CRITICAL THINKING Thinking Outside the Box Student Success
CRITICAL THINKING: Thinking Outside the Box Student Success Programs Edison College 1 11/24/2020
What is Critical Thinking? l ASKING QUESTIONS! l Distinguishing FACT from Opinion l Challenging Assumptions 2 11/24/2020
Ask Questions l l l Why? When? How? Where? What If…. ? Critical Thinkers stop to RECONSIDER what they take for granted. 3 11/24/2020
Distinguish FACT from Opinion l FACT: information presented as objectively real It’s raining outside. l Opinion: a belief, conclusion or judgment This is the worst rainstorm ever. 4 11/24/2020
Challenge Assumptions l Assumption: an idea or statement accepted as true without proof l Consider this STATEMENT: Kids who stay by themselves after school get into trouble with drugs, so mothers should not work outside the home. l Assumptions: Drug use is caused by lack of supervision. Mothers who stay at home always supervise their children. 5 11/24/2020
Why is Critical Thinking Important? IN SCHOOL: l When you think critically about lectures or readings rather than just learn them for a test, you will RETAIN the information. l Students with high critical thinking skills have higher grade point averages (GPA). l Critical thinking skills improve reading comprehension. 6 11/24/2020
Why is Critical Thinking Important? AT WORK: l Employees who ask questions about making improvements wi AT HOME: l l Self confidence and a sense of control over your life Improved decision making skills. 7 11/24/2020
Break the Rules and WIN! These discoveries were made by Thinking Outside the Box: l Velcro was “invented” when thistles got stuck on a man’s socks! l Roll-on deodorant was adapted from the ball point pen! 8 11/24/2020
Obstacles to Critical Thinking l l l l Failure to listen Lack of knowledge Rigid Beliefs Wishful Thinking Laziness (desire for quick results) Stereotyping Circular Reasoning Cultural Differences 9 11/24/2020
Are YOU a Critical Thinker? How many of these statements express your beliefs? : 1. “Figuring out what people really mean by what they say is important to me” 2. “No matter how difficult a problem is, there’s a simple solution. ” 3. “I hold off on making decisions until I’ve thought through my options. ” 4. “I hate when teachers discuss problems instead of just giving us the answers. ” 10 11/24/2020
Are YOU a Critical Thinker? 5. “Rather than relying on someone else’s notes, I prefer to read the material myself. ” 6. “I don’t waste time looking things up. ” 7. “Even if a problem is tougher than I expected, I’ll keep working on it. ” 8. “I prefer jobs where the supervisor says exactly what to do and how to do it. ” 9. “I always do better in jobs where I’m expected to think things out for myself. ” 10. “If I believe something strongly, no one else’s opinion matters. ” 11 11/24/2020
Critical Thinking Resources Black, Robert Alan. Off-the-Wall, Out-of-the-box, Unconventional Thinking Can Lead Us to Success. 2003. www. cre 8 ng. com/workshops_whacky. pdf Carroll, Robert Todd. Becoming a Critical Thinker. Boston: Pearson Publishing, 2004. Carter, Carol, et al. Keys to Success. 2 nd ed. , Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998 Chaffee, John. Thinking Critically. 6 th ed. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2000. Facione, Peter. Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts. Santa Clara University: California Academic Press, 1998. http: //www. insightassessment. com/pdf_files/what&why 98. pdf Miller, Marcia and Martin Lee. Problem Solving and Logic. New York: Scholastic, 1998 Roberts, Judy. Effective Study Skills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. Sofo, Francesco. Open Your Mind. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2004. 12 11/24/2020
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