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Unit Six:Critical Thinking and

Citing Sources

John Elberfeld

JElberfeld@itt-tech.edu

WWW.J-Elberfeld.com

TB133 Strategies for the Technical Professional

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Unit Five Summary

• This unit covered the Microsoft presentation tool PowerPoint 2007.

• PowerPoint basics, how to plan and prepare a presentation, how to use a presentation design, and PowerPoint’s multimedia tools were all introduced and examined through hands-on demonstrations.

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Results of Homework• Discuss homework and grades

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Unit 6 Objectives• Describe strategies to adapt to life changes.• Identify the characteristics of an effective

listener.• Take a personal learning style assessment to

help enhance studying and learning.• Describe strategies for personal motivation.• Describe note-taking techniques.• Apply learning style to effective test-taking

strategy.• Identify how attitude affects personal success.

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Unit 6 Objectives II• Effectively and efficiently use the ITT

Technical Institute Virtual Library and the Internet to locate information and sources.

• Use the search features in the ITT Tech Virtual Library to find required information.

• Evaluate the validity of information and sources.

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Reading Assignment• Strategies: Building on Your

Best for Career Success • Chapter 4, “Critical Thinking and

Citing Sources”

Lab Assignment• Complete your PowerPoint

assignments

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QUIZ

• Take a short quiz that reviews the material we covered last week

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Think• The purpose of this unit is to

help you develop critical and creative thinking skills

• Critical thinking entails seeking to understand different aspects of an issue, and in deciding what to believe, looking not only at truths and untruths, but also at stories that display bias or are incomplete

• Critical thinking keeps you from making avoidable mistakes

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What is Critical Thinking?

• Critical thinking is thinking that goes beyond the basic recall of information and uses information to create new ideas, solve problems, make decisions, construct arguments, make plans and/or refine views.

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Critical Thinking1. Evaluate sources of information

2. Explore different points of view

3. Question opinions and assumptions

4. Evaluate the context

5. Look for false logic and bias

6. Use your values• Not all problems require critical

thinking – sometimes you just have to do things, like buy gas for your car

Example of Applied Critical Thinking

• The lawyer who found the loophole to free his client.

• The doctor who searched deeply enough and ordered the correct tests and found the cancer that was missed by three other physicians.

• The computer repair technician who found the one tiny circuit problem in your computer.

• The auto repair person who found the faulty wiring in your car.

• The nurse who sensed something was wrong and noticed the error in the medication chart.

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More Examples• The teacherThe teacher who finally found who finally found

a way to teach Johnny to read with a way to teach Johnny to read with pictures.pictures.

• The homemakerThe homemaker who discovered a way who discovered a way to reduce the household debt load each to reduce the household debt load each month.month.

• The marketing expertThe marketing expert who developed the who developed the winning campaign for Mountain Dew.winning campaign for Mountain Dew.

• The student who discovered that The student who discovered that reading the material before class made reading the material before class made listening easier.listening easier.

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CRITICAL THINKERS • Are open-minded and objective• Are not ethnocentric• Do not manipulate other people• Seek truth in all matters • Use a variety of credible sources • Are not judgmental• Are willing to change• Make their own decisions• Are creative• Are honest with themselves and others• Question situations and assumptions

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Bloom’s Taxonomy15

Bloom’s Taxonomy shows you must master the thinking skills at the bottom of the chartbefore you can usethe higher level skills to do yourcritical thinking and problemsolving

Steps in Critical ThinkingStep 1: Evaluate sources of information.

Step 2: Maintain objectivity.

Step 3: Separate facts and opinions.

Step 4: Evaluate the context.

Step 5: Recognize false logic and bias.

Step 6: Use your values.

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How Critical Thinking Helps• Focus on issues• Determine the accuracy of printed

and spoken words• Detect bias • Determine the relevance of

arguments and persuasion• Remember facts• Organize thoughts logically

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1. Evaluate Sources of Information

• With billions of web pages, and search engines that return millions of hits, how do find accurate, useful information?

• Most sites will NOT tell you directly that their information is slanted or biased, or just plain lies

• www.creationists.org/dinos_artifacts_and_art.html

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Flat Earth Society

• Now imagine, if the earth were round, that the person on top and the person onbottom can both manage to remain attracted to the ground "below" them.

• What would happen if the person on one side decided to visit the other?

• A man at the North Pole is pulled by gravity in the exact opposite direction as a person from the South Pole

• The human from the North Pole, while visiting the South Pole, will "fall up", never returning to the ground, and will continue falling forever into the deep void of outer space!

• Since this does NOT happen, the earth must be flat!

• http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/FlatWhyFlat.htm

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Was there a Holocaust?• The International Red Cross had already reported

in 1946 that of registered Jewish camp inmates no more than 300,000 could have died, and their audit to December 31, 1984 records a total 282,077 registered deaths of all internees in all German Concentration Camps from all causes.

• Hardly a week goes by when there are not stories in the press, on TV-News or movies about the alleged holocaust. What is the long range design for this constantattempt to fill Germans and indeed all Christians with a feeling of guilt over a holocaust which never occurred?

• http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/wasthere.htm

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Evaluate information

• Google and other search engines make it easy to locate thousands of sites

• Generally all you want are one or two good sites – not millions of bad ones

• How do you tell the good from the bad sites?

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Why Evaluate?

• Anyone can put anything on the Web. • There are no uniform standards for

quality for what can be put on the Web. • Most Web sites are not reviewed by

experts in a subject as scholarly journal articles are.

• Most Web sites do not undergo any kind of editorial process as most books and many other types of print sources do.

• http://www.tcnj.edu/~library/research/tips/evaluate.html

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What to look for…

• Accuracy. – Check for outside evaluations, point of

view, bias, when last updated

• Authority. – Check author credentials, site sponsor

• Completeness– Check for thoroughness and appropriate,

comprehensive links

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And• Content

– Check for copyright notice, bibliography, and level of detail

– Could the page or site be ironic, like a satire or a spoof?

• Propaganda– Check for inclusion of opposing views,

attacks on other perspectives, overly emotional writing

• You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!

Step 2: Maintain Objectivity• Listen to all sides.• Make an effort to identify emotions.• Don’t let emotions turn you off.• Don’t let yourself engage in “I’m right,

you’re wrong” thinking or talk.• Work to understand the other side.• Notice the physical effect of negative

emotions.• Determine if emotions are irrational.

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2. Maintain Objectivity

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Check Your Emotions • Identify the emotions that are

causing you to lose objectivity• Stop the immediate reaction of

your need to be right• Listen to all sides of the argument or

statement carefully before coming to a conclusion

• Wait some time before responding – you do not have to give an immediate opinion

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3. Separate Facts and Opinions

• A factual statement offers proof from a verifiable source– Can it be observed or tested?– Is it an established fact for many years?

• Assumptions and opinions are based on emotions and myths– The author uses best, tremendous– Uses feel, imagine, suppose– Uses all, none, always, never,

everyone, nobody

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Red Flags• The Top Five Reasons CarbCruncher Carb

Blocker is the Best Low-carb-diet Ever!• "The Work At Home Millionaire.“ worked

as marketer's "secret weapon" or their "super affiliate". He's internationally recognized as a "philanthropic marketing genius“

• Caparo T1: The world's safest ultra-performance supercar delivers astonishing performance that surpasses…

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4. Evaluate the Content• Find out as much information about

a topic as possible to put the issue in proper context

• “Anyone who thinks upstate New Yorkers are beer guzzling hicks has never visited the area!”

• My opponent said, “Upstate New Yorkers are beer guzzling hicks.”

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Separate Facts and Opinions

• FACT: Something that has been objectively verified; something having real, demonstrated existence.

• OPINION: A belief held with confidence, but not sustained by positive knowledge or proof.

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Step 5. False Logic and Bias

• Glittering Generalities– Jim has made this country a better place

• Hasty Generalization– Some guys in the last class said VISTA

is garbage• False Dilemma

– Get an A or you’ll work at McDonalds• Card Stacking

– Average salaries in the company increased (because the CEO got a 10 million dollar raise)

More False Logic

• Bandwagon– But MOM! Everybody is going

to the party dressed like this

• Appeals to emotion– Use Listerine or you will be very lonely

• Ad Verecundiam– Oprah says this is the BEST diet ever

• False Cause and Effect– All drug addicts drank milk as kids, so

lets ban milk – the gateway drug

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And Finally

• Straw Arguments– Since I proved him wrong

when he said the earth was flat, it must be a cube

• Ad hominem– Would you be more or less likely to vote

for John McCain...if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?

• Appeals to Tradition– It always been done this way

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Step 6. Use Your Values• Tap into your intuition and values• Trust your values to guide you• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably

is• MAKE $1000'S WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON

– MAKE $300 THE FIRST TIME YOU TRY!GUARANTEED

• So why aren’t the salespeople retired billionaires if it is that easy to make money?

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Peer Pressure• You are now familiar with deceptive

arguments and faulty logic

• If your friends use any of these techniques to convince you to do something, it is probably something you should NOT do– Why would they resort to bad logic and

deception if it was something good to do?

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38 Counteract the Arguments:Use Critical Thinking!

• Check Your Emotions • Define the Terms • Distinguish Fact from Opinion • Look at Different Angles and Perceptions • Analyze Each Piece of Information

Separately • Avoid Stereotyping • Seek Truth in

Arguments and Persuasion

CREATIVE THINKING INVOLVES…

• COMPASSION INNOVATION

• COURAGECOMPETITION

• TRUTH THINKING

• DREAMS CURIOSITY

• RISK TAKING PERSISTENCE

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CREATIVE THINKING• Understand that the creative process is not

an organized process. It can be chaotic and disorderly—downright crazy—at times.

• Never be afraid to ask ANY question, even those you think may be silly.

• Jot your weirdest and funkiest ideas down; you may need them later.

• Take risks! Greatness has never been achieved by playing it safe.

• Dream, and dream big.

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Creative Thinking• Hone your sense of adventure and

exploration by playing and thinking like a child.

• Force yourself to develop at least five creative solutions to any problem you face.

• Force yourself to do something old in a new way.

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Creative Thinking • Learn to brainstorm

• Think through ideas with others

• Look for the possibilities

• Make connections

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Brainstorming Rules • Don’t evaluate or criticize an idea right

away • Focus on quantity • Let yourself consider wild

and wacky ideas • Build on ideas• Leader keeps idea flowing, giving all a

chance to participate• Scribe writes down ideas into a readable

list

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Problem Solving

1. State the problem clearly. 2. Analyze the problem. 3. Brainstorm possible solutions. 4. Determine the criteria for your

solution. 5. Explore each solution 6. Choose and execute the

solution you decide is best 7. Evaluate the solution. 8. Continue to refine the solution. • (Problem: Balance the three-prong

clevis on one finger!)

45 Obstacles to Problem Solving

• The perfect solution– Believing that every problem has one perfect solution can

intimidate you.

• The smart-people complex – If you run into a snag while trying to solve a problem, you

might get yourself off the hook by deciding that only a much smarter person could solve this problem

• The first choice is the best – If you come up with a good idea right away, it is tempting to

go with it. Be sure to give each of your ideas equal time

• Focusing on the “easier” cause – If you are not doing very well in a course, you may want to

believe it is because your instructor is incompetent. It is easier to blame someone—anyone—else for the cause of a problem

46 Problem Solving vs. Decision Making

• It is not always clear when you are solving a problem and when you are making a making a decision

• Problem solving: I need to get to school. How will I do it?

• Decision Making: Do I buy a used car or a new car?

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Decision Making • State the goal or purpose for the

decision.

• Establish the criteria for the decision.

• Rate the importance of the criteria.

• Look at all your options.

• Make the decision.

• Evaluate the results.

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Creative Intelligence

Education and Training

Person with Creative Intelligence

Tools Accumulated Knowledge

Use your Creative Intelligence

• Working as team, brainstorm solutions, and work together to decide answers to a set of challenging questions

• Combine your reading ability, test taking skills, problem solving skills, and common sense to determine the one correct answer for each question

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Using Information• Once you find information on the

topic, you need to use that information correctly

• You may not copy that information or imply that you thought it up on your own

• You need to tell people the source of the information

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ITT Academic Honesty

• ITT Technical Institute defines academic dishonesty as the “submission of work completed by another person as your own.”

• All ideas, words, or work from others that are included in a student’s submitted work must be identified and cited.

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• Submit work completed in whole or in part by another person as if it were your own.

• Restate or paraphrase another writer’s work without acknowledging the source.

• Copy another student’s homework and submit the work as if it were the product of your own labor.

• Attempt to gain an advantage through the use of crib sheets, hidden notes, viewing another student’s paper, revealing the questions or answers on exams or quizzes to other students or viewing quiz or exam questions obtained by another student.

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What is Plagiarism• Plagiarism is the act of presenting

another’s work or ideas as your own• Intentional

– Buying a paper from the Internet, a classmate, or anyone else

– Having your spouse write it for you– Copying and pasting all or part of a

paper from a website, book, or magazine

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What is Plagiarism• Accidental

– Forget or lose quotation marks– Forget to put an in-text citation– Forget to include a reference page– Forget where you got information from

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Consequences of Plagiarizing at ITT

• 1st offence – a “0” on the assignment without the chance to make it up

• 2nd offence – dropped from course/suspension from school

• 3rd offence – expelled from school without the option of ever returning

• Each offence goes on your permanent record

• These are typical consequences

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What to Reference• If it is not your original thought or it

is not common knowledge – cite it

• When in doubt – cite it

• Determine if it is:– A quote– A paraphrase

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Cite Both Quote and Paraphrase

• Quote– Exact words– Maybe a specific

word or two– May be as much as

a sentence or two– Use “quotes” or

indent paragraph– Cite source in text

and on reference page

• Paraphrase– Their idea – your

words– No “quotes” or

indentation– Cite source in text

and on reference page

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Citation Information

• When citing online reference sources, ensure that you have most of the following information:– Author’s name– Date of publication– Title of book, journal, or article– Relevant page numbers and other similar

information about the source– Date you retrieved the information

• Some of this information may not be available or relevant for your source, but do your best to supply as much information as possible.

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Citation Examples

• A BOOK:Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place

of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2004. Print.

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Examples• A MAGAZINE

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

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Examples

• ONLINE SOURCEEditor, author, or compiler name (if

available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 April 2008.

In-text Citations• Example:• Human beings have been described by

Kenneth Burke as "symbol-using animals" (3). Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals“ (Burke 3).

• The Purdue OWL is accessed by millions of users every year. Its “MLA Formatting and Style Guide” is one of the most popular resources (Stolley et al.).

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Works Cited PageWorks Cited

Burke, Kenneth. Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and MethodEssays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U . Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. Print.of California P, 1966. Print.

Stolley, Karl. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Stolley, Karl. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The OWL at Purdue. 10 May 2006. Purdue University OWL at Purdue. 10 May 2006. Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 May 2006 Writing Lab. 12 May 2006 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/>./>.

(URL is up to your teacher – NOT MLA requirement! Double-space everything)

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Summary• This unit introduced and explained

steps in critical and creative thinking.

• It also covered various information sources and how to evaluate sources.

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