My Ability To Be A Critical Thinker

According to Paul & Elder, “critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a vision of improving it.” Their argument for the need to utilize critical thinking is the fact that without focus, most of the thinking done by people is partial, many times uninformed, biased, distorted, and prejudiced. What is not easily recognized is the fact that the very fabric of life is

To survive in such a multifaceted and diverse world we as people must possess the ability to think critically in highly complex situations. The world is an extremely challenging place, all of us are forced to adapt by constantly challenging existing principles and performing certain methods to ensure our growth both physically and mentally. Many claim that contemporary society needs a skill called critical thinking to adapt and survive. Critical thinking is a higher level of intellectual progression that makes use of diverse information, skills and attitudes in interpreting situations and confronting problems. Critical thinking is done

Slavery had a major impact on society in the 1800’s. Since the slaves were different in color, intellect, and origin, many individuals such as John C. Calhoun and George Fitzhugh, had no problem with treating blacks like property. Blacks were lower in rank, and had far from the amount of rights white men had. Buying, selling, and using them for labor was no big deal to these people. Paternalism, the parent-child relationship many owners adopted, physical exploitation and social control, the public humiliation of slaves, took a toll on the execution of slavery.

Lizzy Minnerath Journal 1 Before I Go to Sleep 358 358/400 Certain songs may stick out and connect with characters in books. In Before I Go to Sleep the characters Christine, Mike, and Ben are perfectly represented by the songs “Who Am I” by Vance Joy, “Let Me Love You” by Ne-Yo, and “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye. The Song “Who Am I” reminded me of Christine because she is constantly confused as to where and who she is.

Over the course of the last six weeks, I have come to realize that critical thinking is an important asset as I continue my journey in life. I have found this course to be both challenging and rewarding. Most importantly, I find myself viewing problems and conversations in a completely different light. While I would not consider myself an expert at critical thinking, I would assess myself in as a Beginner Thinker. Paul and Elder point out in the beginning thinker stage an individual actively begins to take command of their thinking process across multiple facets of their life (Paul and Elder, 2012). Furthermore, we recognize that there are problems in the way we think and begin to consciously attempt to better understand we can improve our thinking.

Critical thinking, in the context of employability, it is a broad term that encompasses the use of “problem solving, analysis, creative thinking, interpretation, and reasoning.” (Dash, “Why Critical Thinking Skills Are Essential in Business”) In other words, while there are varying definitions for critical thinking, it is generally considered a skill set with specific parameters. One of the necessary conditions within of this definition is that the idea to which the term ‘critical thinking’ is ascribed is a skill set. This is also considered a “key area” of professional development. (Joschik, “Well-Prepared in Their Own Eyes”) Furthermore, critical thinking is necessarily a mental process. This is due to the fact that each of the encompassed terms, such as problem solving and analysis, are mental processes. Finally, if the subject to which the term ‘critical thinking’ is being applied is “the ability to think clearly and rationally,” then the subject possesses the sufficient condition to be considered critical thinking. (Hofmeister, “Critical Thinking and Getting a Job”)

Critical thinking is a vital task that must be done in our everyday lives. In “Becoming a Critic Of Your Thinking” found at criticalthinking.org, Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul explain critical thinking as “the disciplined art of ensuring that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances”. Even tough there are many different types of methods to achieve a better quality of critical thinking, Dr. Elder and Dr. Paul discuss four specific ones in the article. All strategies, however, force you to put yourself in an uncomfortable and difficult position to develop a better quality of thinking.

Bassham, G., Irwin, W., Nardone, H., & Wallace, J. (2002). Critical Thinking. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Publishing. Retrieved August 25, 2004 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/350–Critical Thinking: Strategies in Decision Making Web site: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp

I knew that critical thinking was not one of my strengths. Critical thinking according to Elkins, (2004) needs the individual to give clear analysis rational thinking, and delivering critique. The above description was certainly something I would have to overcome. The sense of deflation, overwhelming, and frustration were all the feelings I rapidly started to suffer from. The reasoning behind feelings, is that I did not want to fail, and neither did I want my grades to be just a pass mark, as they had been increasing slightly in a percentage or two in my previous assignments. However, it has been identified that many learners have also had mixed feeling about their capabilities of a critical thinker according to Elkins, (2004). Irrational though

The process of critical thinking requires you to ask more questions of both others and of yourself before a decision or determination is made. In order to successfully evaluate data in a critical manner, you must have a system in place to assess information as it is presented. In any situation whether you are having a conversation, observing others, or material you have read, you must be ready to probe deeper and ask the right question at the right time.

The main concepts presented in the article are the varying definitions of each author on the concept of critical thinking. The information the author uses are definitions which are the opinions of varied authors and are similar in foundation in that to apply critical thinking one must be able to identify a problem, pose a question(s), provide valid supporting evidence, and come to a conclusion. Although the author’s definitions do not identify a problem, questions, evidence, or conclusions, the relationship Petress (2004) shows is that the reader must apply this process themselves as it is not always given. The information used does appear to be relevant, significant, and valid. The references the author listed does provide enough information for me to come to this conclusion. Since this work is a literature review and not a case study, numerical data are not necessary to determine validity of the information.

To consider an individual a critical thinker, they must have the ability to show cognitive skills and dispositions. Those two skills are considered to be of equal importance and both are required for

What is critical thinking to you? To some it may mean making wiser choices, taking time to critically analyze a situation, or to just put greater thought in your everyday life. According to Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Pauls’ article, “Becoming a Critic Of Your Thinking”, critical thinking is defined as the disciplined art of ensuring that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances. To us, critical thinking is a very important aspect of life and something we can all improve on. It allows us to think outside the box and put ourselves in others shoes and really look at things differently. We made sure to think about our own thinking habits while discussing these articles and to notice if we were ever being close-minded.

There are proposed reasons for the emphasis that is currently on critical thinking. Many factors can be related to this emphasis. They include the societal factors of economic shifts

I show my strengths as a critical thinker when I work with other people and communicate with them. I am very outspoken when it comes to certain things but when you work with other people it can hinder your progress because you could have different ideas on how to do things or what to do and everyone wants things their way. I try to understand our situation and not be biased to my opinion but try to see other people’s point of view and conclude which way is best for my benefit and the groups. I focus more on what people are saying and see all possible outcomes and when things don’t go my way I still try to make things work even if we aren’t using my methods. during times like these I noticed certain characteristics that I display like I am