Critical Thinking Prepared by : Iyas A. Fares

Topic Outlines

What is Critical Thinking ? “Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do.”

What Is Critical Thinking?

D efinitions Critical thinking is...  Thinking “outside” the box  Divergent thinking  Forming logical inferences  Limitless thinking  Higher level thinking involving...

 Evaluating  Analyzing  Synthesizing  Forming opinions  Assessing  Rating  Making inferences  Drawing conclusions  Critiquing

F inal W ords Critical thinking is “higher level” thinking It often requires us to think “outside the box” Many occupations/careers require critical thinking The things we enjoy in everyday society are the result of critical thinking By adopting certain habits and behaviors we can learn to think critically.

Q : Who Should Use Critical Thinking?

C ritical T hinking A pplication... How can the definition of critical thinking help you solve this problem? Connect the 9 dots using 4 straight lines. Once you start drawing the lines, do not stop until all 9 dots have been connected. HINT: Lines may be vertical, horizontal and/or diagonal.

S olution— C ritical T hinking E xercise...

W ho U ses C ritical T hinking ? Parents Nurses Doctors Athletic coaches Teachers/Professors Air Traffic Controllers Military Commanders Lawyers, Judges Supervisors Day Care Workers Students

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Examples: Academic Performance  understand the arguments and beliefs of others  Critically evaluating those arguments and beliefs  Develop and defend one's own well-supported arguments and beliefs. Workplace  Helps us to reflect and get a deeper understanding of our own and others’ decisions  Encourage open-mindedness to change  Aid us in being more analytical in solving problems

cont Daily life  Helps us to avoid making foolish personal decisions.  Promotes an informed and concerned citizenry capable of making good decisions on important social, political and economic issues.  Aids in the development of autonomous thinkers capable of examining their assumptions, dogmas, and prejudices.

Barriers to Critical Thinking Lack of relevant background information Poor reading skills Poor listening skills Bias Prejudice Superstition Egocentrism Socio-centrism Provincialism Narrow-mindedness Closed-mindedness

Critical and Non Critical Thinkers

Critical and Non critical Thinkers

The Critical Thinking Mind = The Educated Mind

Fact “The more you look at the world the more you recognize that people have different ideas about what’s important.”

critical thinking: disciplined, self-guided thinking aimed at living a well reasoned life. Thinking that analyzes thinking Thinking that assesses thinking Thinking that develops within itself intellectual habits thinking that combats its native egocentricity Overview slide

How Can One Become a Critical Thinker?

Critical thinkers listen carefully. If you’re a critical thinker, you listen carefully to what others are saying and are able to give feedback. You are able to suspend judgment until all the facts have been gathered and considered.

Critical thinkers look for evidence…. If you’re a critical thinker, you look for evidence to support your assumptions and beliefs. You examine problems closely and are able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant.

Critical thinkers are curious. They are interested in knowing all there is about a topic. They look for new and better ways to do everything. They are not the person who will settle for “…because that is the way we have always done it.”

There is no way to understand anything except through thinking.

Five Ways to Become a More Critical Thinker

1.Admit when you don’t know. 2.Realize you have buttons that can be pushed. 3.Learn more about the opposition. 4.Trust and verify Remember that critical thinking is the foundation of all academic achievement. Becoming a Better Critical Thinker

Puzzle 1

Puzzle Two people are dead in a car, which is locked from the inside. There's a lot of blood. There has been no foul play like a crime or suicide. Can you explain?

Clue To Puzzle 1

33 Answer To Puzzle One of the dead people is a woman; the other is the baby she's just given birth to. She died in childbirth.

Puzzle 2

35 Puzzle 2 A man is born in 1972 and dies in 1952 at the age of 25. How is this possible?

36 Clue To Puzzle 2

37 Answer To Puzzle 2 He's born in room number 1972 of a hospital and dies in room number The numbers can of course vary; it was originally set up with those numbers reversed (born in 1952, died in 1972), but I like it better this way.

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