Transferable Skills Development MGT 495 Lecture - 7

1. Transferable Skills Development MGT 495 Lecture - 7 • FACILITATOR • Prof. Dr. Mohammad Majid Mahmood Bagram

2. Critical Thinking Skills-I

3. Your Thinking can either Trap You Free You Open your mind to new ways of thinking hold you hostage within uncritically held beliefs

4. Who SHOULD think critically?

5. Who SHOULD think critically? EVERYBODY !

6. Who Are You?

7. You are… Talents & Skills Qualifications & Experience Values & Passions Personality & Preferences And more……

8. “Imagination is more important than knowledge” - Einstein

9. Thinking Outside the Box: Einstein

10. If you think you can, you can If you think you can't you can`t

11. Can you make the following line smaller without touching it:____________

12. _______________________________________

13. Everything we know, believe, want, fear and hope for, our thinking tells us.

14. 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 Thinking tells us:

15. what we learn how we learn what we think is important to learn what effort we should expand 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 Thinking determines:

16. Thinking - examples If I think that I don’t need a college degree to get a good job, I will feel satisfied with a high school education. Therefore I will not pursue higher education. If I feel humiliated in the classroom because I think I have been treated unfairly by the teacher, I will avoid actively participating in group discussions

17. Thinking - examples If I think that learning should be easy, I will feel frustrated when it is difficult. Therefore I will avoid difficult learning situations If I value what I am learning, I think that it is relevant to my life. Therefore I will feel excited about learning

18. In “everyday” language: Thinking “outside” the box Thinking about thinking “Unlimited” thinking Different thinking Definitions of Critical Thinking T H I N K I N G

19. Examining different viewpoints Learn to think from different perspectives. View those opinions which differ from yours. Avoid automatic responses. Thinking Critically means…

20. Definition of Critical Thinking ...the ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments and solve problems. (Chance,1986, p. 6) Chance, P. (1986). Thinking in the classroom: A survey of programs. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

21. “reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to do and what to believe” OR “interpreting, analyzing or evaluating information, arguments or experiences” OR “examining the thinking of others to improve our own” Definitions of Critical Thinking Ennis, R. (1992). Critical thinking: What is it? Proceedings of the Forty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Philosophy of Education Society Denver, Colorado, March 27-30.

22. In undertaking your critical thinking, you should be: Persistent and careful and do not jump to conclusions Look for the grounds that support a belief or position: Reasons Be aware of the further conclusions to which it tends: Implications Critical Thinking

23. To recognize propaganda To analyze hidden assumptions in arguments To recognize deliberate deception To assess credibility of information To work through problems/decisions in the best way Harpern, 1996 Critical Thinking helps

24. We don’t achieve excellence in thinking with no end in view.

25. Thinking that Grasps the Logic of Things • A product of intellectual work that makes no sense, that cannot be rationally analyzed and assessed, that cannot be incorporated into other intellectual work, or used — and hence that cannot play a role in any discipline is meaningless. • Whether we are designing a new screwdriver, or figuring out how to deal with our children’s misbehavior, we must order our ideas into a system of meanings that make sense to us. Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder, The Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2010

26. ALL THINKING IS NOT OF THE SAME QUALITY • Aimless Thinking: • We are naturally proficient at daydreaming and fantasizing. • Lacks a purpose. • Few people need training in aimless thinking. • Thinking that is random, that roams aimlessly is not critical. • High Quality Thinking: • Has a purpose. • We originate and produce with a sense of why we are doing so. • When thinking takes on a challenging task, the mind comes alive, ready for intellectual labor for the achievement of its goal. Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder, The Foundation for Critical Thinking Press, 2010

27. Critical Thinking is a self-directedprocess by which we take deliberate steps to think at the highest level of quality.

28. Discussion Question • Are we reluctant to change our perceptions and ideas to accommodate the facts?

29. Perception is learned from both our own experience and through interaction with others. Should You Believe Everything You See?

30. We often see and hear what we want to see and hear, based upon our past experiences, interests, motives, expectations; to stay within our comfort zone. Perception

31. We blindly accept all statements. We blindly believe TV commercials. We blindly follow others. What does the absence of Critical Thinking look like?

32. People Don’t Always Use Critical Thinking Skills • It is not uncommon for people to say… • “I thought it was no big deal.” • “I just wasn’t thinking” • “How was I supposed to know?” • “I can’t think of everything!” • “My bad luck……” People who have poor critical thinking skills are “their own worst enemies.”

33. FACILITATOR • Prof. Dr. Mohammad Majid Mahmood Bagram