Critical_Thinking

What is Critical Thinking' Critical thinking is the process of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false; sometimes true, or partly true. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic method of Ancient Greece and in the East, to the Buddhist kalama sutta and Abhidharma (philosophy of education, 2012). Critical thinking is an important component of most professions. It is a part of the education process and is increasingly significant as students progress through university to graduate education, although there is debate among educators about its precise meaning and scope (philosophy of education, 2012). What does a critical thinker do' Assuming that critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do, a critical thinker. 1. Is open-minded and mindful of alternatives 2. Tries to be well-informed 3. Judges well the credibility of sources 4. Identifies conclusions, reasons, and assumptions 5. Judges well the quality of an argument, including the acceptability of its reasons, assumptions, and evidence 6. Can well develop and defend a reasonable position 7. Asks appropriate clarifying questions 8. Formulates plausible hypotheses; plans experiments well 9. Defines terms in a way appropriate for the context 10. Draws conclusions when warranted, but with caution 11. Integrates all items in this list when deciding what to believe or do (Ennis, 2002) Willingness to criticize oneself. Critical thinking is about being both willing and able to evaluate one's thinking. Thinking might be criticized because one does not have all the relevant information – indeed, important information may remain undiscovered, or the information may not even be knowable – or because one makes unjustified inferences, uses inappropriate concepts, or fails to notice important implications (Ennis, 2002). One's thinking may be unclear, inaccurate, imprecise, irrelevant, narrow, shallow, illogical, or trivial, due to ignorance or misapplication of the appropriate learned skills of thinking (Ennis, 2002). Why is it important' Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a false belief (philosophy of education, 2012). Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, misinformation, etc. Given research in cognitive psychology, some educators believe that schools should focus on teaching their students critical thinking skills and cultivation of intellectual traits (Ennis, 2002). Critical thinking in my work place. I use critical thinking every day in my work place. I am continually give task that I must complete and the directions may not always be clear. Without the ability to use problem solving, majority of my task would be left undone. For example, I am in charge of setting up team building event in my office. When a date for the team building comes up I must first analyze my team. Who is on it, what are the genders, what have we done in the past. Next I need to Plan. This takes research. I have to then explain my plan to the team and finally I have to execute my plan. References 123 HelpMe. (2000-2011). Retrieved from http://www.123helpme.com/control-mechanisms-at-boeing-view.asp'id=164345 About us. (2011, August). Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/about us/ breif.html Bateman. T. (2009) ManagemantL Leading & Collaborating in the competitive world. (8ed.). McGraw Hill Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007338142x/information center_view0/ Ganly, S. (2001-2011). Helium. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1836592-the-role-of-control-mechanisms-in-business-management Kahai, S. (2007) Leading Virtually. Retrieved from http://www.leadingvirtually.com/'p=17 UPX Success. (2010-2011). Retrieved from http://www.upxsuccess.com/management_boeing.html