1. What is Critical Thinking? CSIT58 Asking the Right Questions Chapter 1

2. Information is coming at you

3. Do you believe it?

4. Or do you question?

5. How do you decide? Ask yourself Is this information: □ A definition □ A fact □ An Opinion

6. Absorb like a sponge If the information is: √ A definition √ A fact □ An Opinion

7. FACTSFACTS Facts about Barak Obama: He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream He can speak Spanish As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobam a/3401168/Barack-Obama-The-50-facts-you-might-not-know.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobam a/3401168/Barack-Obama-The-50-facts-you-might-not-know.html

8. Put it through a strainer If the information is: □ A definition □ A fact √ An Opinion

9. What is Critical Thinking? Critical thinking, or the art of reasoned judgment, is really little more than thinking about how we think in various aspects of our lives. For example, we can shop critically or uncritically. Uncritical shoppers buy what they don’t need and pay too much money. Critical shoppers, on the other hand, think about how to shop, their past errors, buying patterns and impulses. They use their critical thinking skills in a specific way to intervene in their decision about shopping….Critical thinking entails a coherent plan and a test for reasonableness that can be applied to life’s various decisions. From: Andolina, Michael. Practical Guide to Critical Thinking. Albany: Delmar/Thompson Learning, 2002.

10. “Critical” does NOT mean criticize. It means to be analytical. Investigate Question Reason

11. You bring lots of personal baggage to decisions you make – Experiences – Dreams – Values – Training – Culture

12. Feelings and emotions are valuable Recognize your feelings and put them aside for a bit so you can be open to new ideas. Get emotionally involved after you have reasoned something out. Don’t take disagreement personally. You will get plenty of practice in this class. End of Chapter 1 Lecture.