WHAT comes to your mind if you hear about critical thinking? One of the gift as a human being is ability to think. But in this era, the world demands all of us not only to think but critically. That is the skill needed of life to see something arounds.
Being critical thinking is not something that is obtained quickly. Need more practice, more read books, conduct discussion, or even involve in any seminars. This is kind of the best of our thinking if you have to do it.
Moreover in digital era, many informations and hoaxes scattered anywhere. The greatest thing to protect your mind is being critism for anything you read, learn, discussed, or gained.
American Educational Psychologist, Author and President of Foundation for Critical Thinking, Linda Elder and her partner, Director of Research and Professional Developmet at the Center for Critical Thinking leaked ways how to be critical thinking.
Clarify Your Thinking
First thing that you must be done is ensuring anything that you gained from your information. Trying to figure out more materials, informations or news that is importantly. Explore your ability to build a skill clarify of your thought. Get to practice to summarize any words what people said. Then, ask for yourself too, are you truly understand of it? Do not let it yourself to say ‘yes’, if you are not sure for that.
Here is the strategy to do that!
Strategies for Clarifying Your Thinking
· State one point at a time.
· Elaborate on what you mean
· Give examples that connect your thoughts to life experiences
· Use analogies and metaphors to help people connect your ideas to a variety of things they already understand (for example, critical thinking is like an onion. There are many layers to it. Just when you think you have it basically figured out, you realize there is another layer, and then another, and another and another and on and on)
Here is One Format You Can Use
· I think . . . (state your main point)
· In other words . . . (elaborate your main point)
· For example . . . (give an example of your main point)
· To give you an analogy . . . (give an illustration of your main point)
To Clarify Other People’s Thinking, Consider Asking the Following
· Can you restate your point in other words? I didn’t understand you.
· Can you give an example?
· Let me tell you what I understand you to be saying. Did I understand you correctly?
Stick to the Point
When you got something to filter in your mind, ensuring that you keep it up focused on it. Just focused on to be part of problem solver. When you notice that the point is not related with the problem, just ask “Is it relevant for it?”. Sometimes, people’s mind is often wander to unrelated matters.
Trying to figure out how to do it!
Ask These Questions to Make Sure Thinking is Focused on What is Relevant
· Am I focused on the main problem or task?
· How is this connected? How is that?
· Does my information directly relate to the problem or task?
· Where do I need to focus my attention?
· Are we being diverted to unrelated matters?
· Am I failing to consider relevant viewpoints?
· How is your point relevant to the issue we are addressing?
· What facts are actually going to help us answer the question? What considerations should be set aside?
· Does this truly bear on the question? How does it connect?
Question Question
You must be aware for the question addressing to you. Note how people give you question, when they give you question, or when they fail to question. Just look closely fo every question you gained. You must be understand, should you answer that? Sometimes, the question not a something help to solve the problem or even make those discussion better.
These are a your formula to try!
Strategies for Formulating More Powerful Questions
· Whenever you don’t understand something, ask a question of clarification.
· Whenever you are dealing with a complex problem, formulate the question you are trying to answer in several different ways (being as precise as you can) until you hit upon the way that best addresses the problem at hand.
· Whenever you plan to discuss an important issue or problem, write out in advance the most significant questions you think need to be addressed in the discussion. Be ready to change the main question, but once made clear, help those in the discussion stick to the question, making sure the dialogue builds toward an answer that makes sense.
Questions You Can Ask to Discipline Your Thinking
· What precise question are we trying to answer?
· Is that the best question to ask in this situation?
· Is there a more important question we should be addressing?
· Does this question capture the real issue we are facing?
· Is there a question we should answer before we attempt to answer this question?
· What information do we need to answer the question?
· What conclusions seem justified in light of the facts?
· What is our point of view? Do we need to consider another?
· Is there another way to look at the question?
· What are some related questions we need to consider?
· What type of question is this: an economic question, a political question, a legal question, etc.?
Be Reasonable
Last but not least, one of sign as a good thinker is to be reasonable. Look at around and listen carefull what people talking about. Make sure that what you are going to say is reasonable and has a tight related for the issues.
And these are the strategy you could try to!
Say aloud, “I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I’m often wrong.” See if you have the courage to admit this during a disagreement: “Of course, I may be wrong. You may be right.”
Practice saying in your own mind, “I may be wrong. I often am. I’m willing to change my mind when given good reasons.” Then look for opportunities to make changes in your thinking.
Ask yourself, “When was the last time I changed my mind because someone gave me better reasons for his (her) views than I had for mine?” (To what extent are you open to new ways of looking at things? To what extent can you objectively judge information that refutes what you already think?
Realize That You are Being Close-Minded If You
a. are unwilling to listen to someone’s reasons
b. are irritated by the reasons people give you
c. become defensive during a discussion
After you catch yourself being close-minded, analyze what was going on in your mind by completing these statements:
a. I realize I was being close-minded in this situation because . . .
b. The thinking I was trying to hold onto is . . .
c. Thinking that is potentially better is . . .
d. This thinking is better because . . .