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Your enormous reply: What is critical thinking? How do the two speakers define it? Why, according to the speakers, is it important? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Replies to classmates: Respond to at least two of your classmates. Some ideas: Do you agree with your classmates? Why or why not? Do you have any questions?
55 thoughts on “Discussion Board Post 1: What is critical thinking?”
The 2 speakers define critical thinking as firstly, the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it, and secondly, that critical or creative thinking is nothing more than making new connections and questioning things rigorously. The first speaker gives a greater overview of critical thinking, its theory, while the second speaker talks about it in practice, namely in childhood education. Critical thinking gives us a window into how someone’s thinking or actions reflect how they see the world. It not only helps us evaluate how we think, but how others think as well. Upon hearing that, to me it sounded like critical thinking is to understanding thought processes and mentality, as empathy is to understanding peoples’ emotions. Both give you a better idea of where someone is coming from- you’re putting yourself in their shoes not just emotionally but mentally as well. Secondly, critical thinking teaches us how to adapt and solve problems, and makes us more self- aware. I think critical thinking is very important- especially if we view its impact on emotional intelligence. The ability to think creatively and critically opens our minds to new ideas, and helps us realize that it is good to be wrong because we can change our ideas and how we think. That is an integral aspect to emotional intelligence, and intellect overall.
Hi, Jamila, I just finished reading your post and I really agree with you about how both speakers relate critical thinking as an Art and making new connections, I really like how you explained that critical thinking is being able to think with open minds about things and that is not a bad thing if we are wrong about something at the moment. I found your post very inspiring.
Hi Jamila Vasi, I have read your writing. I agree with you that both speakers define critical thinking as art like an expression designed to solve problems and make new connections between ideas and apply thought processes in practical life. It reflects people’s emotional intelligence to think creatively and critically, concluding to solve the problems. Well said post.
Hi Jamila. I agree with what you said on how the speakers define critical thinking. The first speaker connected critical thinking with art, as you mentioned. He also focused on breaking thoughts and ideas and analyzing them deeply. The second speaker stated that critical thinking helps people question things constantly, as you stated, and helps abroad their creativity. I also agree with your reasoning on why critical thinking is important. Critical thinking opens people’s perspective on many things including having a open-minded mindset.
Hey Jamila, I agree with your post. The two speakers both define critical thinking in their own way but it both consist of evaluating and analyzing situations. Critical thinking opens a window to a wide variety of thinking in different ways. You wouldn’t want to be small minded when there is a large world out there with different ways to approach a situation. Different approaches helps expand the mind. New ideas are crucial to being flexible therefore I agree with both the speakers and you.
What I think critical thinking is, is one’s own perspective and opinion on how they see the world around us. In the first video Gary Meegan describes critical thinking as an art of analyzing and evaluating with a view to improve it in order to make better decisions and better outcomes from what we have attained. In the second video Jesse Richardson describes it as a way of us attaining the understanding not just knowledge, while we have critical thinking, we also have that curiosity with it in order to make it engaging and effective for children. I think I agree with both speakers, but for the first speaker not so much on the last part on viewing to improve, I don’t feel that there is a right answer on our own critical thinking (I am sorry, I am not so sure how to explain this reason so in depth). But I think Jesse Richardson makes a lot of valid points on how critical thinking can impact children, especially in their education. Having children to think and question what they are told and taught helps them build that curiosity engaging them more into our world, but with their own opinions. Children gain that awareness because they have both the curiosity for it, and they can be able to build upon it as they grow older.
Hi Destiny, I really enjoyed your definition of what you think critical thinking is. I also agree, because everyone has their own perspective on how they think and see the world that is around them. I also agree that the second speaker makes more valuable points when it comes to teaching children “how to think not what to think”, since it helps them gain awareness. Very nice detailed post.
Hi Destiny, I agree that it is very important for children to think for themselves. I feel just like with most things in life, if you hand it easily to someone without them doing it themselves (critical thinking for example) they become spoiled and do not learn the skill themselves. It is easy for a child to absorb information like a sponge and much easier when that information is freely given to them. Easy work. Yet, this spoiled behavior is not as efficient and self improving.
Hello Destiny, I really loved your definition of critical thinking. As everyone’s definition can be different and it is all because of the viewpoint of each person as you mentioned “Perspective and opinion”. It is also very interesting how you have critically explained the two speakers and which you thought was more important but you also agreed with both of the speakers. While you were very detailed with the explanation, I was more detailed with the end results of both speakers and that is where our own perspective and opinion made the difference.
Hi, Destiny. I agree, Jesse Richardson seems to be a forerunner of progressive learning for future generations. We aren’t raised to question as vigorously as we should. I mean, for our survival as human beings, we need to know as much as we can about our surroundings. As children, when we ask these types of questions, we get penalized and labeled disruptive. I think the fear of having “rogue” students stems from the potential collapse of the economy, because no one will fall in line and do grunt work blindly. I apologize I this is rambling, but I really think Jesse Richardson is making legitimate strides in the right direction. Imagine what kinds of things we’ll discover and create in the future because we remained curious.
Hi Destiny,
I read your writing many times and I agree with you; what a nice observation!! Both speakers defined the critical thinking is like an art and a technic to solve problem newly!!
In my own perspective, critical thinking is being able to observe and explore the way we think every day of our lives, in a slower tone but more efficiently. In the first video, we see how Gary Meegan defines critical thinking as “an art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.”(Dr. Richard Paul). According to Meegan critical thinking is important because it is like an art that helps us be better people, for the sake of ourselves and our communities. On the other hand, Jesse Richardson explains critical thinking as, “needing to teach kids how to think not what to think”. He explains why this is very important by demonstrating how we should teach kids that instead of memorizing the right answers we should engage them to free their own minds for awareness. I completely agree with what both speakers have talked about because critical thinking is something that should be looked at as an art and something that should be taught at a young age, to engage little kids in a setting of having more deeply thinking interactions. A question I have is, what steps would I need to take to be a critical thinker if I am not used to being one?
Hi Karla, I agree with you for sure on how both speakers defined critical thinking because I believe our minds can go beyond our knowledge. We would have so many questions and ask ourselves what we think and how we feel about that. It is like you said, especially in children since they are so young it’s good to engage their own minds for awareness. At first I didn’t think of it as an art for the first speaker but now that you mention it, I am thinking about what I said before! Thank you for that!
Hi Karla,
I agree with your analysis of what both speakers shared. As an educator (paraprofessional), I can relate that students are not always taught to think beyond what they’re told. Sometimes, teachers become tellers instead of teachers. While I watched the videos, it made me think a lot about things I see and quickly judge.
For example, when I see an addict in the streets, I quickly assume they didn’t go to school or hung out with the wrong crowd. The truth is they could have a master’s degree and had a whole career, but became addicted to pain medication which led to street drugs after a surgery or accident. Due to their addiction, they lost everything they worked for, but me not knowing that I judged the art, not the design, just as Jesse Richardson said.
Hi Karla, I enjoyed reading your answer to critical thinking. I believe you are doing a great job of being a critical thinker by the first thing we all should do, asking the question “what steps would I need to take to be a critical thinker…?” I interpreted this as you really saying you wanted to become “BETTER” at critical thinking. I also feel the same way and being humble like yourself in knowing that you “do not know it all” is a great mindset. A mindset to put you in the correct path of thinking critically. I hope you find some encouragement in knowing I agree with you and I also feel there is always room for improvement as we humans are not and never will be perfect in what we do or think.
Hi Karla. I agree with your definition of critical thinking that it helps with analyzing ideas. I like that you mentioned the fact that kids should be taught how to think instead of what to think. From a young age, kids are taught to memorize, which limits their creativity. Instead, kids should start to learn to examine information in order to develop mentally and become aware of reasoning. To answer your question, I think the first step to becoming a critical thinker is to identify the issue or problem you’re trying to solve.
Hey Karla,
I agree with your evaluation of each video and view points, especially with Richardson’s idea on adding critical thinking to the teachings of children. I had that same feeling in my own discussion board entry. Perhaps the minds of every adult would be better and more sensible if these tools were applied to their early teachings. I personally would go even further to say that it should be a requirement in the school system, because as I learn more about critical thinking, I’m seeing how urgently important having such an ability is.
Hi Karla, I agree with your definition of critical thinking. I think critical thinking is like playing a jigsaw puzzle. We don’t know where each piece is supposed to belong when we only see a puzzle piece. But, when we try to observe from another perspective, we find out it fits other parts perfectly. Eventually, the pieces get together, and it becomes an art. I think the process of playing a jigsaw puzzle is what Jesse Richardson says. And, when the process is completed, it becomes an art, as Dr. Richard Paul says.
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze deeper into what you hear, see or read. The skill to determine why something is the way that it is. In my opinion, the speakers explain critical thinking in different ways, but they both agree that critical thinking is the process of making connections. Gary Meegan defines critical thinking as a disassembly process. Dissecting the why to find out the because. As Gary Megan stated, it helps us get into the mind of others. It makes us better people and teaches us how to respond to others based on the reasoning of their actions. According to Jesse Richardson, critical thinking is “Less like art more like design. Art is an expression; design solves the problem.” Critical thinking is being able to question your thinking because our ideas aren’t always our own. It can be biases we might have learned along the way. I agree with both Gary and Jesse because you have to put your conclusions aside to think critically. You have to dig deep into the minds of others and find a connection to why things are the way they are. Like Jesse stated, what we see is the art, but we must not judge the art until we’ve seen the process and the design.
Hi Amanda, I can see what you mean it’s like how the second speaker mentioned two sides of the same coin. I agree how critical thinking can be questioning because it all depends on how each person grew up in their own environment, we gather up information from what we hear or see, like you have mentioned. I wonder if there is even a right or wrong on certain topics because it’s like is there really? It makes you think about your own ideas for sure.
Hi Amanda,
After reading your writing I have no doubt that you have listen two speakers very nicely. To me, critical thinking is like an art that make very simple thing very interesting.
Hi Amanda! Thanks for commenting on my post in Fipgrid- you’re right, amongst other things I do enjoy DIYs and upcycling too!
I like the way you defined critical thinking: ‘dissecting the why to find out the because.’ I would tweak it slightly, and instead define it as ‘dissecting the effect to find out the cause’, which holds a similar meaning. I think when humans act, more often than not they are actually ‘re-acting’ to some sort of stimulus. That stimulus could be an idea that they come up with, or it could be someone telling them to do something, or it could be their own emotions that are dictating the way that they act. Therefore, critical thinking would look into the various reasons why people act the way that they do, which you discussed when you said, that it is ‘the skill to determine why something is the way that it is.’
What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is when one tries to understand things at a deeper level. To objectively look for answers and not completely satisfied with the answer being the universal answer. It is to look at things further than what was previously thought possible and to analyze why. That one is human with flaws, but knowing the flaws can be modified and changed when one can look at oneself objectively. Honesty is one of the key factors to critical thinking.
How do the two speakers define it?
1) The art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.
2) How to question things rigorously, how to form sound, well-reasoned, coherent thoughts and arguments. It’s ok to be wrong.
Why, according to the speakers, is it important? Do you agree? Why or why not?
I do agree 100% that critical thinking is important. Is it our duty as human beings to think critically. We have a vast amount of brain power that seems be “opened” more and more as we spend time on this earth and this universe. Everything that has brought us comfort and ease in our modern lives was created by people who used critical thinking. To ask the questions “how does this work?” “How can this or that be better?” “Why?” “How?” etc. Humans have improved their lives by critically thinking to come up with better answers and solutions. Humans also have a strong emotional connection to things they feel they own and is theirs even if that is a certain belief. The human ego plays a large role in creating false narratives and a very flawed way of thinking critically. What I mean by this is that certain emotions are attached to certain thoughts, words, actions etc. and those emotions are automatic responses. Depending on ones upbringing and life experiences these emotional reactions may cloud and interfere with critical thinking. As one steps back from the emotional path and more towards an intellectual state of awareness, ones thinking becomes much more amplified. Emotion is a huge hindrance in the ability to think rationally. A child may grow up thinking their emotional reactions gets them what they want but as an adult those same reactions are mostly not useful at all. In conclusion, critical thinking is massively important for humans to practice and to improve our lives.
Hi Leo, I have enjoyed reading your writing about critical thinking, and I agree with you. You have explained well that we have vast brainpower to open our minds, understanding things at a deeper level and people create everything we have in our modern life, and it comes with humans, critical thoughts, actions, and beliefs. And it is also important to think intellectually rather than emotionally.
Hello Leo, I must say that I really have enjoyed your point of view and definition of critical thinking. You have used the term “deeper level” and that was the easiest way to explain the meaning. I also loved your reasoning of real-life improvement examples because that proves what the brains of human beings are capable of doing and it didn’t happen in one day but many years. At the same time, I feel that you missed writing why you agreed with the speaker, and instead, you wrote that you agreed that critical thinking is important.
Hi Leo i really enjoyed your view on critical thinking. I believe that critical thinking is a very important aspect in society
“The dog ate my homework.” …Don’t be like this kitty, the internet made this excuse obsolete, unfortunately. ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Critical thinking is an art to suppose genuinely and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas and people how we see the world. According to the speaker, Gray Megan defines, “Critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thoughts in order to improve them.”(Dr. Richard Paul). Critical thinking identifies, analyzes, and solves problems systematically, not intuitively or instinctively. Also, it is a way of thinking about what is currently in one’s mind to reach the best conclusion. Moreover, the speaker, Jesse Richardson, stated, “Think critically and creatively.” According to the speakers, it is important to think critically and creatively; it reflects ideas to open our minds on how to think and what not to think. And I agree with both Gray and Jesse that critical thinking is an art and connection between ideas. We can see our life in the technology world has become so easy and comfortable, and it comes from a deeper level of thinking about how we can make our life better in the modern world. We need to think differently and be involved in our learning process. Rather than remembering only the correct thing, we should occupy ourselves by asking and understanding, not just knowledge; creative thinking teaches us to be adaptable and innovative in solving problems. Jesse stated, “Never trust a brain, especially your own,” as we are prone to cognitive bias. As individuals, we want to be pretty smart, but reality has many flaws. Critical thinking helps to formulate rational and coherent thinking and discussion. We become self-aware and understand that it is okay to make mistakes with these critical thinking skills.
Hi Murshida! I agree with your definition of critical of thinking a lot! Being self- aware is a great way to begin the process of critical thinking!
Hi Murshida, I like your definition of critical thinking! I agree with you that we should think creatively, not just knowledge. I believe technology science people tend to be critical thinkers. They always need to solve things and be closer to the truth and facts, and these actions make them think creatively and critically.
To me, Critical Thinking is examining the motive behind an idea – we dissect a thought to reveal a deeper message behind what is presented to us. Dr. Richard Paul states that critical thinking is analyzing our thoughts to optimize our thought process. Jessie Richardson takes a similar approach, relaying that it’s more important that we understand how to learn as individuals instead of emphasizing what we learn. I agree with both takes. If we marry the two theories, this opens the way we understand the world we live in. Our palettes are expanded, there’s more room for empathy and nuance, which ultimately leads to less judgment and more understanding. The speakers also imply that critical thinking lends itself to clearer self-expression and creative problem solving. In a world where there’s little due diligence, this new approach causes us to ask interesting questions and make off-beat discoveries on our way to the answers. With an upside like that, who can argue with it? I yearn to see where this practice takes us as a society. Fingers crossed.
Based on my understanding, Critical Thinking is the ability to go beyond the imagination and create the reasoning behind what you’re thinking instead of just saying what it is and not having valid logic behind it. At the same time, based on the person’s point of view and understanding, there can be many different meanings of Critical Thinking but it is all about how you express it. Just like in the video, the two speakers have defined the meaning very differently but it has a very similar connection as well.
The definition of critical thinking by Gary Meegan is “critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking to improve it”. The speaker has explained that to think critically, you must look for reasoning, connections, and being very logical based on what you’re thinking but must be in a way that others would understand as well. In that case, it is not only what you want or expects it to be but it must be something that others would also understand. Being a critical thinker, you have to be a problem solver like when a detective is investigating and looking for clues and patterns to understand what might have happened and fighting with his thoughts with reasoning. On the other hand, the speaker Jesse Richardson has explained the definition of critical thinking differently and to him, it is “creative thinking, and the interactions, logic, and reasoning are there as well”. He also explained that critical thinkers must be adaptive and innovative to solve a problem while being very curious-minded. According to both speakers, logic and reasoning and problem-solving mind are very important for critical thinking.
I agree with both of the speakers because their ultimate meaning, the results are the same. The only difference is the way they have expressed it using different terms. In my point of view, I also think they are similar in their definitions. However, since Jesse Richardson has worked as an advertising creative, his approach is different just because his mind is on business perspective and he always puts himself in another person’s shoe who can be the customer to sell the product.
“The dog ate my homework”
The cartoon shows how the student who doesn’t put effort to work hard comes to claim that they have finished the work but the dog has eaten it. It’s funny how a kitten is telling it to a cat who is a teacher about a dog. This reminds me of a moment when I had given an excuse to the teacher and every single student was listening to it with full attention and laughing at it too.
Critical thinking is the ability to mentally think clearly and rationally about an idea. The first speaker states that thinking critically is an art and needs the practice to get good at it. He also states that critical thinking involves taking apart thinking and looking at how that thinking is constructed. The second speaker defines critical thinking as questioning things and forming well-reasoned thoughts and arguments. He also stated that critical thinking broadens people’s creativity and helps them become self-aware. Both speakers believe it is important because it looks for artifacts of reasoning and that it gives people the tools to find clues and reconstruct the reasoning of a thinker. I agree with the speakers. Critical thinking means knowing how to break down texts, and in turn, improve our ability to comprehend. By practicing critical thinking, we are allowing ourselves not only to solve problems but also to come up with new and creative ideas to do so. Critical thinking allows us to analyze ideas and adjust them accordingly. I believe that critical thinking provides us with the tools to evaluate ourselves in the way that we need to.
Hi Tarik
I agree critical thinking gives us the opportunity to self-evaluate, it enables us to better express our thoughts and ideas. it also allows us to be creative with our ideas, it encourages curiosity, and it fosters independence all of which we can apply to our careers or to certain areas in our personal life.
Hi Tarik,
Clarity and rationale are probably main points of critical thinking. After all, the point of it is to gain a clear understanding of ones thinking, their process of thinking and the facts given. And using rationale can weigh out whether or not, and once evaluated, the subject’s views and self is rational.
…those are good points that you made. I’m sure throughout this course, we’ll gain a better understanding how to actually apply that to our own critical thinking abilities.
Critical thinking is the practice of thinking deeply and precisely to better understand something, it is analyzing objectively by considering all aspects of the problem we are thinking about. It is the process of establishing the why, the how of something.
Gary Meegan in the first video, defined critical thinking as the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improve it. According to him critical thinking helps us look into our own thinking but also the thinking of others. On the other hand, Jesse Richardson defined critical thinking as the act of questioning things, attaining understanding not just knowledge. He states that a part of learning how to think is creativity. creative thinking is in essence making new connections. According to him we should teach kids how to think not what to think. I agree with both of the authors that critical thinking is important, it make us better people and it takes practice to become a good critical thinker. As Jesse Richardson mentioned in his video critical thinking need to be incorporated in early education so children start viewing problems deeply and objectively which relates to what Meegan said that thinking critically needs practice overtime.
I would define critical thinking as a thought process that helps people find a solution to difficult situations and that helps people make difficult decisions. Critical thinking involves a set of skills. Some critical thinking skills are observing, analyzing, and inferring. Critical thinking takes time and a lot of practice to master.
In the video “What is Critical Thinking? A definition”, the speaker/narrator used Dr. Richard Paul’s definition of critical thinking, which is that critical thinking is the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it. The speaker/narrator stated that critical thinking is an art that involves using our imagination to see connections and it also involves taking apart thinking and looking at how thinking is constructed. According to the speaker/narrator critical thinking is important because when we figure out how a person is thinking, it can help us look at the quality of the thinking and if it needs improvement or not. Its also important because it can help us to get into people’s mind and understand why they think the way they do and their view of the world. I agree with the speaker/narrator because I also believe that critical thinking helps to understand other people’s reasoning and views, since critical thinking in a way involves being open-minded/understanding.
In the video “how to think, not what to think”, the speaker Jesse Richardson believes that we should be teaching children how to think, not what to think. He defines critical thinking as a skill that involves creativity, in which can help us become more engaged and self-aware. The speaker stated that critical and creative thinking are two parts of an equation that add up to knowing how to think. He also states that knowing how to think keeps curiosity alive. According to the speaker critical thinking is important because critical thinking teaches us how to question things rigorously, it teaches us how to form sound, well-reasoned, and coherent thoughts and arguments. It also helps us to identify when something does not seem right. I agree with the speaker because knowing how to think sounds more engaging than being taught what to think, knowing how to think gives a person more individuality than being taught what to think .
The two speakers each gave a great definition of critical thinking. Gary Meegan said that Paul Richard’s definition of critical thinking is an art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view of improving it, Meegan believes critical thinking is important because is an art that helps us to use our imagination to make connections and to help with reasoning. Jesse Richardson’s definition of critical thinking teaches us how to question things rigorously, and how to form sound and well reason arguments. He also believes that the education system should teach kids how to think, not what to think, when kids are engaged it keeps them interested and they become curious they start questioning things that help them attain understanding, I agree that kids should be allowed to be creative with their ideas because creativity will help them to think on their own merits which will essentially teach them how to make connections and solve problems, (Jesse) it’s just like the old proverb, “if you give a man a fish he will be hungry tomorrow if you teach a man to fish he will be rich forever.” The ability to work is of greater benefits than one hand-out. I agree with both speakers I think they made valuable contributions to the definition of critical thinking, but what I find to be quite interesting in regard to Jesse’s definition is that critical thinking teaches us that it is good to be wrong and liberating to change our ideas. This is contradictory to what I have always heard, “stick to your ideas.”
I believe critical thinking helps us reason logically and assess important information effectively, identify with and reject false odeologies, it also builds curiosity so we can ask pertinent questions, evaluate statements, and balance arguments. Critical thinking raises self-awareness causing us to be skeptical enough to challenge assumptions rather than accept what is presented to us, it also helps us refine our thought process and become better thinkers.
Hi, Priscille! Solid breakdown of what critical thinking is. I agree that critical thinking raises self-awareness, and that we shouldn’t “stick to our ideas.” If we’re presented with new information, or creative ways to process them, then why shouldn’t we pivot and adjust our thinking? As stated by both speakers in different ways, the constant assessment of our thoughts really does refine our approach, which opens new lanes of options for us to explore. Great read.
I agree with “I believe critical thinking helps us reason logically and assess important information effectively, identify with and reject false odeologies, it also builds curiosity so we can ask pertinent questions, ” yes critical thinking do build curiosity which is good to help us have a better understanding in our every day life
I think critical thinking is Being able to have the capability to think beyond emotion and using reasons and facts to deeper understand the world around us. I think the speakers explain critical thinking in separate ways but the bigger picture and explanation was kind of the same .Gary Meegan stated “it helps us get into the mind of others” he describes critical thinking as an art of analyzing and evaluating a better outcome and understanding.
Jesse Richardson describes critical thinking as a way of us attaining understanding not just knowledge. Even though both speakers are explaining the same thing I agree with the second speaker Jesse Richardson and this is because he explained how critical thinking can impact the children and also he explained how you have to always think critically about everything.
Hi Tyra, hope you’re doing well.
In your post, you mentioned that you think that critical thinking is being able to have the capability to think beyond emotion, using reasons and facts to better understand the world around us. With respect, I disagree with the idea that critical thinking requires thinking beyond emotion. I think critical thinking and emotions go hand in hand in trying to relate and understand how a person perceives the world.
A critical analysis is evaluating evidence to conclude. It’s an art of analyzing evaluating thinking with a view to improving. Critical thinking is the scientifically focused method of consciously and skillfully conceptualizing, integrating, interpreting, synthesizing, and/or assessing knowledge gathered from, or produced by, interpretation, practice, contemplation, logic, or communication, as a guideline to perception and action.
Critical thinking is an opportunity to focus on a broad subject. It’s important to be able to think logically and rationally whatever we want to do. If you work in education, science, economics, administration, or the legal profession, so it is certainly necessary to think critically. But the capabilities of critical reasoning are not limited to a single subject field. Capable of reasoning well and of consistently solving problems is an advantage for every profession.
I agree with both speakers because; Critical thinking fosters creativeness. An innovative solution to problems doesn’t just involve having new ideas. It also has to be the case that the new ideas which are being produced are useful and relevant for the job. Critical thinking plays a crucial role in assessing new ideas, choosing the best, and, if possible, changing them. For self-reflection Critical thinking is important. To live a fulfilling life and properly plan our lives, we need to explain and focus on our beliefs and our choices. Critical thought provides the resources for this self-evaluation process.
Hi Haque
I agree with you critical thinking is a broad focus and it is good that we can be logical in our thinking because logical thinking skills play an important role in helping us generate creative ideas, reason through important decisions, and in problem-solving, creative thinking is a necessary tool that we use daily no matter which profession we’re in. well said
Critical thinking is observations that forms a judgement or an opinion on a particular subject. The two speakers define critical thinking as analyzing and actively questioning. This is important because it helps get a better understanding on the subject that is discussed; understanding both perspectives on how they think or analyze. This can help with the creativity of thoughts and ideas.
According to Gary Meegan, the method of critical thinking is much like an art that requires creativity and imagination, through creating every scenario and possibility in your mind. Meegan says, “Just as art reflects how the artist looks at the world, critical thinking helps us understand how someone’s thinking or actions reflect how they see the world”. And by putting critical thought on every detail of information, body language and actions, a person’s thinking process, and even personality can be revealed. He believes it’s not just something that comes to you, for it takes practice and really delving in to the details. By using certain rubrics such as analyzing, you can dissect thinking, and find reasoning behind the idea. And once that reasoning is determined, you have to evaluate, kind of like a quality check for thinking. Because once you get all of your facts, you have to evaluate the quality of thinking with importance to learn whether or not the thinker can be trusted.
Now, Jesse Richardson, on the other hand, does agree with the method’s Meegan suggested, but on a more technical level. Rather than seeing critical thinking as an art, he sees it more as design. Richardson says that “the difference between art and design is that art is an expression, and design solves a problem.” Without involving your own personal way of thinking, you can figure out thinking like an equation. Like cause and effect. Something had to be the reasoning behind this thinking, and so, with vulnerability, humility and being receptive to ones thought, all while being open and welcoming to being wrong, you can unlock the truth of things completely free of bias. And critically thinking like that can pretty much help people better spot out “bullshit”.
Both Richardson and Meegan agree that we become better people by using the tools of critical thinking in order to, not only evaluate the thinking of others, but our own process of thinking and why we think the way we do. This in turn reveals who we really are, and as Meegan said, “find our place in the world”. It’s that aspect of this course that has really got me excited. Because this is a lesson in sharpening your mind, thinking process and how to truly evaluate and find reasoning in ones thinking, free of personal bias, opinions or hearsay. And with this, I can apply that to, not just my future courses and writings within my Writing and Literature major, but also in my own life. Honestly, I wish it was something I learned much earlier in my scholastic years. I’m sure it would’ve benefited me in how I’ve learn to learn, and the personal choices I’ve made as a child, which would manifest into the future me. Well, that and the internet. Richardson’s virtual program that teaches children critical thinking skills, and his motivation to one day bring a critical thinking curriculum into school system as a requirement, to me is a brilliant idea. His theory on teaching children how to think more so than what to think, could really advance the minds of children’s thinking. Perhaps future goals can be better identified, better choices when presented with peer pressure and bad decisions, learning challenges can be better identified, or best of all, and children can better identify with who they are as a person earlier in life. Critical thinking can even aid in the things kids and adults face every day, like better identifying fake news and negatively targeting algorithms in social media.
I’d like to think that I think critically. I believe that critical thinking is a sort of an enhanced level of curiosity that can never be satisfied with simple answers and vague responses. Clear responses, proven facts, body language and tone has always meant a lot to me when it comes to communicating with people. I’m not saying I require this level of clarity in all aspects of communication. Sometimes, a surface answer will do just fine. But when it’s important to me, or if the situation calls for some hard answers, I’m curious and I dig in there. I also apply that method to how I approach and deal with people in order to know who they are, and whether or not they’re my cup of tea. Now, I’ve never labeled my method of thinking as nothing more than “I’m analytical”, as many have told me more than a bit that I “over analyze things”, or that I’m “looking too deep into things”, but as I’m learning so far and in these two videos, perhaps there’s a little critical thinker up in this ole brain of mine. I guess if I do in fact have the skill, I can’t wait to take what I learn here to better improve it.
THE ILLUSTRATION
The illustration puzzle reminds of what Richardson said about how critically thinking can help you gain the skills to essentially “spot bullshit”.
Well, the setting is a classroom full of kittens and cat for a teacher. When time comes to submit classwork, one of the little kitten students informs the teacher that “the dog ate his homework”. With the teacher being a full grown cat, she knows that this couldn’t be true.
For one, they’re cats! Cats and dogs are known mortal enemies. So, one could say that it would be impossible for a cat to own a dog. Through the teacher’s own critical thinking, she determined that more than likely, the little kitten student is telling a lie.
Why? Because “YOU CAN’T BULLSHIT A BULLSHITTER!”
Critical thinking is when you make rational and organized judgments based on the information you are given. It requires open-mindedness. It involves observing, questioning, evaluating, researching, and drawing conclusions. According to Gary Meegan, critical thinking is an art. It helps us see the world from someone else’s perspective. Analyzing involves breaking things down and looking for reasoning to help us determine how to proceed. In my opinion, Meegan’s definition of critical thinking is much more rational, evidence-based, and allows us to see the world from another perspective.
In Jesse Richardson’s view, critical thinking helps students become more open-minded while expanding their creativity to help them learn better. Instead of teaching us what to believe, the educational system has to adapt to how pupils actually learn, such as how to think. Students are disengaged when the material is thrown at them and they are forced to remember the correct answer. As a result, they lose motivation and confidence in themselves as learners. Instead, teaching kids how to think will assist in promoting their excitement and interest. It allows students to trust themselves and solve problems in a variety of contexts where critical thinking abilities are applicable. Richardson’s argument really resonates with me because for many years in high school I had difficulty following and keeping up with the work that was given to me because it had to be done in a specific way that didn’t intrigue me. There are multiple ways to do things and I learned that when I left high school and got to college and worked a full-time job. I started doing things that were convenient and less of what wasn’t.
Critical thinking is a process of thinking that uses various perspectives, views, thoughts, or questions to find out truths because we tend to have cognitive biases or prejudices when we think.
The First speaker defines critical thinking as the act of monitoring your own thoughts you that you can make changes to improve your thinking. He thinks of it as an art form. It is something we must continually practice to get better at. It helps us understand the world, and it also allows us to understand why we view the world in the way we do. The second speaker also views critical thinking as a form of metacognition. The ted talk focuses on the way critical thinking is an innate part of humanity, and how much benefit we would reap if we emphasized it in childhood education. I agree with both speakers, and I also believe critical thinking is a fundamental skill that should be taught in the information age we currently live in.
I also agree with the second speaker when, as he believes that critical thinking helps you see through bullshit. In my personal experience, I find that the people who are most often taken advantage of by scams, ads, and social-media scams usually lack critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking, in my opinion, is the ability to notice and analyze the way we think every day of our life.According to the first speaker, critical thinking is an art that requires practice to master. He also claims that critical thinking entails analyzing thought and examining how it is formed.According to the second video, he explains it as a means for us to get understanding rather than simply information; although we have critical thinking, we also have interest about it in order to make it entertaining and successful for kids.He demonstrates why this is critical by illustrating how we can educate children that instead of remembering correct answers, we should involve them in activities that allow them to free their own thoughts for awareness.I absolutely agree with what both speakers have said since critical thinking should be viewed as an art and something we should have an open mind about.
I agree with your opinion on Critical thinking, it’s very detailed. It’s more so about analyzing situations and challenges that we endure in our everyday lives. It takes time to master this skill because our minds evolve everyday to expand and see things from a different perspective. Before having a viewpoint on a topic, you have to dissect the goal. You have to understand what is being stated and what is being requested. Remembering correct answers is good but do people understand why it’s the correct answer? That’s where thinking critically comes in. Activities to help grow and strengthen the mind is something that was discussed in the last video. I also agreed with the motive and approach that the speaker introduced us to.
Critical thinking is the art of using our imagination to see connections. It helps us understand how someone is thinking and how others view the world. It involves how thinking is constructed and reasoning behind one’s point of view. It is important because it helps us understand how someone thinks and views the world. I agree with this definition because before I watched the video, I only thought Critical thinking was breaking down a topic into smaller sections to accurately understand the reasoning. I never knew it came with connections and logic.