Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CHAPTER FOUR Think CORNERSTONE: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Think n A person who does not think for himself does not think at all –Oscar Wilde

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Thinking About Thinking n Do you know why you think what you think? Do you think same sex couples should be able to adopt children?Do you think same sex couples should be able to adopt children? Why do you think what you think?Why do you think what you think?

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. CRITICAL THINKING IS… Thinking about something from many angles: Searching, plotting, making associations, explaining, analyzing, probing for multiple perspectives, justifying, scrutinizing, making decisions, solving problems, investigatingSearching, plotting, making associations, explaining, analyzing, probing for multiple perspectives, justifying, scrutinizing, making decisions, solving problems, investigating

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Importance of Critical Thinking n Most often than not, things that happen to us are based on our thought processes when we made a particular decision Critical thinking can help you:Critical thinking can help you: –Focus on relevant issues/problems –Gather relevant & accurate information regarding finances, goals, relationships, etc –Understand and remember facts –Look more deeply at problems, etc

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Point Plan for Critical Thinking n 1- Understanding & Using Emotional Intelligence Know when your emotions are clouding your decisionsKnow when your emotions are clouding your decisions –Sample questions on page 88

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. How does EI Affect Critical Thinking and Problem Solving? n If you have heard the saying “think before you act”, then you were being to use your emotional intelligence. n Emotional Intelligence: knowing how you and others feel and managing those feelings. n Complete page 91

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 2- Looking at things differently Critical thinking involves looking at something that you have looked at many times and examining it in a different wayCritical thinking involves looking at something that you have looked at many times and examining it in a different way Page 93 Brain TeasersPage 93 Brain Teasers

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 3- Managing Information and Becoming Information Literate Information Literacy: the skills a person needs to recognize when information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information.Information Literacy: the skills a person needs to recognize when information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information. –If you are information literate, you have learned how to use information effectively

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 4-Asking Questions and Learning to Tolerate Uncertainty Asking Questions Helps Us Gain InsightAsking Questions Helps Us Gain Insight –Types of Questions: Fact: Requires answers based on fact and have correct or incorrect answersFact: Requires answers based on fact and have correct or incorrect answers –Ex: What is the freezing point of water? Preference: Requires answers that state a preference and do not have a right or wrong answerPreference: Requires answers that state a preference and do not have a right or wrong answer –Ex: What is your favorite color? Judgment: Requires an answer based on your judgment and can have more than one defensible answerJudgment: Requires an answer based on your judgment and can have more than one defensible answer –Should a court decision be overturned?

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Can You Tolerate Uncertainty?Can You Tolerate Uncertainty? –Some questions you may not get an immediate answer to. –Being unable to tolerate uncertainty may cause anxiety.

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 5-Identifying, Defining, Narrowing, & Solving Problems Identify the SymptomsIdentify the Symptoms –Symptoms are not the same as the problem. Identify the symptoms of the greater problem.Identify the symptoms of the greater problem. Narrowing the Symptoms to Find the Root of the ProblemNarrowing the Symptoms to Find the Root of the Problem –Sometimes the problem keeps coming up because we dealt with a symptom not the problem

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Research and develop a variety of solutionsResearch and develop a variety of solutions Evaluate and analyze all possible solutionsEvaluate and analyze all possible solutions Solve the problem and evaluate the resultsSolve the problem and evaluate the results

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 6-Distinguishing Fact From Opinion A fact is something that can be proven.A fact is something that can be proven. An opinion is something that is held as true, but has no evidenceAn opinion is something that is held as true, but has no evidence

Cornerstone: Discovering Your Potential, Learning Actively, and Living Well, 5e Sherfield, Montgomery, & Moody © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. n 7-Seeking Truth in Arguments & Persuasion n 8-Thinking Creatively & Being Creative Creative thinking is about being resourcefulCreative thinking is about being resourceful –Page 104 Create Your Creative Solutions –Review Figure 4.13