Critical Thinking

Critical thinking Critical Thinking Critical thinking has to do with evaluating information and determining how to interpret information: essentially ‘critiquing’ something. In this style of thinking the thinker employs reasoning to come to a conclusion about how he wants to perceive the information. Critical thinking also takes outside information into account during the thought process. Rather than sticking strictly with the information presented, critical thinking lets the thinker explore other elements that could be of influence. Read more : analytical-critical-thinking.htmlhttp:// analytical-critical-thinking.html

To understand what the barriers are to critical thinking: to-critical-thinking to-critical-thinking

Critical thinking is the kind of thinking which seeks to explore questions about existing knowledge for issues which are not clearly defined and for which there are no clear-cut answers. Critical thinking is a process that challenges an individual to use reflective, reasonable, rational thinking to gather, interpret and evaluate information in order to derive a judgment. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analysing, synthesising, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students in learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. It has also been described as "the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generalised by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief or action [or argument]" (Scriven & Paul,2001, p.1). Critical thinking

Differences between thinking Critical thinking differs from analytic, reflective and design thinking in that: Critical Thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analysing, and evaluating information gathered from observation, experience, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. Analytical Thinking is step-by-step approach to break down complex problems or processes into their constituents parts, identify causes and effects patterns and analyse problems to arrive to an appropriate solution, whereas: Reflective thinking is a thought process that occurs after a situation, or a learning process. This is the thinking that allows people to make decisions about how they would approach similar situations or create certain things in the future. Although reflective thought may occur in many places, reflection is written commentary where you must show your tutor how and what you have learned from your past learning experiences to inform and improve your (design)practice in the future. Design thinking balances analytical and intuitive thinking. It combines an openness to explorative thoughts with an exploitative mentality, striking the balance between innovation and a systematic scalable process. Analytical thinking is driven by a quantitative (measurable) process, standardising to eliminate judgment, bias, and variation. Intuitive thinking focuses more on an instinct to drive creativity and innovation.

6 critical questions to think about when you see a design documentation or presentation image – design intent: Who is their audience? Is it the client? Is it for a design competition? Is it for a university presentation? Is it for a builder? Is it for colleagues in design? Should it matter who it is for? What does the image say? Does it provide facts and information about the building, the space and the site? Does it provide all the necessary information that the reader needs to know? Is there missing information? If you received this information, would you be able to understand what the project looks like in it’s entirety? Where is the project situated? Is the project for a private client? Is it for a public client? Is it a residential or commercial project? Does the presentation give some indication as to where exactly the project is proposed for? i.e. is there a global map, a site plan, an address? When was the presentation created? Is it relevant to the context? Are there parts of the images that is outdated in terms of information (old or irrelevant maps/site images etc) or presentation style (images and/or text stuck to a presentation board) Why is the project being presented/documented? Does the presentation give some indication as to why the information is being presented? i.e. is it in response to a brief? Is it to present a conceptual design? To provide information to someone in order to make the project happen? Does the image or series of images explain the project adequately through images and text? How is the project presented? Does the project documentation/presentation present as a professional document? How do you interpret the images presented? As a who, does the documentation/presentation adequately reflect the ‘voice’ of the overall design (i.e. is it ‘modern’, ‘rustic’, ‘shabby chic’, ‘high end’)? Can anyone understand this project through the images presented? Or do you need a design degree with a lot of experience in design to read it (in which case, then perhaps the presentation is trying to reach the wrong audience). Applying critical thinking

Analysing critical thinking Look over your assignment and ask yourself: Does my assignment reflect what I’m trying to express through my drawings? Am I able to gain a better understanding of my own drawing/representation/communication/visualisation by asking myself those 6 questions? What do my images say about my project? If I were to ask the person next to me about what my images says to them, would they understand the design intent of each image? If I were to ask a person from the general public about my images, would they understand the design intent of each image? Do I understand my own visualisation and communication ability better now that I have critically evaluated my own images? Finally, how might I visualise differently in the future, knowing what I do now? (i.e. digital communication and visualisation tools)