Your WIT, What Do I Think, are short, reflective essays. Each WIT is to exhibit

Question

Your WIT, What Do I Think, are short, reflective essays. Each WIT is to exhibit your critical analysis skills, your organizational skills for writing,  and your creative thinking skills. You will write a 2-3 page reflection for each WIT. Please double space and use 12 point font size. It is best to complete your WIT after engagement with the text material for each chapter.

WIT 4: Your WIT for Learning Experience Three is to write a 2-3 page speech. Imagine that you will be speaking to college students at a Critical Thinking Symposium (in a fun city of your choice). You have been asked to speak to the college students on the challenges and pitfalls of good, clear, critical thinking. Part of your speech will contain a story about the value of good critical thinking in your life.

You may consider the following elements for an effective speech:

1. definition-what is critical thinking?

2. why is critical thinking important (to self, society)?

3. what are some barriers and pitfalls that critical thinkers face (use textbook info)?

4. what are several effective skills that critical thinkers can practice?

5. an example of critical thinking lacking in your own life?

6. an example of critical thinking being a positive moment in your own life?

7. what is an issue, problem, or decision that you will apply critical thinking to in your future?

8. closure-what is the most important thing that you want to say about critical thinking?

Be sure to cite the text as you draw upon it to inform your work.

Explanation / Answer

One definition for 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." Critical thinking is the process by which people qualitatively and quantitatively assess the information they have accumulated, and how they in turn use that information to solve problems and forge new patterns of understanding. Critical thinking clarifies goals, examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, accomplishes actions, and assesses conclusions. People use critical thinking to solve complex math problems or compare prices at the grocery store. It is a process that informs all aspects of one's daily life, not just the time spent taking a class or writing an essay.Critical thinking is imperative to effective communication, and thus, public speaking. You can gain numerous benefits from mastering critical thinking skills, such as better control of your own learning and empathy for other points of view. Critical Thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. Focusing on your own needs and wants can be a normal part of life, but self-interested thinking is a problem when you aren't able to think objectively because of it. Having a tunnel vision is a barrier to critical thinking.People who think only in self-interested terms generally do not use critical thinking. When a person believes themselves to be more important that other people, this is egocentrism. Egocentrism is also not conducive to critical thinking. Group bias occurs when you value the views of your own group to the detriment of other groups. You forgive the failings of people like you, and you exaggerate the shortcomings of those unlike you. The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making. Specifically we need to be able to: Think about a topic or issue in an objective and critical way. Identify the different arguments there are in relation to a particular issue. Evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or valid it is. Recognise any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the evidence or argument. Notice what implications there might be behind a statement or argument. Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument that we wish to make. An everyday example of lacking critical thinking skills,would be getting stuck in traffic and not really thinking about the problem in order to avoid the negative consequences by leaving early from home. Critical thinking works positively for me when I need to analyse my emotions,that is why do feel sad or angry and how to go about avoiding situations that would make me happy than angry. Critical thinking skills are needed by everyone, in all societies who value safety, justice, and a host of other positive values:Considered as a form of thoughtful judgment or reflective decision-making, in a very real sense critical thinking is pervasive. There is hardly a time or a place where it would not seem to be of potential value. As long as people have purposes in mind and wish to judge how to accomplish them, as long as people wonder what is true and what is not, what to believe and what to reject, strong critical thinking is going to be necessary.

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