Thinking skills: Part One of Several
Critical thinking in everyday life
Most of us rarely achieve what we are truly capable of in life. For various practical and circumstantial reasons we do not become what we may have desired.
A commitment to learn is rare, but it is vital if we are going to do something with our lives. Many will think this sounds like some form of punishment – that you can’t have a life and a commitment to learning – but this is nonsense – we never stop learning, it’s just that most of the time we aren’t always conscious of the fact that we are.
It is not possible to become a success just by the act of willing it, though you do have to want it enough to succeed. There’s no substitute for hard work – changing your habits requires time and effort – think of it as a continual process of development – you are not going to suddenly wake up one morning and say to yourself, “Hey, I can think critically now!”
Most of us rarely achieve what we are truly capable of in life. For various practical and circumstantial reasons we do not become what we may have desired.
A commitment to learn is rare, but it is vital if we are going to do something with our lives. Many will think this sounds like some form of punishment – that you can’t have a life and a commitment to learning – but this is nonsense – we never stop learning, it’s just that most of the time we aren’t always conscious of the fact that we are.
It is not possible to become a success just by the act of willing it, though you do have to want it enough to succeed. There’s no substitute for hard work – changing your habits requires time and effort – think of it as a continual process of development – you are not going to suddenly wake up one morning and say to yourself, “Hey, I can think critically now!”
Stages of development as a critical thinker
Stage One: The unreflective thinker (who is not aware of any problems with his thinking – most of us probably fall into this category without really knowing)
Stage Two: The challenged thinker (on whom it dawn that there is a problem in the way he is used to thinking – still a lot of out there)
Stage Tree: The thinking beginner (who tries to improve but without practicing regularly – that’s where I come in)
Stage One: The unreflective thinker (who is not aware of any problems with his thinking – most of us probably fall into this category without really knowing)
Stage Two: The challenged thinker (on whom it dawn that there is a problem in the way he is used to thinking – still a lot of out there)
Stage Tree: The thinking beginner (who tries to improve but without practicing regularly – that’s where I come in)
Stage Four: The practicing thinker (who recognizes the need to practice)
Stage Five: The advanced thinker (who advances with more and more practice)
Stage Six: The Master thinker (who is skilled and insightful automatically)
Stage Five: The advanced thinker (who advances with more and more practice)
Stage Six: The Master thinker (who is skilled and insightful automatically)
Strategies to move from Stage One to Stage Six
Strategy One: Use your time more effectively
Everybody wastes time some of the time – even most of the time – we worry, regret, mope, sulk, wish – but we waste it nevertheless. Use that time practicing critical thinking instead of whiling away the hours in front of the TV. Ask yourself these questions:
· When did I do my best and worst thinking today?
· What did I really think about?
· Did I work anything out?
· Did any negative thoughts frustrate me?
· What would I have done differently today?
· Why?
· Did I do anything to help me achieve any of my long term aims?
· Did I act in accordance with my stated values?
· What would happen if I spent every day like today?
Spend some time over each question – write your answers down – look at them later, and then later again – rethink the questions. You will have probably found out some things about how productive or otherwise you are – about how much time you waste – how you could use that time in more productive, fulfilling ways. The next stage is to actually actively and consciously do something to change.
Strategy Two: Tackle a problem every day
Early each day, choose a problem to solve. Be systematic – this is not an exercise in daydreaming –
Ask yourself these questions:-
· What exactly is the problem?
· Can I put into the form of a question?
· Does this problem relate to my goals and my needs?
· How – in what way?
Steps to follow:-
State your problem clearly – imagine someone is listening to you.
· Work out what kind of things you are going to have to do to solve it?
· Be realistic here – work through achievable steps – otherwise you’ll give up or postpone decisions
· Determine the information you need to help you solve your problem
· Go through this information – analyze it – how can it help you – is it all relevant?
· Work out your options- write them down – record them into a tape recorder – play them back – see if they sound reasonable and plausible
· Work our a plan – step by step what you are going to have to do
· Monitor the results and implications of what you do – change if things aren’t going the way they should be, but BE PATIENT – allow time for things to reach critical points
Strategy Three: Internalize intellectual standards
· Work out what kind of things you are going to have to do to solve it?
· Be realistic here – work through achievable steps – otherwise you’ll give up or postpone decisions
· Determine the information you need to help you solve your problem
· Go through this information – analyze it – how can it help you – is it all relevant?
· Work out your options- write them down – record them into a tape recorder – play them back – see if they sound reasonable and plausible
· Work our a plan – step by step what you are going to have to do
· Monitor the results and implications of what you do – change if things aren’t going the way they should be, but BE PATIENT – allow time for things to reach critical points
Strategy Three: Internalize intellectual standards
· Clarity
· Precision
· Accuracy
· Relevance
· Depth
· Breadth
· Logic
· significance
Strategy Four: Keep a journal
Write things down – be systematic – number and date everything you write – know where to find it
Journal Format
Write – describe 1 situation that was significant to you (at the time)
Write down how you responded to that situation – be truthful and precise
Analyze – think about – what is happening in that situation – go under the surface
Assess the implications of your analysis – did you learn something about yourself?
Write down how you responded to that situation – be truthful and precise
Analyze – think about – what is happening in that situation – go under the surface
Assess the implications of your analysis – did you learn something about yourself?
Strategy Five: Reshape your character
Adopt an intellectual stance:-
· BE tenacious – persevere – don’t let up or give up
· BE autonomous- self-reliant-individual
· BE courageous – it’s going to take courage to change and confront issues and/or people
· DON’T BE aggressive, intolerant – all those negative qualities that will stop you working with people
· HAVE empathy – look at things from others’ viewpoint
Try to work on ways of improving yourself in the 5 ways – monitor your behaviour – be aware of yourself – think about the way you think – examine any biases you have – get rid of unfounded prejudice
· BE tenacious – persevere – don’t let up or give up
· BE autonomous- self-reliant-individual
· BE courageous – it’s going to take courage to change and confront issues and/or people
· DON’T BE aggressive, intolerant – all those negative qualities that will stop you working with people
· HAVE empathy – look at things from others’ viewpoint
Try to work on ways of improving yourself in the 5 ways – monitor your behaviour – be aware of yourself – think about the way you think – examine any biases you have – get rid of unfounded prejudice
Strategy Six: Deal with your ego
It’s natural to have an ego – but as thinking beings, we must learn to recognize bias based solely upon the working of the ego – specifically:-
· Being irrational
· Being unreasonable
· Being illogical
· Being irritated
· Being irritable
· Bullying to get your own way
· Being too inhibited and oversensitive
· Being irrational
· Being unreasonable
· Being illogical
· Being irritated
· Being irritable
· Bullying to get your own way
· Being too inhibited and oversensitive
More to follow from
Robert L. Fielding
posted by Justice at 4:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home