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What to think?
› How to think?
How is critical thinking different from problem-solving?
Critical thinking…
- Does not aim at solving problems (although it might do so in the process) – looks at an issue from the viewpoint of several other interrelated (or un-interrelated) issues
- Addresses internal states of the mind – values, beliefs, expectations, etc. (while problem-solving focuses on external issues)
Critical thinking is…
- Reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do
- Better thinking
- Distinguishing between thinking that is directed at clarifying (expounding) a goal
Twelve Critical Thinking Abilities (Ennis, 1987):
- Focusing on the question
- Analyzing arguments
- Asking and answering questions of clarification
- Judging the credibility of a source
- Observing and judging observational reports
- Deducing and judging deductions
- Inducing and judging inductions
- Making value judgments (evaluation)
- Defining terms and judging definitions
- Identifying assumptions
- Deciding on an action
- Interaction with others
Some terms clarified…
- Knowledge– tool to think critically
- Inference– making connection between two or more units of knowledge
- Deduction– understanding a particular unit of knowledge by using already existing units of knowledge
- Induction– discovering a particular unit of knowledge (often new) from the observation and gathering of different units of knowledge from a variety of settings (time and space)
- Evaluation– decision-making – includes analyzing, judging, weighing, and making value judgments
- Metacognition– ability to analyze one’s own decisions
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