1. AIESHA OLIVER
INT
Spring Semester 2013

2. CRITICAL THINKING..

3. THINKING TELLS US…. What there is? What is happening?
What our problems are?
What our options are?
What threatens us?
What is important?
What is unimportant?
Who our friends are?
Who our enemies are?
What our “history” is?
Who we are?
Who loves us?

4. Thinking Determines…. What we learn How we learn
What we think is important to learn
What effort we should expend
What we think is true
What we think is false
How things should be viewed
Whether our learning is of high or low quality
Whether our learning is deep or superficial

5. DEFINING CRITICAL THINKING
Commonly called “problem solving”
Not being content with the first solution to a problem, but thinking more deeply about it.
Knowing, understanding, analyzing, synthesizing, applying and evaluating the idea or problem
Looking for what is implied in a question rather than what is stated
Applying the rules of logic to problem solving
Not letting reason be clouded by emotion

6. Critical Thinking (Denise Snowden-Langley, 2013) is the examination of how specific analytical concepts are employed in reading, writing, and speech acts, exhibiting an application of methods of analysis that develop critical thinking skills and flexible orientation towards reading and writing.

7. FOUR ASPECTS OF CRITICAL THINKING…….
ABSTRACT THINKING: Thinking past what your senses tell you.
CREATIVE THINKING: Thinking “out of the box”!
SYSTEMATIC THINKING: Organizing your thoughts into logical steps.
COMMUNICATIVE THINKING: Being precise and giving your ideas to others.

8. CRITICAL THINKERS…. Acknowledge personal limitations
See problems as exciting challenges
Have understanding as a goal
Use evidence to make judgments
Are interested in others judgments
Are interested in others ideas
Are skeptical of extreme views
Think before acting
Avoid emotionalism
Keep an open mind

9. UNCRITICAL THINKERS…. Pretend to know more than they do.
Get annoyed by problems.
Are impatient.
Judge on first impressions and intuition.
Focus on their own opinions.
Look only for ideas like their own.
Are guided by feelings rather than thoughts.
Claim that thinking gives them a headache.

10. Is a Self-Directed Process By Which We Take Deliberate Steps
Critical Thinking
Is a Self-Directed Process
By Which We Take Deliberate Steps
To Think at the Highest Level of Quality.

11. WHAT DOES CRITICAL THINKING INVOLVE?

12. Conceptualizing Applying Analyzing Synthesizing Evaluating
Conceptualizing: Developing a “mind picture”.
Applying: Putting Conceptual info to use.
Analyzing: Closely examining, tearing apart or breaking down to really look at.
Synthesizing: Pulling things together in a well-organized logical way.
Evaluating: Making decisions about; reviewing; assessing, etc.

13. Why is Critical Thinking Important?
TIME PERMITTING, WORK THROUGH ACTIVITIES IN YOUR BOOKLET. BE SURE TO THINK CRITICALLY!

14. Why Is Critical Thinking Important?
Critical thinking helps us develop:
Intellectual Humility
Intellectual Autonomy
Intellectual Integrity
Intellectual Courage
Intellectual Perseverance
Confidence in Reason
Intellectual Empathy
Fairmindedness
. . . traits important to the development of a multi-cultural world view and the diminishing of irrational thought!
. . . it underlies the basic elements of communication
. . . it plays an important part in social change. . .
. . . it is a path to freedom from half- truths and deceptions

15. A well cultivated critical thinker . . .
Raising vital questions
formulating questions clearly and
precisely
Raises vital questions
and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;

16. Gather information
Analyze and assess it
Evaluate it
--gathering information, then
--assessing it and determining
what it means and what it is
worth
Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively,

17. Draw conclusions
Find solutions
Use relevant criteria to test them
--drawing conclusions from the information
presented
--finding possible, plausible solutions and
testing them with relevant criteria
Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;

18. Keep an open mind…….

19. Networking with others and maintaining
open lines of communication with them
and others.
Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

20. A CULTIVATED CRITICAL THINKER
Develop a sense of observation and curiosity
Become interested in finding new solutions
Share ideas
Ask pertinent questions
Assess statements and arguments
Seek understanding and information

21. The Critical Thinking Community (n. d. ) Retrieved fromhttp://www
Defining Critical Thinking (n.d.) Retrieved from
REFERENCES

22. THE END…..
Aiesha Oliver