigger ones Can be done in a group or alone

22. 22 Review Critical Thinking Exam—take 2 weeks to get scores back—will be looking at your ability to think, speak and read critically, among other topics This assessment is repeated at the end of the program to assess program outcomes See instructions for downloading results

23. 23 Next week Holmes Rahe Stress Assessment Read Chapter 7