Critical Thinking: Concepts, Characteristics, and Pathways, Study notes of Organization Behaviour

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Critical Thinking Lecture 10

BBA 420

Topic ObjectivesTopic Objectives

After studying this topic, students should be

able to define , illustrate and discuss the

following concepts:-

What is Critical Thinking

Definitions of Critical Thinking

Characteristics of Critical Thinking

Prominent Features of Critical Thinking

Three Pathways of Critical Thinking

What is Critical ThinkingWhat is Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a multi-step process. It can be defined as an active, intellectual process where the individual will observe, analyse and reflect on new knowledge and integrate it into their current understanding. Critical thinking can be applied in a variety of learning platforms such as reading, written work and discussions

Definitions (1)Definitions (1)

Scriven 1996 "Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action" (Scriven, 1996 ).

Angelo 1995 –

Most formal definitions

characterize critical

thinking as the

intentional application

of rational, higher order

thinking skills, such as

analysis, synthesis,

problem recognition

and problem solving,

inference, and

evaluation" (Angelo,

Characteristics of Critical ThinkingCharacteristics of Critical Thinking

Carole Wade (1995) identifies eight characteristics of critical thinking. Critical thinking involves asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity. Book - Using writing to develop and assess Critical thinking (Carole Wade 1995)

Ambiguity and MetaAmbiguity and Meta

cognition cognition

 (^) Dealing with ambiguity is also seen by Strohm & Baukus (1995) as an essential part of critical thinking, "Ambiguity and doubt serve a critical- thinking function and are a necessary and even a productive part of the process"  (^) Cognition - the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.  (^) Metacognition is another characteristic of critical thinking identified by Jones and Ratcliff.  (^) Metacognition is thinking about one's own thinking. More specifically, "metacognition is being aware of one's thinking as one performs specific tasks and then using this awareness to control what one is doing" (Jones & Ratcliff, 1993, p. 10 ).

Essential Aspects of Critical ThinkingEssential Aspects of Critical Thinking (Beyer) (Beyer)  (^) Dispositions: Critical thinkers are sceptical , open-minded , value fair-mindedness, respect evidence and reasoning , respect clarity and precision , look at different points of view , and will change positions when reason leads them to do so.  (^) Criteria : To think critically, must apply criteria. Need to have conditions that must be met for something to be judged as believable. Although the argument can be made that each subject area has different criteria, some standards apply to all subjects. "... an assertion must... be based on relevant, accurate facts; based on credible sources ; precise; unbiased; free from logical fallacies; logically consistent; and strongly reasoned" (p. 12).  (^) Argument: Is a statement or proposition with supporting evidence. Critical thinking involves identifying, evaluating, and constructing arguments.  (^) Reasoning : The ability to infer a conclusion from one or multiple premises. To do so requires examining logical relationships among statements or data.  (^) Point of View : The way one views the world, which shapes one's construction of meaning. In a search for understanding, critical thinkers view phenomena from many different points of view.  (^) Procedures for Applying Criteria: Other types of thinking use a general procedure. Critical thinking makes use of many procedures. These procedures include asking questions, making judgments, and identifying assumptions.

SomeSome

Critical Thinking Is Reflective Critical thinking is different from just thinking. It is metacognitive—it involves thinking about your thinking. If I enter a social studies course where one of the topics to be studied is conformity, it is likely that I already have views about conformity: what it is, how prevalent it is, what influences people to conform or not conform. I have these views even if I haven’t formulated them explicitly for myself. Critical Thinking Involves Standards Critical thinking involves having my thinking measure up to criteria. I can think about something accurately or inaccurately. I can use evidence that is relevant to an issue or irrelevant, or somewhere in between. When I reason out and try to understand the main ideas in a course I’m taking,

Three Pathways of Critical Thinking

No 1 - Critical thinking involves asking questions. It involves asking questions that need to be asked, asking good questions, questions that go to the heart of the matter. Critical thinking involves noticing that there are questions that need to be addressed. Thinking critically about solving a problem, in contrast, begins with asking questions about the problem and about ways to address it: ■ What are some alternative ways of solving the problem assigned? ■ What is a good way to begin? ■ Do I have all the information I need to start solving the problem? ■ What is the purpose behind the problem? ■ Can the problem be solved? Does it even make sense?

Three Pathways of Critical Thinking

No 2 - Critical thinking involves trying to answer those questions by reasoning them out. Reasoning out answers to questions is different from other ways of answering questions. It is different from giving an answer we have always taken for granted but never thought about. It is different from answering impressionistically Reasoning it out. For example, a significant number of students have difficulty in math-related fields. They sometimes ask the question, “Why am I so bad at math?” They then use this question to make negative judgments about themselves (“I’m just hopeless at math, and I always will be”) or about the field (“I don’t need to know math to be a good nurse”), or they answer it with unhelpful generalities (“I’m no good at it because of the way I was taught”). Reasoning it out, however, requires approaching the question in a different way and with a different spirit. It is the spirit of genuinely wanting to figure out a clear, accurate answer to a question that is important to you.

How Deep Is Our Need for Critical Thinking? At the Level of Practical Decision Making Critical thinking helps when we are simply trying to deal with ordinary tasks: how to study more efficiently, find a strategy when we are stuck in an airport, decide what kind of clothes to buy. This is thinking about the means to use to accomplish our goals. It is problem solving of the most authentic kind. This is an important level of critical thinking, one that addresses all those ordinary decisions we make At the Level of Meaningfulness Learning to think critically also helps people deal with the much larger issues of living their life. Finding a life partner or a new occupation; incorporating the profound knowledge that’s available in your courses into your way of thinking about your life; developing reasonable attitudes toward self, toward others, toward your values, toward all the things that make life meaningful for you—all of these can be made richer and more attainable when you examine them thoughtfully. At the Level of Concepts We think in terms of concepts, and these inevitably shape our life to a considerable degree. We may grow up thinking justice means getting even. We all have concepts of what it is to be a student, a teacher, a woman, a man, a religious person, an atheist, a scientist, an artist, a professional in the field we are studying. We have concepts of what it means to be brave, to be treated fairly, to be intelligent, to be cool, to be anything you can name or describe. We can reach a deep level of critical thinking by examining our concepts critically, becoming more aware of the way individual concepts help us or hurt us, limit us or free us.