chp 1 intro to critical thinking sms-260913 102209

C h a p t e r 1I n t r o d u c t i o n t o c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g

UBB 3023Critical Thinking

Overview

1. What is Thinking?

6. Barriers to Critical Thinking

2. Types of Thinking

4. Critical Thinking Standards

5. Benefits of Critical Thinking

7. Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

3. What is Critical Thinking?

Introduction

Source: [email protected]

What is Thinking?

Definitions

1 the action of using one's mind to produce thoughts 2 . opinion, judgment Merriam Webster online http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thinking

Thinking is a purposeful, organized cognitive process that we use to make sense of our world.

Why it Matters to Think?

Everyday we are bombarded with information from people, events and media which forms our set of beliefs.

Some of these information inform us and some blind us.

The quality of our beliefs is the fundamental of critical thinking.

Wheres Blackberry?

Types of Thinking

Creative Thinking vs Critical Thinking

Types of Thinking

Problem SolvingDecision Making

CriticalThinking

Analyzing

Evaluating

Reasoning

NewIdeas

CreativeThinking

RightLeft


Critical Thinking

Why do you choose UNIRAZAK to further your study?

Why do you choose that program/area of study you are taking now?

How do you see yourself 3 years from now?

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing,

applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or

generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief

and action.

- Michael Scriven & Richard Paul



appropriate ways of handling knowledge and information, that is, good thinking or smart thinking as suggested by Pithers and Soden (2000), become more important than mere acquisition of information. (OIDA International Journal Sustainable Development: Tan, 2012)


Critical Thinking is the general term given to a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills needed to:

Effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments.

Discover and overcome personal prejudices and biases.

Formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions.

Make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do.



CRITICAL THINKING

SKILLS

Analyzing

Reasoning

Evaluating

Decision Making Problem SolvingSource: [email protected]

Critical Thinking

Standards

Clarity

Precision

Accurate

Relevance

Depth

Breadth

Logical

Fairness

Critical Thinking Standards

Relevance

Breadth

Fairness

What do you see first?

Clarity

Which statement is clearer?

A. "What can be done about the education system in Malaysia?

B. "What can educators do to ensure that students learn the skills and abilities which help them function successfully on the job and in their daily decision-making?"

Getting Clarification

Could you elaborate further on that point?

Could you express that point in another way?

Could you give me an illustration?

Could you give me an example?


Precision

Precision is important is specialized fields such as medicine, architecture, engineering, military and diving

Cut through confusions and certainties

Getting Precise

Could you give more details?

Could you be more specific?

Source: http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/tresources/content/Ruland-CriticalThinkingStandards.pdf

A statement can be both clear and accurate, but not precise

Yao Ming is TALL!


Accuracy

Clear but not accurate (false information/false assumptions)

"Most dogs are over 300 pounds in weight.

USA decision on Vietnam War was based on failure of judgments.

All cats are four-legged animals, Fido is a four-legged animal, Therefore, Fido is a cat.

Determining Accuracy

Is that really true?

How could we check that?

How could we find out if that is true?

Relevance

A statement can be clear, accurate, and precise, but not relevant to the question at issue. For example, students often think that the amount of effort they put into a course should be used in raising their grade in a course. Often, however, the "effort" does not measure the quality of student learning; and when this is so, effort is irrelevant to their appropriate grade.

Determining Relevance

How is that connected to the question?

How does that bear on the issue?


I studied hard all semester, therefore I

should get A+.

A statement can be clear, accurate, and precise, but not relevant to the question at issue.

You must unlearn what

you have learned.


Depth

A statement can be clear, accurate, precise, and relevant, but superficial (that is, lack depth).

For example, the statement, "Just say No!" which is often used to discourage children and teens from using drugs, is clear, accurate, precise, and relevant. Nevertheless, it lacks depth because it treats an extremely complex issue, the pervasive problem of drug use among young people, superficially. It fails to deal with the complexities of the issue.


Why the anti-smoking in Malaysia is a failure?

Determining the Depth of an Issue

How does your answer address the complexities in the question?

How are you taking into account the problems in the question?

Is that dealing with the most significant factors?


Grave danger you are in. Impatient you are.

A statement can be clear, accurate, precise, and relevant, but superficial.


Breadth

A line of reasoning may be clear, accurate, precise, relevant, and deep, but lack breadth (as in an argument from either the USA or Muslim standpoint which gets deeply into an issue, but only recognizes the insights of one side of the question.)

Determining the Breadth of an IssueDo we need to consider another point of view?

Is there another way to look at this question?

What would this look like from a conservative standpoint?

What would this look like from the point of view of...?


That is why you

fail.

A line of reasoning may be clear, accurate, precise, relevant, and deep, but lack breadth.

Headache!!!

You got 0 marks for Participation, because

you didnt participate in the class discussion at all.


It's been 11 years since al-Qaeda's World Trade Centre attacks. See the most haunting images of that fateful day.

See the most haunting images of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Are their lives and blood cheaper than those in US 9/11?

Logical

When we think, we bring a variety of thoughts together into some order. When the combination of thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination, the thinking is "logical." When the combination is not mutually supporting, is contradictory in some sense or does not "make sense," the combination is not logical.

Determining Logic Does this really make sense?

Does that follow from what you said?

How does that follow?

But before you implied this and now you are saying that; how can both be true?


Superman sees through anything.Superman sees through walls.Superman sees through You.

When the combination of thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination,

the thinking is "logical.

May the force be with you.


Fairness

Human think is often biased in the direction of the thinker - in what are the perceived interests of the thinker. Humans do not naturally consider the rights and needs of others on the same plane with their own rights and needs. We therefore must actively work to make sure we are applying the intellectual standard of fairness to our thinking. Since we naturally see ourselves as fair even when we are unfair, this can be very difficult. A commitment to fairmindedness is a starting place.

Determining Fairness

Critical thinking demands that our thinking be fair.

Open-minded

Impartial

Free of distorting biases and preconceptions


Difficult to achieve, but you must try!

Fair-mindedness is an essential attribute of a Critical Thinker.


Do you agree?

Graduates emerging from the Malaysian education system fail to meet the expectations of prospective employers due to a lack of critical thinking skills and poor communication.

-The Star, Sunday March 4, 2012

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/4/nation/20120304123742&sec=nation

Activity 1: Group Discussion (15 minutes)Check the links and compare the following articles on unemployment among graduates. Identify the reasons for graduates being unemployed and decide which of the writers comply to the critical thinking standards in presenting their views?

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/05/14/76200-graduates-still-unemployed-social-activist/

http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/unemployment-don-t-blame-graduates-alone-1.45754

http://driaj2009.blogspot.com/2011/05/unemployed-or-unemployable-malaysian.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/6/16/sarawak/11491106&sec=sarawak

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/4/business/10197768&sec=business

Conclusion - Good Thinking is

CLEAR.....rather than........UNCLEAR

ACCURATE....rather than.INACCURATE

PRECISE....rather than.VAGUE

RELEVANT.rather than.IRELEVANT

CONSISTENT.rather thanINCONSISTENT

LOGICAL.rather thanILLOGICAL

COMPLETErather thanINCOMPLETE

FAIR.rather than....BIASED

Source: http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/tresources/content/Ruland-CriticalThinkingStandards.pdf Source: [email protected]

OverviewWhat is Thinking?Why it Matters to Think?Wheres Blackberry?Slide 6Types of ThinkingTypes of ThinkingCritical ThinkingWhat is Critical Thinking?What is Critical Thinking?What is Critical Thinking?What is Critical Thinking?Slide 14What do you see first?ClarityGetting ClarificationPrecisionGetting PreciseAccuracyDetermining AccuracyRelevanceDetermining RelevanceDepthWhy the anti-smoking in Malaysia is a failure?Determining the Depth of an IssueBreadthDetermining the Breadth of an IssueSlide 29Slide 30Slide 31Slide 32LogicalDetermining LogicFairnessDetermining FairnessSlide 37Do you agree?Slide 39Conclusion - Good Thinking isSlide 41

chp 1 intro to critical thinking sms-260913 102209

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